Customer Development Manager-Discounters

Job Number - Jeddah, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specializing 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.

Customer Development Manager (CDM) for Discounters

This role is responsible for spearheading the commercial strategy, volume growth, and profitability of the company's portfolio within the rapidly expanding Discounter retail channel across Saudi Arabia. It requires a unique balance of strict financial discipline and aggressive volume driving, designing tailored joint business plans that fit the high turnover, low margin, and highly competitive discounter model (e.g., Al Raya, Othaim, Panda's discount formats, and emerging soft/hard discounters).

• Lead the negotiation and execution of long term strategic customers with key discounter accounts to secure category growth, volume commitments, and optimal visibility.
• Own the channel's P&L, optimize trade spend, manage margins, and design cost effective promotional frameworks (such as Everyday Low Price/EDLP models or high volume multi packs) suitable for price sensitive shoppers.
• Collaborate closely with Demand Planning and Logistics teams to maintain high case fill rates and eliminate Out of Stock situations.
• Manage and coach a regional team of field supervisors and merchandisers to ensure flawless implementation of planograms and share of shelf.
• Identify whitespace opportunities and introduce specific SKU mixes (e.g., promotional bundles, value sizes) engineered exclusively for the discounter format to prevent channel conflict with hypermarkets.

• Achieve sales goals, margin & volume targets on the accounts and ensure 5P execution in store.
• Optimize trade spend ROI: evaluate promotional investments and discount structures to eliminate underperforming tactics, ensuring every commercial riyal spent directly drives high volume velocity while protecting net margins within the highly price sensitive discounter channel.
• Develop EDLP & price architecture and ROI mechanics.
• Build and negotiate partnerships with store operations and in store personnel to support the partnership between CP and a group of accounts at the store and regional level.
• Provide feedback on competition intelligence and in store environment to ensure right tactics are employed and report to the General Manager.
• Ensure tailored plans/promotions are developed with RM & executed in accounts.

• Cascade channel strategy developed by the General Manager in the selected accounts on both qualitative (5P's) & quantitative (sales per account, per store, per category and per SKU).
• Build and manage relationships with key players (Junior Buyers & Store Manager) at the regional and/or store level.
• Conduct negotiations as necessary (planograms, displays, promotion execution, etc.) at regional office and/or store level.
• Coordinate special events (store level sell in and communication, materials management in store, etc.) in cooperation with the Retail Marketing Team and General Manager.
• Maximize P&L account, by analyzing, identifying opportunities & action plan.
• Prepare business reviews (twice a year) with CDTLs & GM to meet customers and share mutual growth opportunities.

• Regularly visit stores to identify areas of improvement.
• Coach & give direction to in store staff (merchandisers) and ensure they are trained and updated on new products, promotions, and merchandising objectives. Identify training needs and develop training plans with the CDTL.
• Develop tools, merchandising materials and in store programs for effective shelf management to induce shoppers to purchase Colgate products at shelf.
• Supervise & analyze consistent and accurate collection of data to monitor 5P performance vs target.
• Communicate in store objectives and monitor execution of 5P targets, product availability, assortment by store format, shelf pricing (regular and promoted), promotion implementation vs plan, share of shelf, planograms, POP placement vs plan.
• Resolve operational issues at regional offices or in store.

• A minimum of a Bachelor's or similar degree is required.

• At least 8 years of experience in the Saudi market.
• Experience in developing Business of Selected Customers.
• Good English & Arabic.

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