Unilever is looking for an experienced Country Operations Manager – General Trade (GT) to join its Customer Development team in Jeddah.

The role will lead strategic growth across the retail and wholesale business, identify and develop high-value commercial opportunities, strengthen cross-functional execution, and ensure delivery against key sales and operational KPIs.

The successful candidate will act as a key link between sales, marketing, business groups, planning, and operational teams to ensure growth initiatives are commercially attractive, operationally achievable, and aligned with long-term business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end sales cycle, from identifying opportunities and initial engagement through execution.
• Drive strategic growth across the retail and wholesale business.
• Identify market trends, commercial opportunities, and potential risks affecting the sales pipeline.
• Build and strengthen high-value business partnerships that support sustainable revenue growth.
• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Business Groups, Demand Planning, and other internal stakeholders.
• Ensure commercial commitments are aligned with operational capabilities and delivery timelines.
• Monitor competitor activity and market changes and support scenario planning where required.
• Improve business development processes, conversion rates, and overall sales-cycle effectiveness.
• Analyze commercial and operational data to identify root causes and recommend practical solutions.
• Coordinate with business groups, demand planners, and sales teams on new product launches.
• Work closely with the exports team to ensure smooth coordination of export demand and planning.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date master data to support planning and forecasting accuracy.
• Track performance against agreed sales KPIs and support corrective actions where necessary.
• Contribute to business optimization initiatives across the General Trade operation.

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 5 years of FMCG experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Supply Chain.
• Strong commercial and operational experience within an FMCG environment.
• Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Office.
• Demonstrated ability to work across multiple functions and stakeholder groups.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Experience interpreting data and identifying operational root causes.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced commercial environment.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong financial acumen and understanding of P&L.
• Experience in crisis management.
• Strong team leadership capability.
• Commercial planning and business development experience.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to translate market insights into practical commercial actions.

Key Skills

• General Trade Management
• Retail & Wholesale Operations
• FMCG Sales
• Business Development
• Strategic Growth Management
• Sales Operations
• Commercial Planning
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Data Analysis
• Problem Solving
• Market & Competitor Analysis
• New Product Launch Coordination
• Demand Planning Coordination
• Export Coordination
• Master Data Management
• Financial Acumen
• Team Leadership

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a commercially minded FMCG professional with a strong combination of sales, operations, analytics, and cross-functional leadership.

The ideal candidate should be comfortable working with complex data, identifying opportunities and risks, coordinating across multiple teams, and driving measurable commercial performance across the General Trade business.