Senior Area Sales Executive - General Trade (Laos)

Job Title: Senior Area Sales Executive - General Trade (Laos)

Company: Unilever Laos
Business Function: CD / Customer Business Development
Reports to: Area Sales Manager

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading consumer goods companies, with around 400 brands available in more than 190 countries. Guided by our vision of making sustainable living commonplace, our products are used by 2.5 billion people every day.

Unilever has operated since 2003 and has grown to become one of the leading companies in the market. Our well‑known brands include: Viso Pises, Breeze, Comfort, Sunlight, Lux, Pond’s, Vaseline, Citra, Sunsilk, Clear, Dove, Close Up, Knorr, Best Foods, Lipton, and Wall’s.

We are now expanding our team in Laos and seeking a passionate and driven Senior Area Sales Executive - General Trade (Laos).

Role Overview

The Senior Area Sales Executive - General Trade (Laos) will lead and manage the distributor sales team within an assigned territory. The role focuses on driving sales growth, ensuring excellent product distribution and visibility, maximizing territory coverage, and increasing market share.

This role requires strong leadership, solid business and sales acumen, and a deep understanding of working capital, ROI, and FMCG operations.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Sales Strategy & Execution

• Implement effective sales strategies by translating CD priorities and company strategies into excellent execution.
• Set and manage sales targets for assigned distributors.
• Guide and support distributor sales teams in identifying opportunities, negotiating, and closing deals.
• Conduct regular market visits to review availability, visibility, and promotional execution.
• Monitor sales activation and support MDM programs to boost brand penetration and market share.
• Analyze market data, trends, and opportunities across channels and categories.

2. Team Management & Development

• Work with distributor partners to recruit, train, and motivate sales teams.
• Set clear KPIs and conduct performance evaluations.
• Provide coaching and constructive feedback to improve effectiveness.
• Build a positive, collaborative working culture.

3. Customer Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers and business partners.
• Address customer issues promptly to maintain satisfaction.
• Stay informed on market trends, customer needs, and competitor activities to identify new opportunities.

4. Territory & Outlet Management

• Develop and execute outlet coverage plans (direct & controlled stores).
• Ensure proper routing (PJP) and visit frequency for distributor sales reps.
• Strengthen sales fundamentals through FCS (Field Capability Score) improvement.

5. Reporting, ROI & Working Capital

• Prepare accurate sales forecasts, promotional plans, and daily/weekly/monthly reports.
• Analyze data to identify gaps and propose actionable solutions.
• Participate in monthly business reviews with distributor partners.
• Support RSMs with ROI and working capital analysis to ensure profitability and healthy cash flow.

Skills & Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 1-3+ years of experience in sales, preferably in FMCG.
• Strong foundation in sales operations with disciplined execution.
• Proven success in achieving targets and driving business growth.
• Excellent leadership and team‑management skills.
• Strong relationship‑building and negotiation abilities.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data and trends.
• Highly committed, disciplined, resilient, and results-driven.
• Able to work under pressure and travel as required.
• Experience in sales reporting and analysis.

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 bringing 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.