Channel Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Core Job Responsibilities:

1. Business Growth & Customer Leadership

Strategic Customer Management

• Lead and develop strategic partnerships with key pharmacy customers and retail chains to drive profitable growth and category leadership.
• Establish and execute Joint Business Plans (JBP) and customer scorecards aligned with organizational objectives.
• Conduct regular Top-to-Top engagements, business reviews, and performance discussions with customers.
• Drive customer negotiations and secure business opportunities to achieve sales, market share, and profitability targets.
• Lead customer-specific business analysis and develop insights-based growth strategies.
• Continuously identify emerging market opportunities, competitive threats, and customer needs to strengthen channel performance.

Sales & Market Share Delivery

• Deliver annual sales, market share, distribution, and profitability objectives for the Pharmacy channel.
• Develop and execute commercial action plans to accelerate growth and strengthen category leadership.
• Monitor business performance, identify risks and opportunities, and implement corrective actions to ensure target achievement.
• Ensure effective investment management and optimize trade spending to maximize return on investment.

2. Channel Development & Execution Excellence

Channel Strategy & Go-to-Market Excellence

• Develop and execute comprehensive channel strategies, Route-to-Market (RTM) initiatives, and customer development plans to accelerate growth.
• Lead the design and deployment of differentiated channel programs aligned with business objectives.
• Drive channel-specific Go-to-Market (GTM) strategies and ensure effective execution across all pharmacy customer segments.
• Evaluate evolving market dynamics and recommend strategic interventions to improve channel competitiveness.

In-Store Excellence & Sales Fundamentals

• Ensure superior execution of all customer and channel initiatives through strong field deployment and compliance.
• Drive excellence in product availability, distribution, shelf visibility, share of shelf, share of display, and promotional execution.
• Conduct regular market visits, customer reviews, and execution audits to identify improvement opportunities.
• Partner with merchandising and field sales teams to strengthen in-store presence and customer experience.
• Lead monthly business reviews and deployment of key priorities to ensure flawless execution

3. Commercial Planning & Cross-Functional Collaboration

Business Planning and Forecasting

• Lead annual and quarterly business planning processes for the channel.
• Develop accurate sales forecasts and demand plans in collaboration with Supply Chain and Demand Planning teams.
• Monitor inventory health, stock availability, and service levels to ensure uninterrupted business operations.
• Review supply plans and proactively mitigate supply risks impacting channel performance.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with Trade Marketing, Commercial Excellence, Finance, Supply Chain, Regulatory, and Sales teams to deliver business objectives.
• Translate customer and market insights into actionable recommendations and business-building initiatives.
• Provide channel expertise and strategic inputs to support broader commercial planning and portfolio initiatives.
• Ensure alignment between internal stakeholders and customer requirements to drive effective execution.

4. Customer & Distributor Management

Customer Excellence

• Maintain strong customer relationships built on trust, collaboration, and long-term partnership.
• Lead customer engagement activities to strengthen strategic alignment and business outcomes.
• Resolve customer issues proactively and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction.

5. Team Leadership & Organizational Development

People Leadership

• Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing team capable of delivering sustainable business results.
• Coach and develop direct reports to strengthen commercial, leadership, and execution capabilities.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and establish clear development plans for team members.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, agility, and continuous improvement.

Talent & Succession Management

• Identify, develop, and retain high-potential talent through structured coaching and developmental assignments.
• Lead succession planning initiatives and build organizational capability for futu