Job Title: National Sales Head / Head of Key Accounts

Location: Mumbai, India

Company: Pharma Manufacturer

About the Role:

We are looking for a seasoned commercial leader to head national sales and key account management for a pharmaceutical company. This senior leadership role owns the P&L for the sales function and drives revenue growth across retail pharmacy, wholesale/cash-and-carry, institutional, and distributor channels.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Sales Strategy & Revenue

- Own and deliver the national sales target across OTC and generics categories.

- Develop and execute go-to-market strategies for new and existing products across geographies and channels - including retail pharmacy, wholesale/cash-and-carry (e.g., Metro), hospitals, and institutional accounts.

- Identify white space and expansion opportunities by geography, channel, or product.

2. Key Account Management

- Lead relationships with national pharmacy chains, hospital groups, buying groups, institutional clients, and wholesale/cash-and-carry accounts.

- Negotiate and close annual trading agreements, listing deals, and promotional contracts, including with wholesale/cash-and-carry category buyers.

- Build joint business plans with top accounts; ensure consistent service levels and in-stock availability.

3. Distributor & Channel Management

- Oversee the national distributor network: appointment, performance management, and development.

- Drive sell-through from distributor to retail, wholesale/cash-and-carry, and institutional end points; manage secondary sales discipline.

- Build and leverage strong relationships within wholesale/cash-and-carry chains to secure listings, visibility, and volume growth.

- Resolve channel conflict, maintain pricing integrity, and optimize distributor ROI, coverage, and claims.

4. Team Leadership

- Lead, mentor, and manage a multi-tiered sales team across regions, including personnel dedicated to key/wholesale accounts.

- Set targets, conduct performance reviews, and build succession pipelines.

- Drive a culture of accountability, coaching, and continuous improvement in the field.

5. Analytics & Reporting

- Own sales MIS - primary/secondary sales, market share, coverage, and productivity - across all channels.

- Present business reviews and forecasts as required.

6. Cross-functional Collaboration

- Partner with Supply Chain on demand planning and service levels, particularly for high-volume wholesale accounts.

- Partner with Finance on credit management, distributor outstanding, and sales budgets.

- Collaborate with Regulatory and Medical Affairs on product launches and claims.

Required Experience:

- 13+ years of progressive pharma sales experience, including 5+ years in a national/multi-regional leadership role.

- Experience managing both OTC and generics portfolios.

- Strong track record in distributor management and institutional/key account sales.

- Experience handling retail pharmacy chains (modern and traditional trade) essential.

- Strong commercial acumen, negotiation skills, and ability to build/lead large, geographically dispersed teams.

- Data-driven approach; strong communication and stakeholder influencing skills.

- B.Pharma / B.Sc. (Life Sciences) preferred; MBA in Sales & Marketing a strong advantage.