Modern Trade Lead - Beauty/D2C

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced Modern Trade Lead to drive sales and strategic partnerships across key modern trade accounts for a fast-growing D2C beauty and personal care brand. The role will be responsible for managing national key accounts, driving profitable growth, executing Joint Business Plans (JBPs), and strengthening the brand's presence across offline retail channels.

Key Responsibilities:

- Own and manage key Modern Trade accounts including Reliance Retail, Health & Glow, Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Tata Star Bazaar, Spencer's, More Retail, Nature's Basket, Wellness Forever, and other national and regional retail chains.

- Build and execute annual Joint Business Plans (JBPs) to achieve sales, distribution, and profitability targets.

- Lead commercial negotiations, annual agreements, pricing, promotions, margins, and trade investments.

- Drive new product listings, assortment optimization, shelf visibility, secondary displays, and in-store activation programs.

- Collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Demand Planning, Category, and Merchandising teams for seamless execution.

- Monitor sales performance, inventory, fill rates, offtake, and account profitability while identifying growth opportunities.

- Analyze business performance and recommend strategies to improve category share, distribution, and retail productivity.

- Manage trade spends, promotional ROI, claims, collections, and account reconciliations.

- Build strong relationships with category managers and buying teams across key retail partners.

Candidate Profile:

- 5-12 years of experience in Modern Trade - National Key Accounts within Beauty, Personal Care, Cosmetics, or D2C consumer brands.

- Proven experience managing large modern trade retailers and driving revenue growth.

- Strong understanding of offline retail, category management, trade marketing, and customer negotiations.

- Experience in Joint Business Planning (JBP), commercial negotiations, and promotional planning.

- Excellent analytical, stakeholder management, and communication skills.

- Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.