Key Account Manager South Africa

Key Account Manager South Africa

About the role:

As Key Account Manager you will be is fully responsible for growing Personal Care branded portfolio (Libresse, TENA) within assigned national retail customers by translating brand strategies into commercially actionable customer plans. This includes end-to-end ownership of the customer relationship and P&L, leading annual trade term negotiations, and driving volume, mix, and margin growth. The Key Account Manager coordinates across internal functions - Customer Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Field Sales - to ensure accurate forecasting, efficient execution, and product availability. The Key Account Manager handles mainly operational tasks, from promotion planning to execution tracking. Success in the role depends on strong analytical skills, negotiation capability, and the ability to build trust-based relationships while representing the customer voice internally to influence category strategies.

What You will do:

• Manage key accounts with a growth mindset, identifying new opportunities and collaborating across teams to drive commercial success.
• Lead end-to-end customer plans, from joint business planning to execution with omni-channel ownership and tailored strategies across key formats
• Drive commercial performance, managing volume, margin, mix, and customer P&L
• Collaborate cross-functionally and externally to align stakeholders and deliver results
• Analyze and forecast performance, optimizing promotions, trade spend, and assortment
• Embed customer and market insights to shape internal strategy and category growth
• Support In-Store Execution by working with external merchandising team in order to ensure execution, availability, and campaign support

Who you are:

• Strong negotiator - securing strong trade terms and driving promo profitability
• Relationship Builder – developing robust customer partnerships
• Cross-Functional Collaborator – Aligning with internal teams to land brand plans in-store
• Analytical Thinker – Using commercial data to support pricing, mix and ROI improvements
• Commercial Planner – Translating brand priorities into customer-specific activation
• Min. 5 years of experience in FMCG or retail roles involving pricing, customer marketing, or key account management
• Knowledge of structured commercial environments with strong promotional planning
• Degree in Business, Economics, Marketing, or similar field
• Fluency in English is a must

What We Can Offer You

Our purpose, Breaking Barriers to Well-Being, provides meaning to everything we do. Join us to improve well-being for people and drive positive change for society and the environment. At Essity, you'll feel valued, empowered to grow, and challenged to achieve business results in a collaborative and open atmosphere. Innovate for Good | Excel Together | Be You with Us

About location

The role might be based in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban.

Application End Date:

30 paź 2026

Job Requisition ID:

Essity265403

About Us

Essity is a leading global hygiene and health company. Our expertise began with the acquisition of the Swedish company Mölnlycke in 1975, through which our roots stretch back to 1849. Today, our sustainable innovations from globally trusted brands, designed for everybody and every body, care for the well-being of 1 billion people in 150 countries every day.

Working at Essity is not just a career but a chance to make the world healthier, safer, and more hygienic. We innovate for good to break barriers and contribute to shaping a healthier future. At Essity, we have a people-first approach where every career is as unique as the individual. We empower employees to excel together and reach their full potential through a winning culture driven by a powerful purpose. Our performance-orientated environment motivates employees to think differently and embrace challenges so we can continue improving lives, every day through better hygiene and health. We provide a sustainable work-life based on flexibility for both employees and employers. We are committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in everything we do. It is the key to our success in creating an inclusive, collaborative, and caring company culture where you can be you with us. Our purpose of Breaking Barriers to Well-being, enables customers and consumers to lead fuller lives at all stages of life.

Our leading global brands include TENA and Tork, and other strong brands such as Actimove, Cutimed, JOBST, Knix, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Modibodi, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, TOM Organic and Zewa are sold in 150 countries. I In 2024, Essity had net sales of approximately SEK 146bn (EUR 13bn) and employed 36,000 people. We are headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. If you want to join a company where dedication to people is powered by innovation, welcome to Essity!