Head of Product – Locks & Ironmongery

Location: Mombasa

Industry: Building & Hardware/ Sanitary ware & Bathrooms/ Wood & Finishes/ Utilities & Systems

Nationality: Kenyan locals

Salary : 250,000 – 275,000 NET (Negotiable with the right candidate)

Joining : Immediate

Job Summary

The role focuses on driving sales and profitability, optimizing product performance, strengthening supplier partnerships, and ensuring the business maintains a competitive market position through effective product management and commercial leadership.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related discipline. Professional qualifications in Product Management, Procurement, or Supply Chain Management will be an added advantage. Minimum of five (5) years' experience in Product Management, Category Management, or Business Development within the hardware, locks, ironmongery, construction, or building materials industry. Proven experience managing supplier relationships and leading commercial negotiations. Demonstrated success in driving product profitability and category growth. Experience in inventory planning and demand forecasting is highly desirable.

Key responsibilities

Product Strategy & category

 Develop and execute product and category strategies that achieve sales, market share, and profitability objectives.  Manage the complete product lifecycle, including product sourcing, range development, pricing, product rationalization, and discontinuation.  Identify market trends, customer needs, competitor activities, and emerging product opportunities to maintain a competitive product portfolio.  Drive innovation through the introduction of new products and enhancement of existing product lines.

Commercial & Supplier Management

 Develop and maintain strong strategic relationships with local and international suppliers.  Lead commercial negotiations to secure competitive pricing, favorable payment terms, rebates, and supply agreements.  Monitor supplier performance, ensuring quality, reliability, and cost efficiency.

Inventory & Supply Chain Management

 Collaborate with Purchasing and Supply Chain teams to ensure optimum stock availability and inventory planning.  Monitor inventory levels to maximize stock turnover while minimizing excess inventory, stock-outs, and obsolete stock.  Support forecasting and demand planning activities to align inventory with business requirements.

Cross-Functional Leadership

 Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Purchasing, Finance, and Operations to ensure successful product launches and effective market penetration.  Provide technical product knowledge, training, and ongoing support to internal teams and customers.  Support the sales team with product positioning, pricing strategies, and customer solutions.

Performance Management & Reporting

 Monitor product sales, margins, profitability, and overall category performance.  Analyze sales trends and recommend corrective actions to improve business performance.  Prepare regular management reports covering product performance, market developments, supplier performance, and competitor analysis.  Ensure compliance with company policies, quality standards, and relevant industry regulations.

Technical Skills & Key Competencies

Strong commercial and financial acumen. Excellent analytical and strategic planning skills. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Microsoft Excel. Experience using ERP systems and inventory management software is an advantage. Strong understanding of product lifecycle management and category management principles. Strategic and commercial thinking. Leadership and people management. Negotiation and influencing skills. Analytical and problem-solving ability. Customer focus and market orientation. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Results-oriented with sound decision-making ability. Planning, organization, and execution excellence. High level of integrity and accountability.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

 Achievement of sales revenue and gross profit targets.  Growth and profitability of the Locks & Ironmongery product portfolio.  Product availability and inventory turnover.  Supplier performance, cost optimization, and contract effectiveness.  Successful introduction and performance of new products.  Customer satisfaction and retention.  Market share growth within the Locks & Ironmongery category.  Reduction in obsolete and slow-moving inventory. Accuracy of forecasting and inventory planning.  Timely submission of product performance and market analysis reports.  Customer Service

If you meet the requirements, please send your cv to careers@msvlgroup.com