State Head - Sales - Food & Beverages

Exciting opportunity with India's top three beverages company for the role of Head of Sales Kerala at Kochi / Cochin , who will be responsible for leading the sales strategy & execution of all Beverages through Channel Sales/General Trade vertical for entire Kerala territory.

The role will be at an AVP level and involves handling a large team of 6-8 ASM (Distribution Sales), ASM (Modern Trade), ASM (Marketing) and other sales support staff for Kerala state. The incumbent reports into VP/Sr. VP - Sales, who further reports to Chief Operating Officer.

Strong sales experience in FMCG/Beverages/Food industry (not from liquor) handling distribution sales with a large team/large region who have handled large volumes of beverage industry, since heading sales of one state is also about handling a large portfolio.

Matured, Great People management skills are just as important as the Sales expertise required for this role

Job Role/ Title : Head of Sales

Team Size : 60-80

No. of Direct Reportees : 8-10

Scope of work / Accountabilities :

Sales Volume Growth :

- Deliver the sales volume target by developing market in the assigned territory as per Annual Operating Plan

- Add new outlets which should contribute to achieving annual volume/value targets

- Drive sales volumes of FMO (Focus of the Month) products and increase the Unique SKU count in the outlet and ensure Product range availability

Market Execution :

- Develop strong relationships with Key Accounts, resolving channel partners issues, Visit & interact with DBR's on frequent basis to maintain relationship

- Liaison with MEM team on VISI Services & secure preferential recommendations on service grounds

- Drive Cooler / rack productivity by planning deployments/redeployments of resources based on Cooler/Rack governance protocols

Market Knowledge :

- Map the current Market Situation, Benchmark with Competition to identify gaps in Product- SKUs Availability

Cost Control :

- Ensure credit control within Unit, Liaison with Commercial Responsible for monitoring & optimizing cost of direct operations, Maintain profitability of the Unit.

- Adherence to all processes and process by ensuring that there areno pending claims/ settlements with internal and external partners

Distribution Management :

- Responsible for implementing the Go-To-Market model within the Unit, Utilize tools to drive Business results-SAMNA, WW, etc.

People Management :

- Coach, Guide & develop team members, Set Goals, Appraise performance & provide timely feedback, Identify Capability gaps & share input with stakeholders on development.

- Assess Unit level staffing & skills requirement & develop plan to address in short & long terms needs

New Initiatives :

- Special projects and new initiatives in order to ensure continuous business growth

External Interfaces : Distributors, Key Account Manager, CFA, Local Government Authorities, Vendors

Internal Interfaces : COO, MUGM, Commercial Head, Logistics & Distribution Head, ASM's, AM MD, AM BD, ASM's PAC, Internal Regional Office

Education Qualification (Highest) - Full time MBA from Recognised University/Business School

Desired Certifications: Certificate in Sales Management

Experience Range :

Minimum 15-20 years of post-qualification Sales and Distribution Management experience

Desirable experience : A minimum of 12-15 years of recent sales experience in FMCG company of repute, with a vast distribution network in leadership and people management roles.

Skills Description :

Functional Skills :

- Team Management

- Channel Management

- Analytical Skills

Behavioral. Skills :

- Good Interpersonal Skill

- Good Communication Skill

- General Awareness: Knows the fundamental or general understanding of concepts.

- Working Knowledge: Has broad job knowledge; knows and applies the full range of concepts and practices. Has broad / working knowledge of the subject. Candidate should use these concepts in day to day practices.

- Functional Expert: Candidate is certified functional expert with strong knowledge on concepts.

- Mastery: Candidate is subject matter expert and has command over the subject/ concepts.