Country Manager - UAE

Job Title: Country Manager – UAE

Location: United Arab Emirates

Job Purpose

The Country Manager – leads UAE commercial operations, with accountability for sales execution, customer leadership, distributor performance, and people management in one of the company’s most strategic and competitive lead markets.

The role is responsible for translating BU and enterprise strategies into disciplined in-market execution , ensuring excellence across route-to-market, availability, distribution, visibility, pricing execution, and customer service.

The Country Manager acts as a key execution partner to Marketing , ensuring flawless on-ground implementation of brand plans, launches, and activations, and providing structured market feedback to continuously improve impact.

The role serves as the senior in-market commercial leader for the UAE, embedding internal governance, execution standards, and performance culture.

Operating Context – UAE

• Lead market with high per-capita consumption and strong brand presence.
• Modern Trade–led, consolidated customer base with advanced JBP and service-level expectations.
• Multi-channel environment: Modern Trade, Traditional Trade, HORECA, foodservice, and emerging e-commerce.
• High competitive intensity, frequent promotional cycles, and rapid innovation cadence.
• Strong regulatory and compliance requirements across food safety, labeling, and trade practices.

Success in this environment requires exceptional execution discipline, customer leadership, and cross-functional collaboration , particularly with Marketing.

Key Responsibilities

1. Commercial & Market Execution Leadership

• Lead all UAE sales and commercial execution activities across channels.
• Translate management and enterprise strategies into clear country execution priorities, targets, and routines.
• Drive execution excellence across availability, distribution, visibility, pricing execution, and promotions.
• Monitor market dynamics, competitor activity, and channel shifts to refine execution focus and resource allocation.

2. Customer & Key Account Leadership

• Lead relationships with key modern trade, foodservice, and strategic customers.
• Drive execution of joint business plans (JBP) in alignment with management and customer priorities.
• Ensure superior customer service, disciplined trade execution, and adherence to commercial governance.
• Act as the senior commercial interface with key UAE customers.

3. Marketing Partnership & On-Ground Execution

• Align sales teams and distributors to brand priorities, execution standards, and activation calendars.
• Provide structured market feedback, customer insights, and execution learnings to Marketing to refine future plans.
• Act as the execution bridge between Marketing intent and in-market delivery.

4. Route-to-Market & Distributor Performance

• Oversee distributor and route-to-market performance to ensure optimal coverage, service levels, and execution quality.
• Drive distributor capability building in execution discipline, compliance, and performance management.
• Ensure distributor adherence to internal contractual, ethical, and governance standards.

5. Integrated Planning & Supply Collaboration

• Partner with Demand Planning and Supply Chain to ensure accurate forecasting and product availability.
• Maintain high service levels in a low-tolerance, high-expectation market.
• Proactively manage risks related to availability, execution gaps, and service disruptions.

6. People, Culture & Capability Leadership

• Lead and develop the UAE commercial organization, including sales, key accounts, and field execution teams.
• Build a performance-driven culture with clear accountability and execution discipline.
• Develop future-ready leaders and strengthen succession pipelines.
• Role-model leadership behaviors and values.

7. Governance, Compliance & Stakeholder Management

• Ensure compliance with internal governance frameworks, policies, and UAE regulatory requirements.
• Maintain strong working relationships with authorities, customers, and trade bodies.
• Ensure audit readiness, internal control adherence, and disciplined governance execution.
• Maintain strong alignment with top management and corporate functions.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Net Revenue Growth & Market Share
• Execution Excellence (Availability, Distribution, Visibility)
• Customer Satisfaction & Key Account Performance
• Quality of Brand & Innovation Execution (in partnership with Marketing)
• Employee Engagement, Capability & Retention
• Compliance, Audit & Governance Outcomes

Experience & Capability Requirements

• 12–15+ years of FMCG experience, preferably in food or beverages or high-velocity categories.
• Strong background in sales leadership, modern trade, and commercial execution.
• Proven experience leading large, complex commercial teams in a mature market.
• Experience operating within matrixed, enterprise environments.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Execution Excellence & Discipline
• Customer-First Leadership
• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Influence
• Commercial Judgment
• People Development & Accountability
• Change Agility & Resilience