Country Store Manager

COUNTRY STORE MANAGER Department: Operations Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time Location: Nairobi, Kenya Reports To: Operations Manager ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY Sun King is seeking an experienced Country Store Manager to lead inventory management, retail operations, and reverse logistics across our extensive network of 160+ retail locations nationwide. This is a pivotal operations role where you'll oversee inventory movements exceeding $1.5 million monthly, manage a team of over 25 professionals, and drive operational excellence that directly supports sales growth and customer satisfaction. YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Shop and Field Operations Management You will oversee the operational delivery of retail shops and field inventory processes across Kenya, ensuring compliance with defined service level agreements. Your focus will be maintaining healthy inventory availability and replenishment across our field network, targeting stock availability above 90% while keeping stock-out rates below 3%. You'll champion adherence to operational procedures, controls, and inventory governance standards across all locations. Field Inventory Governance Managing field inventory accuracy with a target of over 98%, you'll oversee reconciliation processes and ensure complete inventory visibility across our ERP and CRM systems. You'll implement FIFO inventory management principles across all field locations and work to minimize aging inventory to less than 5% of total units or value exceeding 360 days. Regular inventory validations, audits, reconciliations, and corrective action tracking will be core to your duties. Reverse Logistics and Operational Controls You'll coordinate reverse logistics processes for both serialized and unserialized inventory across our field network. Your goal will be achieving timely receipt confirmation and system visibility of inventory returns with a target turnaround of less than 7 days and accuracy exceeding 99%. You'll continuously drive improvements in turnaround times, cost optimization, visibility, and process compliance. ERP and CRM Systems Governance Working to stabilize and optimize our SAP ERP system, in-house CRM, and related operational platforms, you'll collaborate with data evaluation teams, sales and marketing, risk, training, and operations departments to identify and resolve process gaps. You'll guide User Acceptance Testing for system changes and maintain rigorous data integrity standards. Strategic Planning and Continuous Improvement You'll lead annual field operations strategy development and execution, targeting measurable efficiency gains. Your initiatives will encompass process optimization, digital transformation, and operational innovation. You'll proactively identify operational risks and implement controls that safeguard inventory integrity and ensure compliance. Performance Tracking and Reporting You'll develop and maintain comprehensive operational dashboards and reports covering field inventory, replenishment, service levels, and performance metrics. Regular management reports will include actionable insights and recommended improvements, with data evaluation driving your continuous improvement initiatives. Team Leadership and Development Managing a team of over 25 professionals across inventory control, operations coordination, and administrative functions, you'll implement structured performance management, provide coaching, and develop team capabilities. You'll foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and high engagement across all field operational structures. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR You bring a bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Logistics, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related discipline (a master's degree is advantageous). You have minimum 8 years of senior-level experience in operations, retail operations, field inventory management, or supply chain management. Your expertise includes comprehensive knowledge of inventory governance, replenishment processes, reverse logistics, and operational controls. You have hands-on experience with robust ERP systems, CRM platforms, and operational reporting tools. Your advanced analytical and problem-solving capabilities are matched by strong people management and stakeholder engagement skills. You're comfortable working remotely with minimal supervision and thrive in dynamic environments. WHY JOIN SUN KING Beyond competitive compensation and statutory benefits, you'll experience professional growth within a dynamic, rapidly expanding organization driving high social impact. You'll work within an open-minded, collaborative culture alongside enthusiastic colleagues united by the challenge of innovation and commitment to meaningful impact on people and the planet. This role offers genuine multicultural experience, connecting you with team members from diverse geographies, nationalities, and backgrounds. Sun King provides structured, tailored learning and development programs through the Sun Centre for Leadership, designed to enhance your capabilities as a leader, manager, and professional. Sun King is committed to sustaining a diverse and inclusive workplace where innovation thrives through varied perspectives. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote based on experience, skills, effort, and results. We explicitly prohibit discrimination based on race, religion, caste, national origin, color, gender, marital status, family structure, sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status, or disability.