Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) Philippines Managing Director

Job Position: Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) Philippines Managing Director

Business Context and Main Purpose of the Job:

Unilever Food Solutions is a €3 billion+ foodservice division of Unilever (end of 2024). We lead the evolving food service market with ambitious goals, offering a wide range of professional food products and services to chefs and food service operators across seven cluster organizations in over 70 countries. Our global footprint is marked by innovative solutions that transform industries and surpass customer expectations.

At Unilever Food Solutions (UFS), we embody the ethos of "Chefs Supporting Chefs," emphasizing our commitment to the culinary community and the dynamic world of food and foodservice. Our business purpose, "We free you to love what you do," and our foundation in "Chefmanship" reflect our empathy for our audience and the expertise to serve their needs effectively.

As the powerhouse of Unilever's B2B pillar, we utilize digital power, data, and emerging trends to create value for our business, customers, and operators. At UFS, we strive to embrace agility by seizing growth opportunities, adapting to market changes, and outpacing competition. Our culture of swift action and continuous improvement ensures we stay dynamic and resilient in our pursuit of excellence.

The UFS Philippines (PH) Managing Director plays a critical role in driving accelerated growth and steering transformation towards a more profitable and sizable future-ready business. This transformation demands strong governance, enabling foundation & a cultural shift to foster an environment where the business thrive. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker, skilled leader, and seasonal business development professional with a track record of driving revenue growth and market expansion.

Main Accountabilities:

• Leadership: Provide visionary country leadership by setting clear objectives, and motivating teams to achieve and exceed targets. Establish strong, effective, and inspiring direction to the company's leadership teams and personnel.
• Own and deliver P&L results, financial oversight: Deliver business targets for the country
• Develop and execute long-term business strategy to ensure sustainable profitable growth and manage the dynamics of country portfolio for the Philippines.
• Business development, selling leadership and market strategy : Develop and execute sales and marketing strategies and plans to deliver company overall goals and objectives, ensuring market penetration and expansion.
• Growth : Drive business growth by identifying and capitalizing on market opportunities, expanding the customer base, and cultivating key client relationships. Develop and execute long-term business strategy to ensure sustainable and profitable growth.
• Performance analytics : Analyze sales data and market trends to make informed decisions, refine strategies, and optimize sales processes. Lead business transformational agenda to embed future-proof business capabilities.
• Customer engagement : Establish and maintain strong relationships with key customers, ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Financial oversight: Responsible for the sales budget, including forecasting, tracking expenses, and ensuring cost-effective operations. Monitor the financial performance of the company. Develop and control operational budgets to promote profitability and ensure the company's financial stability.
• Compliance and governance : Ensure all sales activities comply with company policies, industry regulations, and ethical standards.
• Ensure core business process effectiveness: (S&OP, IBP, IPM)
• Digital Selling: lead offline to online conversion driving reach and penetration in non-visited operators
• Lead and own people agenda including - sharpening performance edge in our Culture, nurturing career development, talent cross pollination with larger Unilever system where needed, driving speed & agility across our ecosystem. Foster a culture of high performance, continuous improvement, and innovation.
• Direct talent development within the organization. The ability to cultivate and develop sales & business development professionals is essential to our long-term success and this role relies heavily on delivering through people. Therefore, we seek candidates who can incorporate the talent development elements into their leadership approach. This is include and not limited to recruit, train, and mentor a high-performing team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.

Key Skills and Relevant Experience:

• Strong commercial savviness and business acumen, especially in unlocking value and building a business able to create sustainable growth with purpose.
• Understanding of current and emerging trends and their potential impact on the business.
• Acting on future-proof the talent, skills and organizational structures.
• Understanding of digital technologies, their capabilities, how they impact the ways of working and how job scopes are changed as a result
• Bachelor/Masters degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, or a related field. An MBA or equivalent is a plus.
• Proven track record of at least 10 years+ in a multinational corporate environment, preferably in Customer Development and Marketing leadership roles experience, preferably in Philippines.
• Strong understanding of the PH market dynamics, customer behavior, and regulatory environment.
• B2B and out of home experiences
• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills
• Results-driven with a proven ability to meet and exceed sales targets
• The ideal candidate should not only have a track record of achieving sales targets but also demonstrate a genuine commitment to the growth and development of their sales teams. He/she should be passionate about nurturing talent, building a strong sales organization, and contributing to the long-term success of the company.

We highly encourage applicants to exclude information on age, gender, and school/s in view of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Unilever assesses candidates based on skills, performance, experience and leadership.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bring ing their 'Whole Self' to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.