Branch Manager

Primary Purpose

To lead the branch as a disciplined commercial and operating unit that consistently delivers volume, service quality, control, and team performance.

Nature of Role

A full-time leadership role covering sales execution, stock control, fleet and dispatch coordination, customer management, collections oversight, branch reporting, and cross-functional leadership.

Detailed Duties and Responsibilities

Branch Leadership and Execution Rhythm

• Translate company volume targets and service expectations into practical weekly and daily branch operating plans
• Lead structured review meetings covering stock, dispatch, route priorities, collections, customer issues, and staffing constraints
• Ensure all departments understand branch priorities and escalation rules

Sales Performance and Market Coverage

• Drive route productivity, outlet coverage, order quality, and sales execution discipline
• Review daily sales progress against targets and address underperformance early
• Coordinate promotions, visibility priorities, customer feedback, and service recovery actions

Stock, Warehouse, and Inventory Discipline

• Oversee stock receipt, storage, loading, returns, empties, breakage, and physical count accuracy
• Investigate stock variances, loading errors, damages, and suspicious movements
• Ensure warehouse readiness, cleanliness, documentation, and discipline

Fleet, Dispatch, and Service Reliability

• Coordinate vehicle readiness, dispatch schedules, and route execution
• Monitor transport delays, downtime, and dispatch exceptions
• Work with maintenance teams to reduce operational disruptions

Cash, Credit, and Collection Control

• Monitor daily collections, credit exposure, and overdue accounts
• Ensure disciplined cash handling and escalation of anomalies
• Balance sales growth with credit risk control

Customer Management and Service Quality

• Resolve delivery issues, stock complaints, and service gaps quickly
• Ensure reliable service and consistent follow-up across all customers
• Track recurring complaints and implement improvement actions

People Leadership and Accountability

• Lead supervisors and support staff with clear performance expectations
• Enforce discipline in attendance, conduct, and resource handling
• Support coaching, performance management, and team development

Reporting, Analysis, and Communication

• Prepare concise, action-oriented reports on branch performance
• Translate data into priorities and decisions
• Escalate urgent issues with clear facts and proposed solutions

Risk Management and Continuous Improvement

• Strengthen controls for stock, cash, dispatch, and approvals
• Analyze root causes of recurring operational issues
• Implement improvements to enhance efficiency and control

Required Deliverables by Frequency

Daily

• Sales vs target update
• Dispatch status
• Vehicle readiness overview
• Urgent stock and customer exceptions
• Collection watch list

Weekly

• Branch performance review
• Stock risk summary
• Overdue customer action list
• Route productivity review
• Service and staffing exceptions

Monthly

• Full branch performance report
• Stock accuracy and loss analysis
• Collections and credit performance
• Fleet and dispatch performance
• Customer issue trends and actions

Quarterly

• Commercial performance review
• Route and territory effectiveness analysis
• Staffing and capability review
• Control and process improvement update

Annually

• Branch strategic plan
• Target setting and resource planning
• Capability and infrastructure needs
• Long-term process improvement priorities

Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Sales Execution

• Achievement of branch sales targets

Service

• On-time and complete delivery performance

Stock Control

• Variance, loss, and breakage control

Collections

• Overdue balance management and discipline

Dispatch

• Vehicle readiness and delivery efficiency

Reporting

• Quality and timeliness of branch reports

Leadership

• Cross-functional team discipline and coordination

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Management, Logistics, Supply Chain, Business Administration, Marketing, or related field
• At least 5 years of progressive experience in operations, sales, distribution, or branch leadership
• Experience in stock-sensitive operations and field execution environments
• Strong numerical and analytical ability for sales, stock, and collections data
• Proven leadership of mixed operational teams

Preferred Background

• Experience in FMCG, beverage, logistics, or wholesale distribution
• Exposure to warehouse, transport, and territory management operations
• Experience improving branch performance or operational discipline

Behavioral and Leadership Competencies

• Decisive, organized, and detail-oriented under pressure
• Strong follow-through and accountability mindset
• Clear expectations and consistent leadership style
• Commercial awareness with operational discipline

Red Flags During Hiring

• Focuses on relationships but lacks operational control understanding
• Cannot explain how sales, stock, dispatch, and collections connect
• Shifts responsibility for operational issues to other departments
• Uncomfortable challenging poor data or weak execution

Expected Outcomes in the First 90 Days

First 30 Days

• Assess targets, stock flow, dispatch systems, collections, staffing, and reporting risks

Days 31–60

• Implement daily control routines, dashboards, and escalation processes

Days 61–90

• Deliver branch improvement plan and measurable execution improvements

Recommended Hiring Process

• Define role scope, authority, and compensation before posting
• Shortlist candidates based on operational leadership experience
• Use case studies on real branch challenges
• Conduct structured interviews on control systems and leadership
• Verify references for consistency and execution capability

Interview Questions

• Describe your daily branch review process
• How do you handle underperforming sales with adequate stock?
• What controls do you apply to dispatch and collections?
• How do you balance volume growth with credit discipline?
• How do you handle repeated service failures?

Branch Leadership Models

Lean Model

• Branch Manager + sales lead + warehouse/dispatch + admin support

Standard Distribution Model

• Branch Manager + sales supervisor + warehouse lead + transport + finance/admin + HR/admin

High-Volume Model

• Branch Manager + multiple functional leads + analytics/control support

Recommended Structure for This Role

The Arba Minch beer distribution branch is best operated under a standard distribution model led by a strong Branch Manager who integrates sales, warehouse, dispatch, finance, and HR into one disciplined operating system.

Skills Required:

• Logistics / Supply / Chain
• Sales / Marketing / Business / Management