Overview:
Job Description
Role Title: Associate Director – Sales Capability
Level: L10
Function: Commercial / Sales
Location: Gurgaon, India
Role Purpose
Lead the design and execution of sales capability development across frontline sales teams to drive superior in-market execution and sustainable business growth. The role will blend structured capability building with hands-on field coaching to ensure translation of training into on-ground performance.
Success Metrics
- Improvement in frontline productivity and execution KPIs
- Capability adoption across regions
- Improvement in sales team effectiveness (CE/ASM capability scores)
- Measurable ROI from training interventions
Leadership Expectations
- Acts as a bridge between strategy and execution
- Leads by example through field immersion
- Builds a high-performance learning culture within sales teams
Responsibilities:
Key Responsibilities
1. Sales Capability Strategy & Program Design
- Develop a comprehensive capability-building roadmap for:
- Frontline Salesmen (FLS)
- Customer Executives (CEs)
- Area Sales Managers (ASMs)
- Identify capability gaps across markets, channels, and roles using performance data and field insights.
- Design functional training modules covering:
- Route-to-market execution
- Perfect store / outlet execution standards
- Sales fundamentals (coverage, distribution, visibility, productivity)
- Negotiation and influencing skills
- Distributor management
- Pace/ tech Usage
- WEC Adoption
- Ensure alignment of capability programs with business priorities and commercial strategy.
2. Training Delivery & Field Immersion
- Lead end-to-end rollout of training programs across regions.
- Institutionalize a “learn apply coach” model:
- Classroom/digital interventions
- On-the-job coaching in markets
- Spend significant time (~30–40%) in-market:
- Work alongside salesmen, CEs, and ASMs
- Demonstrate best practices
- Provide real-time coaching and feedback
- Build structured field coaching guidelines and playbooks.
3. Capability Building for Sales Leadership
- Design and deliver targeted programs for CEs and ASMs on:
- Team leadership and coaching effectiveness
- Performance management
- Territory planning and execution
- Enable ASMs to become strong capability multipliers through “train-the-trainer” approaches.
4. Measurement & Impact Tracking
- Develop metrics to track effectiveness of capability initiatives:
- Sales productivity improvement
- Numeric & weighted distribution gains
- Execution scores (visibility, availability)
- ROI of training interventions
- Establish feedback loops to continuously refine training content and delivery.
5. Content Development & Digital Enablement
- Create standardized, scalable training content (modules, playbooks, toolkits).
- Leverage digital platforms for training delivery and reinforcement (micro-learning, assessments).
- Partner with internal/external stakeholders to bring industry best practices into capability programs.
6. Stakeholder Management
- Work closely with:
- Sales leadership (ZSMs, RSMs)
- Commercial strategy teams
- HR / L&D teams
- Ensure strong buy-in and adoption of capability initiatives across regions.
7. Team Leadership
- Lead and develop 1 direct report.
- Guide execution of capability initiatives through the team and cross-functional collaboration.
Qualifications:
Qualifications & Experience
- MBA from a premier institute.
- ~8–14 years of experience in Sales / Commercial / Capability / L&D roles.
- Strong exposure to FMCG sales operations preferred.
- Prior field sales experience is highly desirable.
Key Skills & Competencies
- Deep understanding of FMCG sales processes & frontline realities
- Strong training design and facilitation capabilities
- Hands-on coaching mindset with field orientation
- Data-driven approach to performance improvement
- Stakeholder influencing & collaboration
- Leadership development and coaching skills
- High execution bias and ownership
