Area Manager (Regional Business Manager)

Novartis India; Rajasthan; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Novartis India is seeking a Regional Business Manager/First Line Sales Manager to guide a high-performing sales team and translate national strategies into local execution. You will lead coaching, territory planning and KPI governance, while strengthening HCP engagement with evidence-based selling.

The role requires strategic thinking, deep market knowledge and collaboration across Marketing, Medical and Supply to improve patient access and loyalty.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences/Pharmacy/Business or related field.
• MBA/PGDM preferred for strategic leadership.
• 6–10 years pharma sales experience with cardiovascular/specialty exposure.
• 2–4 years of team handling with coaching and performance skills.
• Strong analytics and cross-functional collaboration capabilities.
• Proficient in MS Office; experience with CRM systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach a high-performing sales team to meet targets.
• Develop regional business plans aligned to brand strategy and review progress.
• Engage HCPs with evidence-based selling and strong objection handling.
• Use insights to optimize targeting and call effectiveness.
• Ensure brand plan execution, KPI governance and risk management.
• Partner with Marketing, Medical, Value & Access and Supply for regional initiatives.
• Build account and KOL relationships to sustain demand.
• Own forecasting, budgeting and timely reporting.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Analytics

HCP engagement

Go-to-market

Cross-functional work

Strategic planning

Relationship management

Forecasting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences/Pharmacy/Business or related

MBA/PGDM preferred

Tools

MS Office

CRM experience

Job description

Summary

The Regional Business Manager/First Line Sales Manager (FLM) is responsible for leading a high-performing sales team to deliver exceptional customer engagement and achieve commercial objectives. This role requires strategic thinking, deep market knowledge, and the ability to translate national strategies into effective local execution.

Summary

The Regional Business Manager/First Line Sales Manager (FLM) is responsible for leading a high-performing sales team to deliver exceptional customer engagement and achieve commercial objectives. This role requires strategic thinking, deep market knowledge, and the ability to translate national strategies into effective local execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coach the team to achieve sales, productivity and performance targets through strong in-field coaching, call planning and disciplined execution.
• Create and execute regional/territory business plans aligned to brand strategy (targeting, coverage, quarterly priorities, cycle plans) and review progress through regular business reviews.
• Drive high-quality, compliant HCP engagement (cardiologists/physicians) using evidence-led, value-based selling; strengthen disease/patient pathway understanding and objection handling.
• Use sales and prescription insights, analytics and market intelligence to optimize targeting, improve call effectiveness and implement timely corrective actions.
• Ensure brand plan execution and KPI governance (coverage, call quality, demand drivers, availability) and manage risks across competition, access and supply.
• Operate within company policies and ethical codes
• Partner with Marketing, Medical, Value & Access and Supply to deliver regional initiatives, resolve customer issues and improve patient access where applicable.
• Build team capability through structured coaching (joint work, role plays, feedback), onboarding, performance reviews and talent development/succession planning.
• Develop key accounts and KOLs across priority institutions/clinics to build advocacy and sustain demand
• Support market access and institutional processes (where applicable) to improve adoption, affordability and continuity of therapy.
• Own forecasting and business hygiene: accurate outlook, budget/expense discipline, and timely reporting/documentation.
• Work with distribution/trade partners to ensure availability, primary–secondary alignment and stock/expiry risk control in priority channels.
• Drive omnichannel execution and ensure data quality, privacy and use of approved content.
• Continuously track competition and guideline/evidence updates and translate insights into local actions to protect and grow share.

High field orientation; willing to travel extensively within the region

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (Life Sciences/Pharmacy/Business or related).
• MBA/PGDM preferred.
• 6–10 years pharma sales experience; Cardiovascular/ Specialty therapy exposure preferred.
• 2–4 years team handling with strong coaching and performance management skills.
• Strong market understanding and ability to drive compliant, scientific/value-based HCP engagement.
• Experience with launch excellence / go-to-market execution and cross-functional ways of working.
• Strong analytics; proficient in MS Office.
• Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• High ethics and compliance orientation; working knowledge of promotional codes/SOPs.
• Employees with CRM team experience will be preferred

Commitment To Diversity And Inclusion / EEO Paragraph

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams’ representative of the patients and communities we serve.

Why Novartis:

Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture

Benefits and Rewards:

Read our handbook to learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally: https://www.novartis.com/careers/benefits-rewards

Why Novartis:

Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture

Benefits and Rewards:

Learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally.

Read our handbook (PDF 30 MB)