Job Description - Head - Sales

Location: Chennai

Reporting To: Managing Director

Role Overview

The Head - Sales will be responsible for leading the organization's overall sales strategy and execution across India. This role will drive sustainable revenue growth, strengthen market leadership, expand distribution reach, and build a high-performance sales organization. As a member of the executive leadership team, the incumbent will work closely with the Managing Director to shape the company's commercial strategy and deliver profitable growth.

Key Responsibilities

Business Strategy & Growth

- Develop and execute the national sales strategy aligned with the company's long-term business objectives.

- Drive top line growth, market share expansion, and profitability across all business segments.

- Identify new markets, customer segments, and growth opportunities while strengthening the company's competitive position.

- Lead annual operating plans, sales budgets, forecasting, and business reviews.

Sales Leadership

- Lead the entire India sales organization through Regional Heads, Zonal Heads, and functional sales leaders.

- Build a high-performance, results-driven sales culture focused on execution excellence.

- Define sales KPIs, performance metrics, and incentive frameworks to maximize productivity.

- Coach and mentor senior sales leaders while building a strong leadership pipeline.

Channel & Distribution Excellence

- Strengthen and expand the dealer, distributor, and channel partner ecosystem across India.

- Drive improvements in channel productivity, geographic coverage, and customer engagement.

- Ensure effective distribution planning and route-to-market strategies.

- Improve sales efficiency through data-driven decision-making and market analytics.

Key Account & Institutional Business

- Develop strategic relationships with large customers, institutional clients, infrastructure developers, and government organizations.

- Lead negotiations for key commercial agreements and high-value customer partnerships.

- Drive growth in project, institutional, and strategic account businesses.

Commercial Excellence

- Drive pricing strategy, sales planning, demand forecasting, and revenue management.

- Monitor market dynamics, competitor actions, and customer trends to proactively respond to changing business conditions.

- Work closely with Finance to improve profitability, collections, and working capital.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Marketing, Finance, and Product teams to ensure seamless business execution.

- Ensure high levels of customer service, product availability, and operational efficiency.

- Lead strategic business initiatives and commercial transformation programs.

Governance & Performance

- Present business performance, sales reviews, forecasts, and strategic initiatives to the Managing Director and Board, as required.

- Ensure compliance with organizational policies, governance standards, and ethical business practices.

Desired Candidate Profile

- 20-30 years of progressive sales leadership experience within large manufacturing organizations.

- Proven experience leading Pan India sales operations with responsibility for multiple regions.

- Demonstrated success in managing large sales teams through Regional and Zonal leadership structures.

- Strong experience in dealer/distributor management, channel development, key account management, institutional sales, and commercial strategy.

- Track record of consistently delivering revenue growth, market expansion, and profitability improvements.

- Strong business acumen with expertise in sales planning, forecasting, pricing, and commercial negotiations.

- Excellent leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and decision-making capabilities.

- MBA from a reputed institution is preferred.

Preferred Industry Background

- Cement

- Building Materials

- Construction Products

- Paints & Coatings

- Pipes & Fittings

- Steel Building Products

- Industrial Manufacturing with a strong distribution-led sales model

Key Success Metrics

- Revenue growth and market share improvement

- EBITDA and profitability enhancement

- Dealer and distributor network expansion

- Institutional and project sales growth

- Customer satisfaction and retention

- Sales productivity and team performance

- Forecast accuracy and working capital improvement

- Leadership development and succession planning