Sales Manager

He/she will be responsible for managing the sales team and for managing the day to day sales of the company’s products.

JOB SUMMARY

The Incumbent must possess robust interpersonal skills, with evidence of teamwork and collaboration, be a self-starter and an independent thinker, with the aptitude to work autonomously and must be able to interpret trends and data, translating the information into actions and improvements.

He/she will be responsible for managing the sales team and for managing the day to day sales of the company’s products.  He/she must ensure consistent, profitable growth in sales revenues. 

The incumbent will work alongside the Brand /Marketing Managers to ensure that sales targets are achieved.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Commercial Strategy & Sales Leadership

• Own the private-market sales strategy across brands, channels, and customer segments.
• Translate corporate growth objectives into multi-year sales roadmaps and annual operating plans.
• Define channel priorities, customer segmentation, and portfolio focus.
• Provide strategic guidance on pricing corridors, promotional intensity, and margin protection (within approved governance).

Senior Accountability:

• Outcomes, not activities
• Growth sustainability and profitability

2. Sales Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting

• Lead the annual sales planning and budgeting process in collaboration with Finance and Brand teams.
• Own rolling forecasts and demand planning inputs.
• Identify gaps versus plan early and implement corrective commercial strategies.
• Ensure alignment between sales plans, inventory availability, and promotional calendars.

3. Leadership & Development of Sales Management Team

• Lead, coach, and performance-manage Sales Managers and senior field leaders.
• Establish clear performance expectations, governance standards, and escalation protocols.
• Build leadership capability and succession pipelines within the sales organization.
• Drive a performance culture anchored in accountability, coaching, and continuous improvement.

Senior Accountability:

• Quality of managers, not just reps
• Strength and stability of the sales organization

4. Key Account & Channel Strategy

• Own strategic relationships with major pharmacies, buying groups, hospitals, and institutional private accounts.
• Lead or approve negotiations for key commercial agreements, rebates, and customer programmes.
• Oversee key account plans and ensure execution through Sales Managers.
• Balance customer growth with margin discipline and credit risk considerations.

5. Portfolio & New Product Commercialization Leadership

• Provide commercial leadership on new product launches in the private market.
• Approve launch priorities, target segmentation, and commercialization milestones.
• Review post-launch performance and adjust strategy based on market feedback and financial outcomes.
• Optimize portfolio performance by identifying underperforming SKUs and corrective actions.

6. Performance Management, Analytics & Governance

• Own sales performance dashboards, KPIs, and management reporting.
• Review performance trends, risks, and opportunities at brand, territory, and channel level.
• Chair monthly commercial performance reviews with Sales Managers.
• Ensure disciplined compliance with SOPs, pricing approvals, credit policies, and reporting standards.

7. Cross-Functional Commercial Leadership

• Act as the primary sales interface with Brand/Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, and Customer Service.
• Ensure commercial plans are operationally feasible and financially sound.
• Provide structured market intelligence on competitors, pricing dynamics, and customer behavior.

8. Risk Management & Business Continuity

• Identify commercial risks including customer concentration, margin erosion, credit exposure, and market shifts.
• Implement mitigation strategies in collaboration with senior leadership.
• Ensure sales continuity through succession planning, territory resilience, and contingency coverage.

9. Other Duties

• Perform any other senior commercial responsibilities as required to support company objectives.

EDUCATION AND REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Life Sciences, or related discipline
• 8–12+ years pharmaceutical sales experience, including multi-level leadership
• Proven experience managing managers and/or regional sales structures
• Strong commercial, financial, and analytical acumen
• Track record of delivering sustained growth and margin performance

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Strategic thinking and commercial judgment
• Leadership presence and decision-making authority
• Advanced negotiation and stakeholder management
• Financial literacy (budgets, margins, forecasts)
• Data-driven performance management
• Change leadership and organizational development

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (SENIOR-LEVEL)

Commercial Outcomes

• Revenue growth vs budget and prior year
• Gross margin protection and improvement
• Portfolio and channel profitability

Planning & Forecast Accuracy

• Forecast accuracy vs actuals
• Inventory alignment and stock optimization support

Leadership & Capability

• Sales Manager performance and stability
• Bench strength and succession readiness

Key Account Performance

• Growth of strategic accounts
• Effectiveness of commercial agreements

Governance & Risk

• Pricing and credit compliance
• Reduction of commercial risk exposure