Head - Sales (General Trade, Modern Trade & Exclusive Brand Outlets)

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Reports To: COO

Experience: 7-8 years (FMCG / Personal Care)

Industry: Personal Care & Beauty / Clean + Natural Cosmetics

About the Organization

A dynamic, high-growth personal care and beauty brand specializing in science-inspired, 100% natural ingredient formulations for skincare, haircare, and body care. The organization thrives in fast-paced environments, emphasizing entrepreneurial spirit, consumer obsession, and collaborative teamwork.

Role Objective

Lead and own the on-ground commercial engine across General Trade (GT), Modern Trade (MT), and Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs), driving profitable revenue growth to support national scaling.

This role owns both channels and execution while refining the retail store portfolio to achieve profitability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic GT & MT Revenue Ownership

- Build and drive channel strategies for GT and MT aligned with top-line and margin objectives.

- Own distributor ecosystems, sales forces, and secondary sales velocity.

- Strengthen retail availability, distribution quality, and execution discipline across India.

- Set and exceed monthly, quarterly, and annual sales targets for GT and MT.

2. Channel Execution & Field Enablement

- Recruit, develop, and mentor channel sales leaders (ASM/TSM/DSE).

- Build scalable GT/MT execution models replicable across new territories.

- Ensure right merchandising, display standards, and brand visibility in retail outlets.

3. Trade Partnerships & Negotiations

- Lead negotiations with distributors, wholesalers, and MT banner partners.

- Grow share of shelf, promotional visibility, and joint business planning with key partners.

4. Cross-Functional Excellence

- Partner closely with Marketing for sales-driven campaign execution.

- Collaborate with Supply Chain for availability planning.

- Work with Analytics for forecasting and performance insights.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Experience & Background

- 7-8 years in GT/MT sales leadership, ideally in Personal Care & Beauty/FMCG segments.

- Proven track record of driving profitable growth through channels where execution matters.

- Prior exposure to EBO/retail operations and turnaround situations highly desirable.

- Worked with large distributor networks, MT chains (hypermarkets, supermarkets, retail banners), and retail execution excellence.

Skills & Attributes

- Commercial ownership mindset-builds systems and holds accountability for results.

- Strong decision-making and execution agility in dynamic markets.

- Exceptional negotiation and partnership skills with trade stakeholders.

- Ability to lead, recruit, and galvanize a young commercial team.

- Passion for natural personal care brands and customer-centric selling.

Educational & Professional Credentials

- MBA from top B-School preferred.

- Industry pedigree in consumer goods/beauty/personal care with strong operational rigor.

What Makes This Role Stand Out

- This is a growth-phase leadership opportunity where you will:

- Build and own the commercial growth engine of a category-defining personal care brand.

- Lead cross-channel GT, MT, and retail strategy.

- Institutionalize performance frameworks across sales, execution, and profitability.

- Position yourself on the leadership path with future CXO potential.