Company Overview:

Our client is a well-established Indian consumer-products and apparel business operating in seasonal and performance wear. Its portfolio spans rainwear and related climate-oriented apparel, with a developing all-season proposition. The business serves consumers through a broad dealer, distributor and retail ecosystem, alongside institutional and marketplace channels. Its commercial model requires strong pre-season planning, geographically distributed sales execution, channel relationships and coordination between demand creation and product availability.

Role Purpose:

Lead the sales function to deliver profitable, predictable revenue growth across regions and channels. The Head of Sales will translate business priorities into an actionable annual sales plan, strengthen primary and secondary sales, improve distributor productivity and retail execution, and work closely with the MD and cross-functional teams to align forecasts, inventory, pricing, schemes and seasonal demand.

Key Responsibilities:

- Sales strategy and revenue delivery: Build annual, quarterly and seasonal sales plans by geography, channel, product category and customer; own revenue, volume, distribution and collection outcomes.

- Channel development: Expand and manage distributor, dealer, super-stockist, wholesaler, modern-trade, institutional and relevant e-commerce/marketplace relationships, based on the business model.

- Primary, secondary and tertiary sales: Track sales through the channel to retail sell-through; improve outlet coverage, productive distribution, assortment availability and reorder frequency.

- Seasonal planning: Lead pre-season demand estimation, range-wise targets, inventory deployment, launch timing and regional plans to reduce stock-outs, excess stock and late-season discounting.

- Team leadership: Set targets and review cadence for regional/area sales managers and frontline teams; improve productivity, capability, territory design and performance accountability.

- Trade schemes and commercial discipline: Recommend channel margins, incentive structures and promotions; assess scheme effectiveness and protect contribution margins.

- Market intelligence: Monitor competitor activity, pricing, consumer/channel feedback and regional demand patterns; convert insights into actions for assortment and go-to-market execution.

- Forecasting and reporting: Maintain accurate sales forecasts and dashboards covering targets vs. actuals, primary/secondary sales, distributor inventory, collections, returns and channel health.

- Cross-functional coordination: Partner with marketing, supply chain, production, finance and customer service to align campaign calendars, supply plans, credit control and service levels.

- Leadership reporting: Present concise business reviews to the MD, flag risks early and recommend corrective actions with owners and timelines.

Candidate Profile: Experience:

- 15+ years of progressive sales experience in FMCG, consumer durables/consumer products, garments, apparel, rainwear, footwear or other distribution-led categories.

- Demonstrated ownership of regional or national sales targets and experience managing distributor/dealer-led routes to market.

- Practical understanding of general trade and channel economics; exposure to primary and secondary sales is essential.

- Experience in seasonal, fashion, textile or apparel categories is highly relevant; experience planning around seasonal demand is an advantage.

- Evidence of team management, territory expansion, distributor appointment/productivity, sales forecasting and commercial negotiations.

- Comfort working in a promoter-led or closely managed Indian business environment, with direct communication and accountability to the MD.

Education & Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Marketing, Management, Economics or a related discipline. MBA/PGDM in Sales, Marketing or General Management is essential. Strong demonstrable sales is mandatory.

- Proficiency in contemporary sales reporting tools; experience with CRM, ERP, distributor-management systems or sales-force automation is desirable.

Core Competencies & Skills:

- Sales planning, target deployment and revenue forecasting.

- Distributor/dealer management, channel expansion and negotiation.

- Primary-secondary sales analysis and retail execution.

- Team leadership, coaching, review discipline and performance management.

- Commercial acumen: pricing, margins, trade schemes, collections and working capital awareness.

- Data-led decision-making, analysis and dashboard interpretation.

- Cross-functional influence and clear communication with senior leadership.

- Problem-solving under seasonal pressure; ability to balance growth with inventory and margin discipline.