Assistant Key Account Manager

Kao (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd; Petaling Jaya; On-site; MYR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Kao Malaysia Sdn Bhd in Petaling Jaya is seeking a proactive Key Account Manager to manage day-to-day relationships with assigned pharmacy accounts within the FMCG portfolio. You will help execute agreed business plans and drive sales performance.

You will monitor sales, plan promotions, support NPD listing, coordinate with Supply Chain and Marketing, and build strong cross-functional relationships to optimise assortment, visibility, and overall profitability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in Key Account Management within the FMCG industry.
• Experience handling major pharmacy accounts is preferred.
• Strong analytical and commercial mindset with good understanding of sales performance and trade activities.
• Good planning, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Proactive, self-motivated and results-oriented with a strong willingness to learn.
• Able to work effectively with cross-functional teams and manage multiple priorities.
• Possess own transport and willing to travel as required.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day relationships with assigned pharmacy accounts and execute agreed business plans.
• Monitor monthly and YTD sales performance against budget, identify gaps and support corrective actions.
• Prepare regular business reviews, sales updates, forecasts and account presentations.
• Assist in development and implementation of annual Joint Business Plans and account strategies.
• Drive incremental sales through promotions, launches, displays and seasonal activities.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain to ensure product availability and minimise OOS issues.
• Build and maintain relationships with pharmacy buyers and relevant customer stakeholders.
• Support new product listing and launch execution, ensuring timely information and documentation.
• Monitor assortment, store coverage and SKU productivity and identify optimization opportunities.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Trade Marketing, Regulatory, Supply Chain and other teams to support smooth execution of customer initiatives.

Skills

Key Account Management

Analytical mindset

Sales analysis

Communication

Presentation skills

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or Marketing

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Office

Job description

This is a Key Account Management role within the FMCG industry, focused on supporting the management of day-to-day business relationships with assigned pharmacy accounts and ensuring smooth communication and execution of agreed business plans. The role encompasses account and business management, sales and commercial profitability management, customer relationship management, new product development and listing management, promotion and in-store execution, forecasting and inventory management, business analysis, and cross-functional collaboration.

Key responsibilities :

1) Account & Business Management

Support the management of day-to-day business relationships with assigned pharmacy accounts and ensure smooth communication and execution of agreed business plans.

Monitor monthly and YTD sales performance against budget, target and previous year, identify performance gaps and support corrective actions.

Support the preparation of regular business reviews, sales updates, forecasts and account presentations.

Assist in the development and implementation of annual Joint Business Plans (JBP) and account strategies.

Identify opportunities to drive incremental sales and business growth within assigned accounts.

2) Sales, Commercial & Profitability Management

Support sales achievement through effective planning and execution of promotions, product launches, displays and seasonal activities.

Monitor sell-in, sell-out, stock levels and key SKU performance, highlighting risks such as out-of-stock, slow-moving products and underperformance.

Work closely with Supply Chain and Customer Service to support product availability and minimise OOS issues.

Identify opportunities for additional orders, secondary displays and incremental business.

Monitor promotional spending and trade investment, and support analysis of promotional effectiveness and ROI.

3) Customer Relationship Management

Build and maintain effective working relationships with pharmacy buyers and relevant customer stakeholders.

Support commercial discussions and negotiations relating to promotional mechanics, trading terms, displays, launches, assortment and incremental visibility.

Prepare commercial proposals and supporting data for customer discussions.

Understand customer priorities and support the development of proposals aligned with both customer and company objectives.

Follow up on customer enquiries and issues, coordinating with internal teams to ensure timely resolution.

4) NPD, Listing & Assortment Management

Support new product listing and launch execution, ensuring required information and documentation are submitted accurately and on time.

Coordinate with Marketing, Trade Marketing, Regulatory, Supply Chain and other functions to support smooth NPD execution.

Follow up with customers to ensure product listings are completed and products are available for launch.

Monitor assortment, distribution, store coverage and SKU productivity.

Identify opportunities to improve distribution and productivity of existing listings.

Support recommendations for underperforming SKUs and assortment optimisation.

Support promotional planning and execution, including promotion mechanics, ordering, displays, GWP and other activation activities.

Identify opportunities for additional visibility, secondary displays and incremental activations.

Work closely with Trade Marketing to support POSM and in-store execution.

Monitor online and offline sales performance and identify opportunities to support omnichannel growth.

Coordinate with customers and internal Digital/E-commerce teams on online launches, promotions, product content and digital visibility.

6) Forecasting, Supply & Inventory Management

Support the development and maintenance of accurate sales forecasts based on historical trends, promotional plans, NPD launches and customer requirements.

Work closely with Supply Chain to align demand forecasts with inventory and supply plans.

Monitor inventory levels and product availability and flag potential overstock, understock and supply risks.

Support regular forecast reviews and recommend adjustments based on actual performance and market developments.

7) Business Analysis & JBP

Analyse sales performance by brand, SKU, promotion and activity to identify growth opportunities and key performance drivers.

Prepare monthly and quarterly business updates and provide insights on key sales drivers, gaps and opportunities.

Use customer, category and market information to support recommendations on assortment, promotion, display and investment.

Support the development and tracking of annual Joint Business Plans, including sales targets, category priorities, NPD pipeline, promotional calendar and visibility plans.

Translate business data and customer insights into actionable recommendations for account growth.

8) Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with Marketing, Trade Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Customer Service, Regulatory and Sales Operations to ensure smooth execution of customer initiatives.

Coordinate internal alignment on key launches, promotions, forecasts and customer requirements.

Ensure customer requirements, timelines and deliverables are clearly communicated to relevant stakeholders.

Follow up across functions to ensure agreed actions are completed within the required timelines.

Escalate key business risks and support timely resolution.

About you :

Bachelor's Degree or higher in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field

Minimum 3 years of experience in Key Account Management within the FMCG industry

Experience handling major pharmacy accounts is preferred

Strong analytical and commercial mindset with good understanding of sales performance and trade activities

Good planning, organisational and problem-solving skills

Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills

Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint

Proactive, self-motivated and results-oriented with a strong willingness to learn

Able to work effectively with cross-functional teams and manage multiple priorities

Possess own transport and willing to travel as required

Our mission is to strive for the wholehearted satisfaction and enrichment of the lives of people globally and to contribute to the sustainability of the world, with products and brands of excellent value that are created from the consumer’s and customer’s perspective. This commitment is embraced by all members of the Kao Group as we work together with passion to share joy with consumers and customers in our core domains of cleanliness, beauty and health.