Copia gives all consumers access to high-quality goods and services, regardless of their income level, access to technology, or location.  By harnessing mobile technologies, a network of last-mile Agents, and proprietary logistics technology, Copia serves a high-growth market that formal retail and e-commerce cannot penetrate. 

Customers place orders online or offline – using our website  or USSD, or our network of digitally connected last-mile Agents located across 16 counties.   Our internally managed, technology-enabled warehousing and logistics operation delivers the order to the Agent in 2-4 days.   

Reporting to the Director of Procurement and Partner Relationships, you will be responsible for onboarding and managing the relationship with key suppliers. You will also be responsible for the P&L of all the allocated category accounts and will be expected to report on this.

Additionally, your key responsibilities will include;

• Strategic Alignment: Championing the development of the category purchasing and pricing strategies in the organization and ensuring alignment with the overall business strategy.

• Financial budget management: Projecting, managing, and analyzing the category and sub-category budget, to achieve maximum business category penetration (revenue), mix change, and profitability.

• Category Performance Management: Creating efficiencies in the company's day-to-day category purchasing activities and ensuring that each category is meeting the performance standards. The successful candidate will analyze existing data, map this with historical data and future expected outcomes to develop a roadmap, and ensure that the category managers are always working on the most impactful projects.

• Operational Excellence: Spearhead improvements to the current purchasing system that will improve vendor relationships, lower the cost of doing business and improve the turnaround time of orders. Planning, creating, communicating, and overseeing the execution of all commercial category campaigns in liaison with the Sales & Marketing Team. 

• Demand planning: Using available technology tools (ERP and tableau), the Category Manager is required to accurately forecast purchasing of all stock items.

• Working Capital Management: Balancing inventory levels and supplier credit terms, ensure that a minimum level of cash is tied up in inventory at any one time. The Category Manager will also need to work with the warehouse, sales, and finance to determine the disposal of slow-moving items

• Portfolio Gap analysis: You will constantly evaluate if your solutions have solved the problem through quantitative and qualitative measures, both in MVPs and after full release

• Product Range management, i.e., Key vendor management, joint business strategy, planning and execution with strategic vendors, supplier segmentation based on supply criticality, annual spend, supply risk etc. Create a new brand/vendor acquisition and retention strategy. 

• Market Research: Determine best possible suppliers of goods and services required by evaluating cost and service provided

• Customer Satisfaction: Ensuring that the Copia Catalogue offering is continuously updated to reflect market availability and to increase sales across all product offerings. The Category Manager is responsible for reducing non-deliveries to customers due to Out Of Stocks. 

• Ad-hoc procurement related projects as assigned from time to time

• Providing leadership, mentoring, and on the job training of Category Leads.

• You have a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management.
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience with a minimum of 3 years in a similar role as Purchasing/Category Manager within FMCG, e-commerce or retail.
• You have exceptional interpersonal and communication skills visual, written, and verbal
• In-depth knowledge of the consumer goods industry with an interest in market dynamics along with an intuitive business sense.
• Strong local knowledge, a deep understanding of consumers and a strong commercial acumen.
• A good understanding of vendor management software.
• You have the ability to network, gain trust with co-workers, open to new ideas, and can deliver a decision in a professional manner
• You have problem solving skills- identify and resolve problems in a creative, collaborative, and timely manner with a view of the big picture and making difficult decisions
• You are excellent in Excel and extracting data through varied reporting tools to drive and influence business decisions
• You must be able to work in a highly demanding but collegial environment where teamwork is key.
   

Working with Copia will give you an opportunity to: 

• Have IMPACT by bringing accessibility to affordable goods and services to traditionally underserved customers and locations 

• Quickly GROW your professional skillset by being part of a fast-paced, high growth and innovative organization.      

• THRIVE in a fun and entrepreneurial culture that values input and action from all.