National Key Account Manager

V-Guard; Mumbai; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,000,000; Full time

Job summary

V-Guard is seeking a Senior Strategic Account Manager to lead strategic account planning and growth across top priority accounts in the Modern Trade space. You will craft JBPs, align cross-functional teams, and drive category expansion, pricing discipline, and profitability metrics.

The role requires 7–12 years in FMCG/KAE, strong negotiation and analytics, and MBA preference. You will oversee national sell-out strategies, room for career growth, and a data-driven approach using BI and CRM tools.

Qualifications

• 7-12 years of experience in Modern Trade / Key Account Management within FMCG / Consumer Durables.
• Proven track record in driving national / multi-regional account growth.
• MBA preferred; familiarity with data tools (Power BI, CRM) an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Develop long-term account strategies aligned to channel priorities and growth objectives.
• Lead Joint Business Plans (JBPs) for growth levers across sales, category expansion, visibility, pricing, and profitability.
• Drive opportunities for new store openings, category introductions, assortment upgrades, and whitespace capture.
• Coordinate with Category, Pricing, Supply Chain, Retail Marketing PMO, and MT-RSS teams to shape account growth programs.
• Build annual revenue, share, and gross margin plans for key accounts.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Negotiation

Analytical skills

Education

MBA

Tools

Power BI

CRM

Job description

1. Strategic Account Planning & Growth Architecture

Develop long-term account strategies for top priority accounts for this role, aligned to channel priorities and category growth objectives.

Lead the creation of Joint Business Plans (JBPs) that define growth levers across sales, category expansion, kitchen penetration, visibility, pricing, and profitability.

Identify account-level growth opportunities including new store openings, category introductions, assortment upgrades, and whitespace capture.

Drive strategic alignment with Category, Pricing, Supply Chain, Retail Marketing PMO, and MT-RSS teams to shape account-specific growth programs.

Build annual revenue, share, and gross margin plans for the account, ensuring alignment with BU and channel strategy.

Strategic Execution & Internal Orchestration:

Translate approved JBPs into clear execution charters for regional KAMs, tertiary retail teams, and cross-functional enablers.

Ensure strategic initiatives such as kitchen category expansion, shelf interventions, new category introductions, and assortment optimization are planned and supported.

Provide guidance to regional teams on execution priorities, program design interpretation, and escalations that impact strategic outcomes.

Govern the quality and timeliness of JBP milestones, category rollouts, and account expansion initiatives.

Ensure accurate demand planning inputs for S&OP through strategic forecasting and mix direction.

Customer & Relationship Management:

Serve as the strategic point of contact for top priority accounts for this role, building long-term relationships that support mutual growth.

Partner with customer category heads, merchandising teams, and business directors to co-create growth interventions and structured reviews.

Lead strategic negotiations on annual terms, category foundations, multi-category penetration, and long-term commercial constructs.

Strengthen account engagement through structured governance - monthly reviews, quarterly business reviews, and annual planning conversations.

Ensure customer priorities and insights feed into internal channel, category, and product planning.

Sell-Out Strategy & Category Expansion:

Oversee national sell-out performance for the account, ensuring alignment with regional tertiary execution teams.

Steer category and SKU-level assortment strategy based on account performance trends, consumer insights, and competitive benchmarking.

Identify and plan ISP deployment needs for store clusters where sell-out uplift potential is high.

Review account-wise sell-out diagnostics, lift from programs/promotions, and kitchen funnel expansion opportunities.

Ensure kitchen appliances presence grows across stores and categories through structured expansion plans and JBP levers.

Deliver account-level P&L outcomes - gross margin, price realization, mix improvement, and profitability milestones.

Maintain pricing discipline through adherence to channel ASPs, discount architecture, and guardrails.

Track and govern program investments, promo efficiency, and ROI to drive profitable growth.

Ensure overall commercial hygiene - data integrity, credit governance alignment, and compliance with internal policies.

Lead structured post-program evaluations to refine ROI and improve future investments.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

Minimum experience and qualification

7-12 years of experience in Modern Trade / Key Account Management within FMCG / FMEG / Consumer Durables.

Proven track record in driving national / multi-regional account growth.

Strong commercial acumen, negotiation, and analytical skills.

MBA preferred; familiarity with data tools (Power BI, CRM) an advantage.