Commercial Manager, Central & South America

COMPANY OVERVIEW

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one another and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.​

Position Summary

The Commercial Manager is responsible for developing and executing the commercial strategy across Central America, Southern Cone and Club Channels, ensuring sustainable and profitable growth through distributor management, key customer partnerships, commercial excellence, and cross-functional collaboration.

This role leads the execution of regional commercial plans, drives Route-to-Market optimization, strengthens distributor capabilities, manages strategic customer relationships, and identifies new business opportunities while ensuring alignment with regional business objectives, financial targets, and market dynamics.

The position partners closely with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Demand Planning, Customer Service and Category teams to deliver best-in-class commercial execution and profitable market expansion.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Strategy & Business Growth

• Develop and execute the commercial strategy across Central America, Southern Cone and Club channels.
• Deliver Net Sales, Gross Profit and Operating Income objectives.
• Identify growth opportunities by market, channel and customer.
• Develop annual business plans aligned with company objectives.
• Drive sustainable revenue and profitability through pricing, mix and commercial investments.

Distributor & Customer Management

• Lead strategic relationships with distributors across assigned markets.
• Develop Joint Business Plans (JBPs) with key distributors and customers.
• Monitor distributor performance through KPIs and scorecards.
• Ensure execution excellence across traditional trade, modern trade, wholesale and Club channels.
• Identify capability gaps and implement continuous improvement initiatives.

Club Channel Leadership

• Develop commercial strategies for Club retailers and wholesale customers.
• Optimize assortment, pricing, promotional planning and category execution.
• Negotiate commercial agreements with key regional accounts.
• Build long-term partnerships focused on mutual growth.

Route-to-Market Excellence

• Continuously evaluate and optimize Route-to-Market models.
• Improve service levels, distribution coverage and execution standards.
• Drive commercial productivity and cost-to-serve optimization.
• Partner with Supply Chain to improve inventory management and customer service levels.

Commercial Planning & Financial Management

• Own commercial forecasting and business planning processes.
• Monitor sales performance against budget and forecast.
• Analyze P&L performance and identify corrective actions.
• Manage trade investment and promotional spending to maximize ROI.
• Support S&OP and demand planning processes.

Cross Functional Leadership

Partner closely with:

• Marketing
• Supply Chain
• Finance
• Demand Planning
• Customer Service
• Category Management
• Regulatory
• Operations

to ensure successful execution of regional initiatives and business priorities.

Business Development

• Identify new business opportunities across assigned markets.
• Expand distribution footprint.
• Evaluate new channels and customers.
• Support commercialization of new products and innovation launches.
• Lead market expansion initiatives where applicable.

Commercial Excellence

• Drive KPI governance and performance reviews.
• Utilize market insights, consumer data and customer analytics to support decision making.
• Implement best practices across markets.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement.

People Leadership

• Lead and develop high-performing multicultural teams.
• Coach distributor teams and commercial partners.
• Foster collaboration, accountability and talent development.
• Build organizational capabilities across the region.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics or related field.
• MBA preferred.

Experience

• +12 years of progressive commercial experience within FMCG.
• Experience managing multiple countries across Latin America.
• Proven experience managing distributors.
• Experience with Club Channel and Modern Trade.
• Strong P&L management experience.
• Experience leading cross-functional regional initiatives.
• Experience in Route-to-Market optimization.
• Commercial negotiation experience with strategic customers.
• Experience in business planning and forecasting.

Technical Skills

• Commercial Strategy
• Distributor Management
• Customer Development
• Key Account Management
• Category Management
• Route-to-Market
• Trade Investment
• Revenue Growth Management (RGM)
• Business Planning
• Demand Planning
• Financial Acumen
• P&L Management
• Sales Forecasting
• Data Analytics
• Commercial Excellence
• S&OP
• Power BI, Excel and SAP preferred

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Results Orientation
• Customer Focus
• Business Acumen
• Commercial Mindset
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Influencing Skills
• Negotiation
• Analytical Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Change Management
• People Development
• Decision Making
• Agility
• Executive Communication

Scope

• Region: Central America, Southern Cone & Club Channels
• Reports to: Commercial Director / Sales Director
• Direct Reports: Commercial Managers / Business Development Managers / Distributor Managers 

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet minimum age qualifications in the country in which the job is located.