At a glance
- Closing date
- The listing does not give one. Employers often close early when they have enough applicants, so apply soon.
- Where
- Nairobi, Kenya
- How to apply
- Directly to the employer by email. The address is in the listing below.
- Similar roles
- 496 other open Sales & Business Development roles on the Kenya board right now.
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
Minimum qualifications
BA/BSc/HND
How to apply
Interested candidates should send their CV and a cover letter to:
Email: hiring@kizunaedgetalenthub.com
Subject line: Business Development Manager - Sports & Nutrition
Interested and qualified? Go to Kizuna Edge Talent Hub on kizunaedgetalenthub.com to apply
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