Trade Key Account Manager (Pharmaceutical industry)

The Trade Key Account Manager/ Retail Sales Manager is responsible for leading the nationwide sales development of the OTC channel and strategic chains (Drug/cosmetic). The role drives channel strategy, sales achievement, distribution expansion, key account development, commercial planning, forecasting, and execution excellence. The position works closely with Sales, Marketing, SFE, Finance, Supply Chain, Customer Service, and Regulatory/Quality teams to strengthen customer partnerships, improve market coverage and in-store execution, and deliver sustainable, profitable, and compliant growth.

Responsibilities

1. Sales Strategy & Business Planning

• Develop and execute annual and quarterly sales strategies for the retail (OTC and chains) channels in line with company objectives, portfolio priorities, and approved budgets.

• Translate business targets into channel, customer, territory, and team-level sales plans, KPIs, and execution priorities.

• Assess market potential, customer opportunities, competitive developments, commercial risks, and resource requirements; recommend corrective actions when needed.

• Prepare and manage channel budgets, trade investments, and sales-related expenses within the approved authority framework.

2. OTC Channel Development

• Drive sales growth, pharmacy coverage, product availability, numeric and weighted distribution, and market penetration across independent pharmacies and traditional OTC accounts.

• Develop customer segmentation, territory coverage, call planning, and route-to-market approaches to improve sales productivity and execution quality.

• Ensure consistent implementation of sales priorities, product focus, promotional programs, merchandising standards, and customer engagement activities.

• Monitor distributor and wholesaler performance, sell-in, sell-out, inventory, stock ageing, returns, and service levels; address gaps with relevant stakeholders.

3. Chain & Key Account Management

• Lead and develop relationships with strategic pharmacy chains and other assigned key retail accounts.

• Build customer-specific business plans covering sales targets, listings, assortment, promotional calendars, visibility, distribution, and growth initiatives.

• Negotiate annual agreements, commercial terms, trade conditions, and joint business plans within the company’s approval and profitability requirements.

• Monitor account performance, profitability, sell-in, sell-out, inventory, service level, deductions, returns, and contract compliance.

• Coordinate cross-functional actions to resolve commercial, supply, service, financial, or operational issues and strengthen long-term customer partnerships.

4. Sales Forecasting & Performance Management

• Own sales forecasting and demand reviews for the OTC and pharmacy chain channels, ensuring timely and realistic forecasts by customer and product.

• Monitor sales achievement, customer contribution, SKU performance, distribution, sales-force productivity, promotional effectiveness, trade investment, and account profitability.

• Analyze sales data, customer trends, market developments, and competitor activities to identify performance gaps and recommend action plans.

• Prepare regular business reviews and management reports highlighting results, risks, opportunities, forecast changes, and required decisions.

• Use CRM, SFA, and SFE tools to improve field execution, pipeline visibility, data quality, forecasting accuracy, and decision-making.

5. Commercial Execution & Cross-functional Coordination

• Work closely with Marketing to develop channel plans, product launches, promotional activities, point-of-sale materials, and in-store execution standards.

• Coordinate with Supply Chain, Customer Service, and Sales Administration to maintain product availability, order fulfilment, healthy inventory, and customer service levels.

• Partner with Finance to assess commercial terms, credit exposure, customer profitability, deductions, and trade-spend effectiveness.

• Coordinate with Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance to ensure that customer agreements, product communication, promotions, and sales activities comply with applicable requirements.

• Provide market, customer, and competitor insights to support portfolio, pricing, distribution, and go-to-market decisions.

6. Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the assigned retail sales team to achieve business targets and execution standards.

• Set clear objectives, review performance, provide regular feedback, and establish corrective or development plans where required.

• Promote accountability, collaboration, customer focus, ethical selling, and disciplined execution across the team.

• Work with HR and functional stakeholders on manpower planning, recruitment, onboarding, capability development, succession planning, and performance management.

7. Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure that pricing, promotions, trade investments, customer agreements, and sales practices comply with company policies, delegated authority, and applicable laws and regulations.

• Maintain complete and accurate commercial documentation and support internal or external audits when required.

• Identify and manage commercial, credit, inventory, compliance, operational, and people risks within the assigned channels.

1. Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy,

Yêu cầu công việc

1. Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, healthcare sector or a related field.

• An MBA or postgraduate qualification in Sales, Marketing, or Healthcare Management is an advantage

2. Experience

• Minimum 7 years of sales experience in pharmaceuticals, consumer healthcare, dermo-cosmetics, medical devices, or a closely related industry.

• At least 3 years in a sales management role with responsibility for the OTC channel and chains.

• Demonstrated experience in distributor management, key account negotiation, sales forecasting, and team leadership.

• A proven track record of delivering sales growth and developing channel business is essential

3. Competencies

Functional Competencies

• OTC and Pharmacy Channel Management

• Key Account Management and Commercial Negotiation

• Sales Planning, Forecasting, and Budget Management

• Distributor and Route-to-Market Management

• Sales Analytics, CRM/SFA, and Performance Management

• Trade Investment and Customer Profitability Management

• Pharmaceutical Market, Product, and Compliance Knowledge

Behavioral Competencies

• Result Orientation

• Collaboration

• Analytical Thinking

• Problem-Solving Agility

• Communication Excellence

Leadership Competencies

• Coaching

• Strategic mindset

• People development

4. Additional Requirements

• Fluency in English communication

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience with CRM/SFA or sales analytics systems

Quyền lợi

• Thưởng: 13th salary Performance bonus Healthcare insurance