Sales Acceleration Manager - Royal Canin Johannesburg, South Africa

We're looking for a Sales Acceleration Manager to lead impactful customer development and sales initiatives across South Africa. In this role, you'll bring our brand strategy to life at the point of purchase—ensuring every activation is insight-led, shopper-focused, and flawlessly executed. Working at the intersection of sales, marketing and category, you’ll play a key role in driving visibility, conversion, and growth across all channels.

What are we looking for?

• Bachelor degree in Marketing or related field . MBA is advantageous.

• A minimum of 5 years experience in Trade Marketing or Category Management.

• Experience in management of promotional planning , retailer collaboration and shopper insights .

• Strong customer and Marketing experience that includes selling, negotiating, and leveraging insights and proven ability to understand and translate brand strategies into engaging customer strategies that are mutually beneficial for company and customer.

• Ability to travel nationally & internationally based on company requirements.

What will be your key responsibilities?

• Shape and execute the sales acceleration strategy to grow Royal Canin and Eukanuba brands across all channels, ensuring alignment with global and regional priorities.

• Lead in-store excellence initiatives including Perfect Store and Perfect Clinic activations, ensuring consistent brand visibility and impactful shopper experiences.

• Drive commercial planning and execution by developing activation plans, deploying tools, and overseeing trade activities that bring the brand to life at point of purchase.

• Lead category development efforts by turning shopper insights into growth strategies, influencing internal stakeholders and partnering with key customers to unlock category potential.

• Oversee inventory, budget and procurement processes to ensure efficient resource use and strong ROI across promotional and merchandising initiatives.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, and external partners to ensure plans are insight-led, customer-centric, and deliver strong business results.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 130,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.

• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.

• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.

• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.