General Manager

The General Manager will lead the end-to-end operations of Derrimon Beverages Ltd in Jamaica. This role is accountable for profitability, operational efficiency, market expansion, distributor performance, and sustained execution excellence.

Derrimon Beverages Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of SM Jaleel & Co. Ltd, one of the Caribbean’s largest and most established beverage manufacturers, with over 100 years of history, innovation, and regional leadership. The company is now expanding its footprint in Jamaica through a dedicated operating subsidiary responsible for the sales, distribution, marketing, and overall management of SMJ brands in the market.

 A critical requirement for this position is extensive experience managing third-party distributors in the consumer goods (FMCG) industry, with a proven ability to build high-performance distribution systems, drive availability, and optimize execution.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Lead the development and implementation of the company’s strategic plan, aligned with SMJ’s regional growth objectives.
• Direct annual budgets, P&L performance, operational plans, and resource allocation.
• Oversee all operational functions including sales, marketing, warehousing, logistics, customer service, and finance-related interfaces.
• Ensure a robust Business Continuity Plan is in place to protect operations against force majeure events, regulatory changes, pandemics, or IT disruptions.

Distributor & Market Execution Management

• Build, develop, and optimize the performance of all third-party distribution partners, ensuring superior market execution, service levels, and availability.
• Manage achievement of revenue, volume, distribution, and penetration targets across all channels.
• Maintain competitive intelligence to adjust market, pricing, and commercial strategies.

Organizational Performance & Team Leadership

• Establish organizational structures, processes, and KPIs to support growth and long-term scalability.
• Provide direct leadership to managers and supervisors; ensure accountability and high performance.
• Partner with Human Resources to drive recruitment, training, field development, succession planning, and employee retention.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, data-driven decision making, and operational discipline.

Stakeholder, Regulatory & Group Alignment

• Ensure full compliance with local statutory, regulatory, labor, and operational requirements.
• Build and maintain relationships with key business partners, vendors, customers, and governmental authorities.
• Collaborate closely with SMJ Corporate teams (Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Production, Customer Service) to align Jamaica operations with group strategy.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Strong analytical capability and data-driven mindset
• Proven leadership and team-building abilities
• Exceptional commercial and business acumen
• High execution discipline; quality and performance focused
• Strong distributor management experience
• Customer relationship management
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, BI tools, and ERP systems

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Business Administration, Management, Marketing, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in FMCG, including strategic leadership roles.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior managerial capacity with direct responsibility for third-party distributor management.
• Demonstrated success driving commercial and operational performance in a consumer goods environment.