Job Purpose
- To build and grow our Sports & Nutrition business unit in Kenya by opening and developing key accounts across supermarkets, convenience stores, e-commerce platforms, gyms and fitness chains, supplement retailers, sports institutions and pharmacy chains. This is a hands-on commercial role: you will set the unit’s go-to-market plan and deliver it yourself in the field.
- We are hiring for channel relationships, commercial drive and hunger, not for prior sports-nutrition experience. If you already sell to modern-trade buyers, gym owners, sports organisations or online marketplaces, we will teach you the category.
Who We Are Looking For
Sports-nutrition experience is not required. We welcome strong candidates from any of the following backgrounds:
- Lifestyle FMCG and modern trade: key account and modern-trade managers in energy drinks, sports and functional beverages, premium dairy or snacking, who already work with supermarket, convenience and e-commerce buyers and sell on consumer pull.
- Supplement trade: importers, online sellers, supplement-counter and health-store operators who supply Nairobi gyms and know what sells, and at what price. Founders who would like a salaried business-unit role with performance upside are encouraged to apply.
- Gyms and fitness: membership and sales managers, multi-site operations managers, and trainers who now run their own studios.
- Sports ecosystem: sponsorship and partnership managers at federations, clubs and sports marketing agencies; sports science and physiotherapy graduates working with teams; former athletes with a commercial career.
- Online marketplaces and retail buying: health, wellness and beverage category managers and buyers at e-commerce platforms and supermarket chains who want to move to the brand side.
Key Responsibilities
Win and Grow Key Accounts
- Open new accounts and close deals yourself across supermarkets, convenience, e-commerce platforms, gyms and fitness chains, supplement retailers and sports institutions.
- Negotiate listings, trade terms, visibility and joint business plans with buyers and decision-makers.
- Manage orders, replenishment and collections within approved credit terms.
- Deliver monthly, quarterly and annual sales, distribution and margin targets.
Go-to-Market Plan
- Map the Kenyan sports-nutrition market by channel, key account, competitor and price tier, building on your existing channel knowledge.
- Set priority channels, target accounts and the unit’s annual growth plan and targets.
- Recommend assortment, pricing and margin structure by channel.
Fitness and Sports Community
- Build a network of gym owners, trainers, coaches and nutritionists who recommend our products.
- Run gym sampling, in-store promotions, sports events and athlete or influencer activations with Marketing.
- Track return on trade investment and shift spend toward what drives sell-out.
Pharmacy Channel Development
- Set sports-nutrition targets for the shared field sales team, train them on the portfolio and design channel promotions for them to run.
- Manage head-office relationships with key pharmacy chains, including listings, terms and planograms.
Planning, Reporting and Compliance
- Produce demand forecasts by account and SKU, and coordinate stock and expiry management with Supply Chain.
- Keep pipeline and account records up to date in approved CRM tools.
- Report competitor activity and market insights, and prepare a monthly business review.
- Ensure products sold are registered, claims are approved and all dealings are ethical.
How We Will Set You Up to Succeed
- Structured onboarding on our product portfolio, sports-nutrition basics, and product registration and claims rules.
- Close support from Marketing, Regulatory and Supply Chain during your first months in the role.
- Ownership of a growing business unit, with a direct line to the Head of Commercial.
- A competitive base salary with performance-linked incentives.
Key Performance Indicators
- New accounts: New key accounts opened and listings secured by channel.
- Sales performance: Sales versus target, revenue growth, gross margin and collection rate.
- Distribution: Distribution, assortment depth and visibility in priority accounts.
- Community and activation: Gym, trainer and coach network built, activations delivered versus plan and sell-out uplift.
- Pharmacy channel: Sports-nutrition sales through the field sales team and pharmacy chains.
- Planning and reporting: Forecast accuracy, stock availability and quality of monthly reviews.
- Category ramp-up: Product and category training completed, and confident portfolio selling, within the first 90 days.
Qualifications and Experience
- At least four years in a commercial role: 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.
- Strong negotiation skills and comfort managing margins, budgets and trade spend.
- A genuine interest in fitness, sport or nutrition.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Commerce, Nutrition, Sports Science, Physiotherapy or a related field. Candidates with a strong commercial track record but no degree will also be considered.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM tools; valid driving licence.
- Sports-nutrition product knowledge is not required; full category training is provided.
Core Competencies
Commercial and Technical
- Key account management and negotiation
- Channel strategy and go-to-market
- Pricing and trade-investment management
- Trade marketing, activation and community building
- Forecasting and business planning
Behavioural
- Self-starter; works independently
- Entrepreneurial ownership of results
- Relationship building and influence
- Hunger to learn a new category quickly
- Resilience and integrity
Key Working Relationships
Internal
- Head of Commercial (line manager)
- Sales Managers and field sales team
- Marketing and E-commerce
- Supply Chain, Finance and Regulatory
External
- Supermarkets, convenience stores and online marketplaces
- Gyms, fitness chains, studios and trainers
- Supplement retailers and pharmacy chains
- Sports clubs, federations and event organisers