Colgate-Palmolive is a global consumer products company operating worldwide. Location: Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa. Travel Required: up to 10% of time. The Role The Customer Group Leader is responsible for navigating and winning within a complex route‑to‑market landscape. The role demands a balance of aggressive commercial growth and meticulous joint business planning, overseeing sales, profitability, and market share objectives for the Indirect Trade Business. Key Responsibilities Distribution Mastery: Drive availability and visibility in complex RTM environments, constantly optimizing the path to the end consumer. Joint Value Planning (JVP): Lead the end‑to‑end creation and execution of comprehensive business plans with key customers, ensuring mutual growth and long‑term alignment. Expert Negotiation: Lead high‑stakes commercial negotiations, managing complex terms, trade spend, and pricing structures to protect margins. Relationship Management: Build and sustain relationships with key stakeholders, progressing beyond customer status to a strategic partner and driving goal alignment to identify priority focus areas. Execution Excellence: Ensure flawless delivery of commercial initiatives through cross‑functional leadership and rigorous performance tracking. Customer Development Implement strategies that align with the broader organisational vision while ensuring trade coverage strategies, 5P tactics, and demand marketing initiatives are executed with excellence at the point of sale. Translate overall strategies into specific short‑ and long‑term operational objectives, maintain transparent performance‑based terms and consistent discretionary investment, optimise resources across channels, and manage the financials in partnership with CDM’s and CDTL for South Africa IDT Customer Development Function (including P&L, balance sheet, and cash generation). Monitor performance, gross-to‑net, margin improvement, volume growth, working capital, and receivable management to continually enhance results. Qualifications 12+ years of commercial leadership experience. Proven versatility across diverse markets with varying RTM complexities. Strategic closer with demonstrated ability to negotiate multi‑faceted contracts and execute complex business plans. Analytical mindset with expertise in using data to identify distribution gaps and commercial opportunities. Our Commitment to Inclusion Our journey begins with our people—developing strong talent with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to best serve our consumers around the world and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring that each individual can be their authentic self, is treated with respect, and is empowered by leadership to contribute meaningfully to our business. Equal Opportunity Employer Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law. Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please complete the request form if you require accommodation. #J-18808-Ljbffr