Key Accounts Manager - Chain Pharmacy

Kornferry; Mumbai; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Kornferry is seeking a Key Account Manager for Chain Pharmacy in Mumbai to drive growth across national and regional chains. You will lead strategic account planning, negotiate terms, manage relationships with leadership teams, and oversee trade marketing initiatives to meet sales and profitability goals.

The role involves coordinating with sales, marketing, supply chain, and finance to ensure timely product launches, listings, and distribution expansion across skincare, derma, and OTC segments.

Qualifications

• 7–12 years of Key Account Management experience in FMCG or related sectors.
• Experience with national or regional retail chains.
• Strong commercial negotiation and data-driven planning skills.
• MBA preferred; proficiency in Excel, Power BI, CRM tools.

Responsibilities

• Develop account-specific business plans and JBPs with growth objectives.
• Lead negotiations on pricing, margins, promotions and commitments.
• Drive sales targets and expand product listings and distribution.
• Plan and execute trade promotions, visibility programs, and retail activations.
• Monitor ROI, profitability, and performance through MIS.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with sales, supply chain, finance and marketing.

Skills

Strategic planning

Negotiation

Relationship mgmt

Analytics

CRM tools

Excel

Power BI

Category planning

Forecasting

Education

MBA

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Job Description: Key Account Manager Chain Pharmacy

Experience: 7-12 years

Industry: FMCG / Personal Care / Derma / OTC

Role Purpose

Drive sustainable and profitable business growth across national and regional chain pharmacy accounts such as Apollo Pharmacy, MedPlus, Wellness Forever, Emami Frank Ross and other regional chains. The role involves strategic account planning, customer relationship management, commercial negotiations, category expansion, new product launches and execution of trade marketing initiatives to achieve sales and profitability objectives.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Account Planning & Business Growth

• Develop account-specific business plans and Joint Business Plans (JBPs) aligned with channel growth and brand objectives.
• Drive sales growth, distribution expansion, assortment optimization and category penetration across assigned accounts.
• Identify growth opportunities through new store openings, premium product expansion and improved SKU productivity.

2. Customer Relationship & Commercial Management

• Build strong relationships with customer leadership, category heads, buying teams and merchandising teams.
• Lead annual commercial negotiations covering pricing, margins, promotional schemes, visibility investments and business commitments.
• Conduct periodic business reviews to assess performance, identify gaps and agree on growth opportunities.

3. Sales, Distribution & New Product Development

• Deliver account-wise sales targets and expand product availability across existing and new stores.
• Drive timely product listings, launch plans, first purchase orders and distribution ramp-up for new product development (NPDs).
• Strengthening category presence across core skincare, premium derma and emerging product segments.

4. Trade Marketing & Retail Execution

• Plan and execute account-specific consumer promotions, visibility programs, merchandising and retail activations.
• Coordinate with regional sales teams and merchandising partners to ensure effective in-store execution.
• Monitor sell-out, stock availability, SKU performance and promotional effectiveness to maximize business impact.

5. Trade Investment & Profitability

• Manage trade marketing budgets and ensure efficient utilization of investments within approved guidelines.
• Evaluate promotional ROI and incremental sales impact to improve investment effectiveness.
• Drive account profitability through pricing discipline, product mix optimization and commercial governance.

6. Cross-Functional Coordination & Business Operations

• Work closely with sales, trade marketing, supply chain, finance and category teams to deliver account objectives.
• Ensure effective demand forecasting, timely purchase orders, product availability and improved fill rates.
• Monitor claims, receivables, commercial compliance and account performance through regular MIS and business reviews.

Qualifications & Experience

• 7-12 years of experience in Key Account Management / Modern Trade within FMCG, personal care, skincare, dermatology or OTC.
• Proven experience managing national or regional retail chains and delivering business growth.
• Strong commercial negotiation, customer relationship management, analytical and business planning skills.
• MBA preferred; proficiency in Excel, Power BI and CRM tools is an advantage.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Sales growth and achievement of account targets.
• Distribution expansion and assortment productivity.
• NPD listings, first billing and launch execution.
• Sell-out growth and retail visibility compliance.
• Trade marketing ROI and investment efficiency.Forecast accuracy, fill rates and product availability.
• Account profitability and commercial discipline.