Main Purpose:

The Lubricants Manager role is to ensure Puma Lubricants are sold through the main route to market being: B2B, Highstreet and Retail segments throughout Zimbabwe. The Lubricants Manager must ensure non-direct customers are service through distributors who must achieve their monthly budget by offering support through order planning, coordinating stock progression, managing pricing and marketing efforts. The Lubricants Manager is responsible for supplying B2B customers and more specifically liaising with HPL contacts and driving the Global Strategy to achieve the overall key objectives of the B2B segments and HPL business.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities, Key Responsibilities:

Key responsibilities (List major areas of responsibilities, in priority order)

Distributor Management (40%)

• Liaison with Puma Business Support and Distributors to ensure orders are processed timeously and correctly.
• Ensure distributors credit is managed effectively to maintain 0% bad debt
• Managing stock progression and reordering process to ensure critical grades are always readily available.
• Conducting weekly business review meetings to assess the following:
• stock holding levels
• cash flows
• market pricing in comparison to our pricing
• lost and prospective customers
• Sales performance
• Delivery cycle (Retail)
• Retaining control of the distributor’s sales route to ensure that each distributor is operating within their respective segment as stipulated in their agreement.
• Offering marketing support to distributors where possible and to regulate distributors communication to the market to ensure it is aligned to the Puma standard.
• Sustaining constant communication with the distributors to establish market acceptance of the brand any technical support as may be required.
• Monitoring projected sales volume in relation to current performance
• Maintain distributor price lists and notify them of any upcoming price changes.
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Achieve Personal monthly volume and margin Budget (30%)

• Maintain direct control of existing key B2B relationships through regular customer visits
• Provide administrative support and facilitating technical support to current and prospective B2B customers.
• Evaluate price changes according to the budget , competition and the needs of the independent market in order to increase sales
• Produce elaborate weekly report showing prospective customers, planned activities and sales.
• Develop a clear Sales pipeline and execute it flawlessly to meet the set annual objectives in terms of volume and GM.
• Develop and build sustainable solution (value-selling) based programs for the HPL customers to deliver cost savings and improved overall operations beyond selling products.
• Coordinate presentations and negotiations with potential clients
• Maintain brand presence on the market by attending exhibitions and industry related events.
• Conducting constant market research to ensure the correct grades in the correct pack sizes are readily available at all times.
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Conduct continuous training sessions on Product Knowledge (15%)

• Training the forecourt attendants on the basics of lubrication regularly
• Coordinating technical seminars for the B2B segment in conjunction with the regional technical advisors
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Others (15%)

• Preparation of annual sales budget in relation to performance
• Formulation and execution of annual marketing and advertising concepts in conjunction with the regional team
• HSE compliance to ensure there are 0% fatalities during the handling of our product throughout the year
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Educational Qualifications & Experience:

• Preferred Post graduate university / Bachelor degree in Engineering, Commerce
• Min 10 years’ experience in the Lubricants business / Chemical Industries / or Mechanical Engineering
• Managing B2B/ HPL accounts for a minimum of 5 years
• Supervisory experience is desirable
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Skills:

• Leading people and strong influencing skills
• Value Selling Skills
• Strong negotiation and sales skills
• Financial acumen to manage a P&L
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite applications; Presentation tools and programs;
• Ability to travel extensively
• Fluent English
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Competencies:

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, organizationally flat environment and under pressure
• Excellent negotiation and analytical skills
• Effective performer within a matrix organization
• Highly motivated
• Strong work ethics
• Ability to interact with large external clients and vendors as well as key internal stakeholders
• Work independently
• Be a strong team player, and
• Work on multiple projects concurrently.

Key Relationships and Department Overview:

Internal: GM, Regional Lubes Managers, B2B Manager, Retail & TM Managers, Business Support, Supply, Finance and Operations

External: Lubricants Distributors , B2B customers , Other Oil Marketing Companies, Government Authorities