Associate Manager Stationery, Trade Marketing

BIC® products are known and appreciated all over the world for their quality, their affordability and ease of use. The ballpoint pen, the pocket lighter, the one-piece shaver are all part of the daily lives of millions of consumers. These products make BIC® one of the best known international brands, present in 3.2 million retail outlets, in more than 160 countries. As we explore the tremendous opportunities ahead, we have a need for dedicated and dynamic employees to help build our team.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Associate Manager Stationery, Trade Marketing

Location: Lagos

Main Responsibilities / Tasks
Trade Marketing Strategy & Planning:

• Build and implement annual Trade Marketing plans by category, channel and customer, aligned with cluster growth objectives and the stationeries acceleration priority in Nigeria
• Translate global and regional brand strategies into locally relevant trade initiatives that drive penetration, distribution, visibility and demand growth
• Adapt plans to Nigerian market specificities: traditional trade dominance, wholesalers, sub-distributors and emerging channels
• Identify growth opportunities to recruit new consumers and increase category penetration: assortment recommendations, visibility programs and channel activation…

Distributor Management & Capability building:

• Act as the distributor's primary counterpart for all Marketing matters (activation plans, POSM, merchandising, trade programs), in coordination with the Business Development Manager, who owns the commercial relationship
• Build strong relationships and ensure alignment on priorities, execution standards and business objectives
• Build distributor marketing and merchandising capabilities through training and best-practice

In-store Execution Excellence:

• Define and deploy merchandising and visibility guidelines across channels; ensure best-in-class execution of trade initiatives (POSM, activations, promotions)
• Monitor execution quality, improve shopper conversion at POS, take corrective actions where needed

Budget & Performance Management:

• Manage Trade Marketing budgets with optimal allocation of resources, tracking ROI and continuously improving trade spend efficiency and execution effectiveness
• Track performance of trade initiatives through relevant KPIs and recommend corrective actions

Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Monitor and analyze market, customer, competitor and shopper data (incl. Nielsen where available) to generate actionable insights
• Work closely with Marketing, Sales and Supply teams to ensure alignment of plans and priorities
• Share market insights, consumer and customer understanding, execution feedback and best practices with regional teams

Price Monitoring and Market Intelligence Gathering:

• Conduct regular store visits, market walks, distributor check to capture competitor shelf price, promo price and trade offers.

• Share ad-hoc, monthly value chain analysis by channel and competitive activities reports with local management team
• Translate data into what we should do in trade.

Key Performance Indicator / Key Figures 

• Sales Growth in line with company’s Rolling Forecast for the region
• Volume & Value Market Share as per targets (when tracked)
• Numeric and Weighted Distribution across priority channels
• On time In Full Marketing plans executions, with results and ROI as per plan, and in compliance with brand standards
• Spend within approved budget with phasing respected quarterly
• In-store execution quality and activation effectiveness with measurable uplift from plans 

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: University Degree in Marketing, Business, Engineering or equivalent
• Experience: Min 5 years of trade marketing experience in an FMCG company.
• Experience in multi-market or distributor-led environment including Egypt is a strong asset
• Languages: Fluent in English, written and spoken.
• Tools: Proficient in MS Office, intermediate/advanced Excel and PowerPoint
• Finance/RGM: Exposure to merchandising, animation and POSM agencies / suppliers. Familiarity with Revenue Growth Management principles, and prior experience in sales or account management with agencies is also valuable.

Professional Competencies:
Customer & shopper understanding:

• Understands retail landscape: traditional trade, sub-distributors, modern trade
• Analyzes shopper trends and market insights, translating them into actionable trade initiatives
• Interprets research (Nielsen, consumer studies) and translates into clear actions
• Understands retail landscape: traditional trade, sub-distributors, modern trade
• Analyzes shopper trends and market insights, translating them into actionable trade initiatives
• Interprets research (Nielsen, consumer studies) and translates into clear actions
• Interacts with various levels in a customer organization to discuss opportunities and resolve issues

Category knowledge:

• Deep knowledge of BIC portfolio and competitive landscape
• Capable of recommending assortment, pricing, and promotional strategies to drive growth

Trade Execution & Campaign Management:

• Plans and executes trade campaigns end-to-end based on the annual Initiative Master Plan
• Monitors ROI and adjusts plans based on performance

Communication & Collaboration:

• Articulates ideas clearly in a written and verbal format
• Shares best practices and escalates risks and opportunities early with proposed solutions
• Presents plans confidently to distributors, customers and sales teams

Project & budget management:

• Manages multiple projects simultaneously with attention to detail
• Meets deadlines and tracks spend vs plan rigorously

Distributor & stakeholder management:

• Builds productive relationships with distributor partners
• Influences without direct authority.