Head of Sales

Job title : Head of Sales

Key Responsibilities
Sales Strategy and Target Delivery:

• Develop and execute annual, quarterly and monthly sales plans aligned with the company's revenue, lodgement, profitability and market-growth objectives.
• Translate company targets into clear regional, territory, account, product and individual targets, with defined timelines and ownership.
• Monitor daily, weekly and monthly performance and lead corrective action where results are below plan.
• Drive balanced growth across core products, priority brands, new launches and strategic customer segments.

Lodgement Credit and Debt Management:

• Own sales-team lodgement performance and ensure that sales are converted into cash within agreed timelines.
• Work with Finance to review customer balances, debt ageing, credit exposure and collection commitments every week.
• Enforce approved credit limits, payment terms, pricing and discount policies, and prevent unauthorised credit or commercial concessions.
• Establish recovery plans for overdue accounts and hold Regional Managers and sales representatives accountable for execution.

Distributor and Key Account Management:

• Develop account plans for major distributors, pharmacy chains, hospitals and other strategic customers.
• Lead negotiations within approved commercial parameters and maintain productive senior-level relationships with key customers.
• Monitor distributor inventory, sell-through, reorder cycles, outstanding balances and account profitability.
• Reactivate dormant accounts, improve underperforming accounts and identify new channels and institutional opportunities.

Field Execution and Market Development:

• Maintain a consistent field presence through joint calls, territory visits and structured regional performance reviews.
• Ensure effective customer coverage, product detailing, order conversion, merchandising and follow-up across all territories.
• Review territory potential, route-to-market effectiveness, manpower deployment and coverage gaps, and recommend changes where required.
• Gather and report competitor activity, pricing changes, customer objections and market opportunities, with clear recommended actions.

People Leadership and Performance Management:

• Lead, coach and develop Regional Managers and the wider sales team, setting clear standards for accountability and execution.
• Identify capability gaps and work with Human Resources and Marketing to deliver relevant training and coaching. • Recommend recruitment, confirmation, promotion, redeployment or exit decisions based on documented performance and business needs.

Forecasting Reporting and Cross Functional Collaboration:

• Produce reliable SKU, territory and customer forecasts and work with Operations to support availability while limiting excess inventory, expiries and lost sales.
• Provide accurate and timely sales, lodgement, debt, pipeline and market-intelligence reports to Management.
• Partner with Marketing on product campaigns, launch plans, customer education and demand-generation activities, with measurable sales outcomes.
• Work closely with Finance, Operations and Human Resources to resolve commercial, supply, collection and people issues.
• Ensure all sales activities comply with company policies and applicable pharmaceutical and promotional regulations.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Management or another relevant discipline. A postgraduate qualification or recognised commercial certification is an advantage.
• Minimum of eight years' progressive sales experience in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, healthcare or closely related industry.
• At least three to five years' experience leading a multi-regional sales team, including direct management of sales managers.
• Demonstrated success in delivering sales and collection targets, managing distributors and key accounts, controlling credit exposure and improving underperforming territories.
• Strong working knowledge of the Nigerian pharmaceutical and healthcare market, route-to-market structures and institutional sales channels.
• Proficiency in sales reporting, forecasting, spreadsheets, presentation tools and performance-management systems