Strategic Account & Sales Manager

Merck; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car

Laptop

iPad

Job summary

Merck in Australia seeks an experienced Strategic Account & Sales Manager - Companion Animal to lead the growth of key retail accounts nationwide. You will head a team of Retail Territory Sales Managers and drive strategic plans across our companion animal portfolio with a strong focus on partnerships and execution.

You will align cross-functional teams, negotiate favourable terms, and shape retail programs to maximise revenue, profitability and category share.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing or equivalent.
• Extensive proven experience in Key Account Management.
• Proven B2B selling experience in FMCG, pharmacy and/or animal health.
• Advanced negotiation and communication skills.
• Strong financial acumen and strategic planning ability.
• Experience using Salesforce and CRM systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute growth plans for key retail accounts.
• Lead and coach Retail Territory Sales Managers to meet channel objectives.
• Manage relationships, negotiations and contracts with strategic partners.
• Collaborate with brand, marketing, finance and supply chain teams.
• Forecast revenue, set budgets and monitor ROI across accounts.
• Drive retail execution, merchandising standards and performance.

Skills

Key Account Mgmt

B2B Selling

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Team leadership

Sales forecasting

Education

Business/Marketing degree

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Description

Strategic Account & Sales Manager - Companion Animal

Based: Sydney, Macquarie Park, Australia

Benefits

• Permanent role with competitive remuneration, benefits and tools of trade provided e.g. Car, Laptop, iPad etc

Lead: a high-performing, agile and passionate sales team

Shape : and drive the strategic direction of our retail companion animal portfolio across Australia

Join : a collaborative, purpose-driven animal health organisation with trusted brands and innovative products

As the Strategic Account & Sales Manager - Companion Animal, you will lead the development and execution of strategic plans to grow key retail accounts across our companion animal portfolio.

In this pivotal role, you will combine commercial acumen, strategic thinking and relationship management expertise to deliver tailored solutions for our company and retail partners. You will also lead and develop a team of Retail Territory Sales Managers, ensuring strong field execution, retail standards and commercial performance.

Reporting to the National Sales & Key Account Lead, Companion Animal, you will work closely with marketing, technical, customer effectiveness, finance and field sales teams to align plans, resources and execution priorities across the channel.

What You Will Do

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Account Management

• Build strong relationships with strategic retail accounts across multiple levels
• Act as the primary point of contact for key accounts
• Understand customer needs and category priorities to develop tailored solutions
• Engage buying, category, operations, marketing, regional and store teams
• Conduct joint business planning and regular business reviews
• Negotiate commercial agreements, trade terms and investment plans to deliver revenue and profitability goals

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop Retail Territory Sales Managers to deliver channel objectives
• Set clear priorities, territory plans, call expectations and performance KPIs
• Drive best-practice execution of marketing campaigns and territory planning
• Monitor progress against targets, coverage, activity and execution quality
• Build a collaborative, accountable and high-performance team culture
• Support alignment between retail execution and national sales priorities
• Manage day-to-day team needs including expenses, leave and safe driving practices

Strategic Planning

• Develop and execute account growth plans aligned to customer and company goals
• Review performance regularly and adjust priorities to deliver mutual value
• Analyse market trends and competitor activity to identify opportunities and risks
• Create a 12-month rolling strategic account master plan
• Prepare forecasts, budgets and ROI-based programs

Sales and Revenue Growth

• Deliver sales, market share, gross-to-net and profitability objectives
• Drive growth through ranging, distribution, promotional execution and merchandising excellence
• Identify new opportunities within existing retail partners
• Track account performance and adjust resources as needed
• Monitor trade spend, rebates and promotional investment within budget
• Partner with supply chain and customer service to support availability and execution readiness

Collaboration

• Work closely with brand managers to align execution with brand strategy and campaigns
• Collaborate with technical, marketing and field services teams to support customer education
• Partner with finance to ensure commercial plans are sound and compliant
• Facilitate communication between customers, Retail Territory Sales Managers and internal teams
• Gather feedback to improve products, promotions and execution standards
• Ensure compliance with pricing, rebate, discount and governance policies

What You Must Have

• Tertiary business or marketing degree essential
• Extensive solid proven experience in a related market or industry
• Proven experience in Key Account Management, preferably in FMCG, pharmacy and/or animal health
• B2B selling experience essential
• Advanced negotiation skills
• Strong financial acumen
• Ability to think strategically with medium- to long-term goals in mind
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including presentations
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively with internal stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to manage time effectively and work to deadlines
• Strong computer skills, including Salesforce and Microsoft Office Suite

What You Can Expect

• The opportunity to lead a critical strategic account portfolio in a high-growth companion animal category
• A chance to shape retail execution and drive meaningful commercial outcomes across Australia
• Collaboration, cross-functional environment with strong internal support
• Ongoing learning, development and leadership opportunities
• The opportunity to make a real impact on companion animal health outcomes

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing varied, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when varied ideas come