National Key Accounts Sales Manager

About the role

E‑XHALE, a fast‑growing nicotine and vaping distributor in South Africa, is looking for a National Key Accounts Sales Manager to own and grow relationships with its most important retail chains across the country. This high‑visibility role will be the primary contact for national buyers, responsible for listings, sell‑through performance and commercial issue resolution.

Key responsibilities

• Manage day‑to‑day relationships with assigned national key accounts, including buyers, accounts payable, category managers and store operations teams.
• Serve as the main escalation point for queries, claims, short deliveries and credit note resolution.
• Conduct regular buyer visits and business review meetings (minimum monthly for top‑tier accounts).
• Drive volume growth through improved ranging, secondary placement and promotional activity.
• Identify and convert new listing opportunities, including new stores, SKUs and seasonal ranges.
• Negotiate trading terms, promotional support and listing fees within approved commercial frameworks.
• Monitor sell‑through data, flag under‑performing SKUs and prepare business cases for new product listings.
• Oversee end‑to‑end drop‑shipment submission, invoice schedules, statements and proof‑of‑delivery documentation.
• Follow up on outstanding payments, resolve deduction queries and maintain a query log for each account.
• Proactively manage overdue invoices by contacting account contacts before they reach 60‑day status.

Required profile

• Commercially driven with strong negotiation and relationship‑building abilities.
• Comfortable meeting national buyers and inspecting shop‑floor planograms.
• Organised, data‑literate and able to translate insights into commercial outcomes.
• Experience managing key accounts in a retail or distribution environment is preferred.

Required skills