Chief Sales Officer

About the Role

Chief Sales Officer at Merino Group

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy & Planning

• Develop the 3-year sales strategy and annual operating plan (region, channel, segment, and SKU-wise) in alignment with business and brand strategy.

• Set regional and channel targets, sales policies, pricing corridors, and scheme architecture with Finance and Marketing.

• Identify growth levers: new geographies, tier 2/3/4 town penetration, premium-range expansion, projects, and export markets.

• Revenue, Channel & Market Development

• Drive achievement of sales, volume, and margin targets across dealers, distributors, projects, OEM/institutional, and export channels.

• Build and manage the dealer and distributor network: appointment, performance reviews, rationalization, and retention of key partners.

• Lead architect, designer, builder, and contractor engagement to build specification-led demand.

• Manage key accounts, large project orders, and strategic customer relationships personally at a senior level.

• Sales Operations

• Oversee SKU assortment, pricing margin strategies, field marketing, and BTL initiatives for Laminate in coordination with category heads and sales excellence.

• Ensure effective allocation and utilization of the BTL marketing budget allocated to sales teams (Activations, Merchandising, Trade Promotions, etc.).

• Drive execution of new product launches in coordination with the category head and product manager.

• Define targets and KPIs for the categories in coordination with category and sales excellence heads.

• Coordinate with Supply Chain to ensure smooth flow of goods & collaterals; help in establishing automated processes as well as checks & balances.

• Support R&D and NPD departments in new product ideation and development based on market insights and knowledge.

• Key Account Management

• Provide strategic oversight to the management of a portfolio of key accounts, allocating time & resources as appropriate to maximize profitability.

• Oversee preparation of sales plans and strategy for targeted key accounts based on market/business intelligence.

• Develop pricing/promotional strategies for key accounts in coordination with category heads and the sales excellence team.

• Ensure prompt response and resolution of customer grievances and concerns.

• Oversee benchmarking and evaluation of new potential key accounts and opportunities observed in the market/competitive environment.

• Ensure strong referrals from existing key accounts.

• Support the development of effective sales presentations and pitches in coordination with the design and marketing team for account conversion, onboarding, and retention.

• Commercial Discipline

• Own pricing, discount, and scheme governance to protect realization and margin.

• Ensure credit control, collections, and working-capital targets are met in partnership with Finance.

• Maintain accurate sales forecasts and coordinate with Supply Chain and Plants on demand planning, availability, and service levels.

• Marketing & Product Alignment

• Partner with Marketing on new design launches, collections, sampling, display units, brand campaigns, and dealer engagement programs.

• Provide structured market, competitor, and customer feedback to shape product range, pricing, and brand investments.

• Co-own joint sales and marketing KPIs, including lead conversion and launch-to-sales ramp.

• People & Organisation

• Build a high-performance sales organization: structure, hiring, onboarding, capability building, performance management, and succession.

• Develop internal successors for National Sales Head and Regional Sales Manager roles to reduce key-role dependency.

• Institutionalize sales processes, CRM/DMS usage, and a regular review rhythm (weekly, monthly, quarterly).

• Governance & Reporting

• Present sales performance, pipeline, and risk reviews to the CMD/Board.

• Ensure compliance with company policies, statutory requirements, and the code of conduct across the sales organization.

• Sales IT Tools

• Ensure design and roll-out of digital initiatives including successful execution, maximum adoption, and training of Sales Officer apps in coordination with the Sales Excellence Head.

• Ensure training to all stakeholders to improve IT capability.

• Oversee identification of opportunities and implementation of initiatives to improve current sales IT.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Sales Strategy
• Annual Operating Plan
• Channel Management
• Segment Management
• SKU Management
• Pricing Strategy
• Scheme Architecture
• Revenue Growth
• Volume & Margin Targets
• Dealer Network Management
• Distributor Network Management
• Project Sales
• OEM/Institutional Sales
• Export Market Development
• Key Account Management
• Customer Relationship Management
• Sales Operations
• BTL Marketing
• Product Launches
• KPI Definition
• Supply Chain Coordination
• New Product Development (NPD) Input
• Commercial Discipline
• Credit Control
• Working Capital Management
• Sales Forecasting
• Demand Planning
• Service Levels
• Marketing Alignment
• Brand Campaigns
• Sales & Marketing KPIs
• Lead Conversion
• Sales Organization Building
• Hiring & Onboarding
• Capability Building
• Performance Management
• Succession Planning
• Sales Process Institutionalization
• CRM/DMS Usage
• Sales Performance Reporting
• Compliance
• Digital Initiatives
• Sales Officer Apps
• IT Capability Improvement