NATIONAL SALES MANAGER

The company is seeking to hire a results-oriented National Sales Manager (NSM) who will be responsible for developing and executing the national sales strategy to drive revenue growth, market penetration, and profitability across all regions. The role provides strategic and operational leadership to regional and area sales teams, ensuring effective route-to-market execution, distributor management, and achievement of sales targets in line with the company’s commercial objectives, under the direction of the General Manager, Sales.

 
Key Responsibilities

• Sales Strategy & Execution:
•   Develop and implement the national sales strategy aligned with overall business goals.
•   Translate annual business plans into clear sales targets, KPIs, and execution plans across regions.
•   Drive volume, value, and market share growth across all product categories.

          Team Leadership & Performance Management:

•   Lead, coach, and manage Regional Sales Managers, Area Sales Managers, and field sales teams.
•   Set performance expectations, conduct reviews, and build a high-performance sales culture.
•   Identify capability gaps and oversee training and development initiatives. 

           Channel & Distributor Management:

•   Oversee distributor appointment, performance, compliance, and profitability nationwide.
•   Strengthen route-to-market efficiency across general trade, modern trade, key accounts, and wholesale channels.
•   Ensure effective coverage, availability, visibility, and execution standards in all territories.

           Customer & Trade Management:

•   Build and maintain strong relationships with key distributors, wholesalers, and strategic customers
•   Lead national trade negotiations, pricing structures, and promotional frameworks.
•   Ensure effective trade marketing execution in collaboration with the marketing team.

           Forecasting, Budgeting & Reporting:

•   Lead sales forecasting, budgeting, and demand planning processes.
•   Monitor sales performance, analyze trends, and provide timely management reports.
•   Manage sales budgets, discounts, and trade spends effectively.

           Cross-Functional Collaboration:

•   Work closely with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Operations to ensure seamless execution.
•   Provide market intelligence and competitive insights to support strategy.

Requirements

• Qualifications & Experience:
•   Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, or a related field.
•   MBA or relevant professional certification is an added advantage.
•   10–15 years’ FMCG sales experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
•   Proven experience managing nationwide sales operations and large teams.

• Skills & Competencies:
•   Strong strategic thinking and commercial acumen.
•   Excellent leadership, coaching, and people management skills.
•   Strong understanding of the Nigerian FMCG market.
•   Excellent negotiation, analytical, and decision-making abilities.
•   High integrity, resilience, and results orientation.

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
•   Achievement of national sales targets (volume, value, and market share).
•   Distributor performance and coverage efficiency.
•   Sales team productivity and capability development.
•   Trade spend effectiveness and budget control.
•   Forecast accuracy and stock availability.