Field Sales Manager

Job title : Field Sales Manager

Key Responsibilities

Field Sales Strategy & Execution

• Develop and implement Rubi Pharma's field sales strategy in alignment with the Company's commercial objectives.
• Develop appropriate territory coverage and sales plans across different geographical locations in Nigeria.
• Identify priority markets, customer segments and geographical areas for field-sales expansion.
• Establish clear sales targets, activity expectations and performance standards for Field Sales Officers.
• Monitor field-sales performance against agreed revenue, volume, customer acquisition, activity and other relevant KPIs.
• Identify gaps in territory coverage and recommend appropriate deployment or redistribution of field personnel.
• Work closely with Management to develop strategies for increasing market penetration and customer acquisition.

Field Sales Force Recruitment & Workforce Planning

• Assess the Company's field-sales manpower requirements across different locations and territories.
• Develop and maintain a pipeline of suitable pharmaceutical field-sales candidates.
• Proactively source candidates through professional networks, industry contacts, referrals, recruitment platforms and other appropriate channels.
• Participate actively in the screening, interviewing and selection of Field Sales Officers.
• Evaluate candidates based not only on sales experience but also on territory knowledge, customer relationships, commercial drive, communication skills, resilience and suitability for field-based work.
• Build a reliable talent pipeline to support the Company's expansion into new locations.
• Provide Management with recommendations on recruitment requirements and candidate suitability.
• Maintain relationships with experienced pharmaceutical sales professionals who may be suitable for future opportunities.

Onboarding & Training

• Develop and implement a structured onboarding programme for newly recruited Field Sales Officers.
• Ensure new hires understand Rubi Pharma's products, value proposition, sales process, customer segments, systems, reporting requirements and performance expectations.
• Provide practical training on pharmaceutical field-sales techniques, territory management, customer engagement and sales conversion.
• Conduct or coordinate field accompaniment/shadowing for new officers during their initial period.
• Establish appropriate onboarding milestones and assess new officers against them.
• Identify capability gaps and organise targeted coaching and training interventions.
• Ensure every new Field Sales Officer is adequately prepared before being assigned independent territory responsibility.

Team Leadership & Field Supervision

• Lead, supervise and support Field Sales Officers across assigned locations.
• Establish regular communication and reporting structures for the field team.
• Conduct periodic field visits and ride-alongs to observe sales activities and provide practical coaching.
• Review call plans, customer visits, territory coverage and sales activities.
• Coach team members on customer acquisition, relationship management, negotiation and closing techniques.
• Ensure Field Sales Officers maintain appropriate levels of customer engagement and territory coverage.
• Create a culture of accountability, professionalism, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for field-sales operational challenges.

Performance Management

• Establish clear KPIs and performance expectations for Field Sales Officers.
• Monitor individual and team performance through regular reviews and field reports.
• Identify underperformance early and implement appropriate coaching and performance improvement measures.
• Recognise and recommend high-performing employees for incentives, increased responsibility or career progression.
• Conduct regular performance reviews in collaboration with HR and Management.
• Make recommendations regarding confirmation, continued engagement, reassignment or replacement of field personnel based on performance and business requirements.
• Analyse attrition trends and identify factors contributing to employee turnover.

Retention & Team Engagement

• Develop practical strategies to improve the retention of Field Sales Officers.
• Maintain regular communication with field personnel to understand challenges affecting performance, motivation and retention.
• Identify recurring operational, compensation, workload, territory or management issues contributing to turnover.
• Recommend improvements to Management to strengthen employee engagement and field-sales retention.
• Build a supportive and performance-oriented field-sales culture.
• Ensure high-performing field personnel have clear expectations, appropriate recognition and opportunities for growth.

Market Intelligence & Customer Development

• Maintain strong knowledge of the pharmaceutical distribution landscape across assigned territories.
• Gather market intelligence on customer needs, competitor activity, pricing, product availability and market trends.
• Identify new business opportunities and potential customer segments.
• Develop relationships with key pharmacies, hospitals, wholesalers, distributors and other relevant healthcare stakeholders.
• Provide Management with regular insights from the field to support commercial decision-making.
• Identify barriers affecting product adoption, customer acquisition and sales growth.

Reporting & Sales Analytics

• Establish and maintain effective field-sales reporting systems.
• Review daily, weekly and monthly sales and activity reports.
• Track sales performance, customer acquisition, territory coverage, conversion and other agreed KPIs.
• Analyse field-sales data to identify trends, performance gaps and opportunities.
• Prepare regular reports for the CEO and Management.
• Use sales data to inform recruitment, territory allocation and workforce planning.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the CEO and Management on commercial strategy and field-sales expansion.
• Collaborate with HR on recruitment, onboarding, performance management, employee relations and retention.
• Work with Operations and Logistics to resolve customer fulfillment issues affecting field-sales performance.
• Collaborate with Finance and other relevant teams on sales processes, collections and commercial reporting where applicable.
• Ensure field-sales activities remain aligned with Rubi Pharma's operational capabilities and customer commitments.

Candidate Profile:

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years' relevant experience in pharmaceutical sales, with substantial experience in field sales leadership or supervision.
• Demonstrable experience managing or supervising Medical/Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives.
• Strong knowledge of pharmaceutical sales channels and customer networks.
• Experience recruiting, training and onboarding field-sales personnel.
• Experience managing geographically dispersed sales teams.
• A proven track record of achieving sales targets.
• Strong understanding of territory planning and field-force management.
• Existing industry relationships that can support recruitment and market expansion