Business Development Manager - Sports Nutrition

About the role

The Sports & Nutrition business unit in Kenya is looking for a Business Development Manager to open and develop key accounts across supermarkets, convenience stores, e-commerce platforms, gyms and fitness chains, supplement retailers, sports institutions and pharmacy chains. The role is hands-on commercial work: you set the unit's go-to-market plan and deliver it yourself in the field. It reports to the Head of Commercial, is full-time, based in Nairobi with frequent local travel, and has no direct reports.

Key responsibilities

• Win and grow key accounts: open new accounts and close deals yourself, negotiate listings, trade terms, visibility and joint business plans, and manage orders, replenishment and collections within approved credit terms.
• Deliver monthly, quarterly and annual sales, distribution and margin targets.
• Map the Kenyan sports-nutrition market by channel, account, competitor and price tier, set priority channels and targets, and recommend assortment, pricing and margin structure.
• Build a network of gym owners, trainers, coaches and nutritionists, run gym sampling, in-store promotions, sports events and athlete or influencer activations, and track return on trade investment.
• Set sports-nutrition targets for the shared field sales team, train them on the portfolio, and design channel promotions.
• Manage head-office relationships with key pharmacy chains, including listings, terms and planograms.
• Produce demand forecasts by account and SKU, coordinate stock and expiry management with Supply Chain, keep pipeline and account records in approved CRM tools, report competitor activity and prepare a monthly business review.
• Ensure products sold are registered, claims are approved and all dealings are ethical.

Required profile

• At least four years in a commercial role such as key accounts, sales, business development, sponsorship and partnerships, category buying, or running your own trading business.
• A proven record of opening accounts, winning buyers or growing sales in your channel.
• Existing relationships with buyers or decision-makers in at least one of: supermarkets and convenience, e-commerce marketplaces, gyms and fitness, supplement retail, pharmacy chains or sports organisations.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Commerce, Nutrition, Sports Science, Physiotherapy or a related field; strong commercial track record without a degree is also considered.
• Genuine interest in fitness, sport or nutrition; sports-nutrition product knowledge is not required.

Required skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM tools.
• Valid driving licence.
• Negotiation skills and comfort managing margins, budgets and trade spend.

What we offer

• Structured onboarding on the product portfolio, sports-nutrition basics, product registration and claims rules.
• Close support from Marketing, Regulatory and Supply Chain during the first months.
• Ownership of a growing business unit with a direct line to the Head of Commercial.
• A competitive base salary with performance-linked incentives.