Customer Development Manager

No Relocation Assistance Offered
Job Number #174009 - Hout Bay, Western Cape, South Africa

Who We Are

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specialising in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Care, and Pet Nutrition. Our products are trusted in more households than any other brand in the world, making us a household name!

Join Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets, and our planet. Guided by our core values—Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous—we foster a culture that inspires our people to achieve common goals. Together, let's build a brighter, healthier future for all.
 

Role Summary:

As a pivotal member of the Customer Development Team, you will be responsible for managing and developing the relationship between Hill’s Pet Nutrition and key accounts and independent stores in order to ensure profitable sales of Hill’s Pet Nutrition Products. Operating in a dynamic, merging, and fast-evolving South African pet retail market, this role requires a high level of commercial acumen and strategic thinking to turn market complexities into actionable business solutions. The ideal candidate will balance exceptional stakeholder relationship management with a sharp focus on data analytics—leveraging syndicated, market, and sell-out data to uncover insights, optimize investment strategies, and drive mutual win-win growth.

Responsibilities

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  Deliver quarterly and annual Sell Out, Net sales, Volume, GtN, and channel profitability targets.

  
  


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  Formulate, negotiate, and execute comprehensive customer strategic plans within set budgets, rooted in category trends and competitive analysis.

  
  


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  Coordinate plan implementation through Territory Managers (TMs) nationwide to ensure stellar retail execution.

  
  


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  Deliver Hill’s KPIs across multiple sales functions.

  
  


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  Establish strong buyer relationships, building deep trust and rapport to understand their evolving needs and develop customized business solutions.

  
  


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  Demonstrate a clear understanding of the customer strategy, changing retail environments, and their clients to optimize Hill’s brand equity and portfolio performance.

  
  


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  Lead the analysis of account-specific business trends, utilizing all appropriate sell-out data and syndicated sources to identify gaps in core range, distribution, and new growth opportunities.

  
  


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  Develop, communicate, and implement forward-looking customer strategies that drive future profitable growth for a merging and changing pet retail channel.

  
  


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  Work closely with the Marketing Team and cross-functional touchpoints to develop initiatives, maximize investment efficiencies, and align shopper insights.

  
  


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  Manage all account administration.

  
  


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  Provide full ROI analysis, financial discipline, and pre- and post-program evaluations for promotions and events to optimize future investment strategies.

  
  


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  Proactively take on project work when requested to develop and broaden personal skill set.

  
  

Required Qualifications:

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  Bachelor’s Degree.

  
  


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  3 - 5 years of Sales or Key Account Management experience within a corporate environment.

  
  


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  Strong commercial acumen and experience running a business unit P&L or managing trade spend investments.

  
  


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  Proven experience utilizing syndicated data sources, market metrics, and sell-out data to drive sales decisions.

  
  


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  Good negotiation and stakeholder collaboration skills.

  
  


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  Proficiency in Microsoft Office or Google Suite (Excel/Sheets, PowerPoint/Slides).

  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

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  Previous experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) or FMCG industries ; specific experience within the Pet retail channel or Pet industry is highly advantageous.

  
  


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  Customer-oriented mindset with excellent communication and relationship-building skills.

  
  


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  Highly developed strategic thinking and data analytics capabilities.

  
  


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  Strong flexibility, adaptability, and a proactive attitude required to navigate a merging, changing market environment.

  
  


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  Accustomed to working under pressure with a resilient, strong focus on achieving agreed targets.

  
  


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  Innovative and continuous improvement approach, with a knack for identifying process improvements and lessons learned.

  
  

Our Commitment to Inclusion
Our journey begins with our people—developing strong talent with diverse backgrounds and perspectives  to best serve our consumers around the world and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring that each individual can be their authentic self, is treated with respect, and is empowered by leadership to contribute meaningfully to our business.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please complete this request form should you require accommodation.

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