Zonal Business Excellence Manager (Sales Planning/Sales Effectiveness)

Position: Zonal Business Excellence Manager (Sales Planning/Sales Effectiveness) Location: Hyderabad / Vijayawada / Bengaluru Role Purpose This role is the primary commercial support to the Area Business Manager (ABM) and acts as the Area’s sales planning, forecasting, GTN, and performance aggregation engine . It enables the ABM by ensuring the Area has high‑quality, consolidated, and decision‑ready commercial intelligence .

It works closely with Zonal Business Managers to pull accurate bottom‑up inputs and ensure planning discipline, which are then synthesized into area-level insights that support ABM-led decisions. Core Accountabilities

1. Area‑Level Sales Planning & Consolidation (Primary Responsibility) Lead the consolidation of all zonal sales plans into a unified, coherent area-level sales plan . Ensure alignment of plans with CU strategy, area priorities, and national guardrails . Provide the ABM with decision-ready area planning summaries including risks, opportunities, and prioritization options.
2. Area‑Level Forecasting & Performance Outlook (Primary Responsibility) Integrate zonal forecasts to produce a single area-level forecast , highlighting risks and trends. Ensure zones adhere to forecasting discipline, timelines, and data quality. Prepare and present area-level forecast outlooks that enable ABM to take timely decisions. Highlight cross-zonal vulnerabilities (e.g. stock issues, slow movers, weather patterns) and prepare area-wide mitigation recommendations .
3. Area‑Level GTN Governance & Decision Enablement (Primary Responsibility) Aggregate all zonal GTN inputs (schemes, discounts, rebates, price-offs) into an area-level GTN view . Track GTN utilization at Zonal and Area level . Provide ABM with decision-ready GTN insights, including value leakage, utilization efficiency, and execution risks. Support ABM in area-led GTN trade-offs (e.g., inter-zone reallocation, scheme emphasis, focus Brand X SKU GTN needs). Ensure GTN discussions move from “zonal asks” to area-level prioritization .
4. Zonal Planning & Execution Discipline (Secondary Responsibility — Input Management) Work with ZBMs to ensure high-quality bottom‑up planning inputs , accurate forecasts and adherence to guardrails. Ensure planning, forecasting, and GTN processes are uniformly followed across zones. Identify zonal inconsistencies and bring them forward as area-level topics for ABM review. Strengthen territory planning quality through coaching and structured cadences with ZBMs and TBMs.
5. Area‑Level Performance Management & Cross‑Zonal Insights Prepare area-level performance review packs for ABM, integrating all zonal data into a single narrative. Distill zone‑wise performance into cross-zonal themes, structural challenges, and portfolio insights . Present area-wide drivers of performance, gaps, and recommended interventions to ABM. Ensure review cycles enable accountability, clarity, and timely decision-making .
6. Commercial Analytics & Decision Support For ABM Generate decision-ready analytics , including: Zonal productivity and coverage patterns Portfolio mix shifts at area level GTN effectiveness and return Provide ABM with clear options , not just data.
7. Process Discipline & Capability Building Enforce standard Sales Planning & Business Excellence processes across all zones in planning, forecasting, GTN, and performance management. Coach ZBMs/TBMs on forecasting, planning rigour, and data discipline. Build a culture of consistency, accountability, and evidence‑based decision-making across the area. Behavioral Expectations Operates with a service mindset toward the ABM , enabling area decisions with high-quality insights and structure. Influences through clarity, structure, and data, not through authority . Brings calm, disciplined execution to complex, multi-zone challenges. Maintains strong working relationships with ZBMs while ensuring the Area’s needs are met. Bias for closure, action, and follow-through .

Qualifications

& Experience Bachelor’s degree in business , Agriculture, Engineering, Economics ; MBA preferred. 8–12 years’ experience in Sales, Sales Planning, Commercial Excellence, or Business Planning roles in multi-territory sales organizations . Strong experience in aggregation, consolidation, and area‑level reporting or planning .

Hands-on experience in sales planning, forecasting, GTN, and commercial governance . High analytical capability; ability to turn complex zonal data into simplified, decision-ready area narratives . Prior experience in Agri-inputs, Crop Protection, Seeds, FMCG , or similar complex GTM environments preferred.