Country Manager – Kyrgyzstan (Branded Generic Pharmaceutical Company)

Position Profile

Job Purpose

This position will take the lead and act as the interface for Country Business with cross-functional partners at Head Office in all matters related to Trade & Commerce, including any changes/additions in distribution networks and/or their commercial terms, making financial assessments and decisions impacting commercial operations, ensuring that supply chain deliverables are being met as per the monthly sales plan and make timely interventions to identify and resolve any challenges that may potentially disrupt delivery of agreed results, and driving assessments and decision-making to respond proactively to changes in regulatory landscapes.

The person will lead and oversee the operations management of Country Business Team through the following responsibilities:

• Be proficient in establishing different ways of working to grow the business with optimization of internal processes, resources, and best practices
• Provide leadership direction to the country sales & marketing team in strategy to assess the market share & blue ocean opportunities
• Develop a strategic course for the assigned commercial organization aligned with the corporate organizational vision for the business
• Set the organizational culture that makes the environment conducive to collaboration & innovation. The position will also ensure that a high sense of synergy and a culture of business partnership is developed and sustained within the organization.
• Lead the business with data-driven plans and drive excellent execution to achieve business targets and generate substantial growth in all markets and product portfolios
• Ensure full compliance with local laws and regulations, providing proactive guidance on governance matters pertaining to operational and financial controls across all sales, distribution, and operating channels.

Responsibilities:

Sales & Distribution Management

• Create and develop effective and high-performing sales management and marketing organizations with performance management system, while providing leadership, guidance and support to ensure that team members are motivated and performing at their best.
• Design and implement a strategic business plan that expands company’s customer base and ensure its strong presence by increasing penetration and market share
• Monitor and manage the distributor and retail inventory levels that results in optimum inventory levels to avoid shortages and fully comply with the agreed inventory holding at the distributor and in-market
• Devise Brand Plan with clear ROI calculation for each marketing investment recommendation for Management approval
• Build and promote strong, long-lasting customer relationships by partnering with them and understanding their needs

• Protect and enhance the Company’s brand integrity and sales integrity ensuring that there is no cross-border infiltration or dumping by the company’s own sales management or the distributors
• Identify emerging markets and market shifts while being fully aware of new products and competition status. Carry out, and report in writing to the management, the Market Research and surveillance of products, promotional tools and budgets of competitors and prices of products in market and tenders

Statutory & Regulatory Reporting and Compliance

• Ensure that the company is in compliance with all local laws and regulations. Pro-actively advise on governance issues relating to operational and financial controls across the sales and distribution channels and all operating channels
• Ensure that the company's products comply with the regulations of the country
• Keep up to date with national and international legislation, guidelines and customer practices
• Monitor and set timelines for regulatory approvals in collaboration with the Regulatory Management team
• Negotiate with regulatory authorities for marketing authorizations
• Take part in the development of marketing concepts and approve packaging and advertising before a product's release.

Training & development of sales teams on selling skills, technical skills, work ethics, company policies & procedures, compliances and leadership

Reporting accurate and timely sales and distribution reports to the head office

• Yearly Sales and Expense budgets in the company’s format
• Brand Plan for strategic products along with promotional budgets
• Monthly/Quarterly/Half yearly and annual update reports on sales vs. budget, with crisp and meaningful commentary on variances, to the senior management of the company
• Future strategy and Plans for the country to the senior leadership of the company including Sales, Expenses, and margin including the overall P&L and Capital expenditure

Requirements:

• A mature leader of sales who has worked in progressively responsible positions in sales, marketing, distribution management, trade marketing, tender and institutional business. Must have worked as a General Manager Sales and Marketing with a progressive and growing company. Current position should be at a senior leadership team of the sales company. Could be at N-1 level, meaning that he is currently a direct report of the senior sales and marketing director, or commercial director of the company
• Must have had a profit and loss responsibility and be familiar with the key profitability ratios

• Must have hands on experience in managing a pharma sales team of a MNC or a generic pharmaceutical company

• Must have between 12 to 15 years of experience with a growth oriented and successful pharmaceutical company that was one of the highest growth companies in the country. Preference will be given to an individual who has worked both in a multinational (Innovator Company) and a generic company

• Must have had experience of both trade sales (market development) and tenders and public markets in the pharmaceutical industry. Must have worked at least for 10 years in marketing and sales of pharmaceutical products and at least 3 to 5 years in developing sales through tenders and public markets and/or in business development

• Must have worked in a generic or MNC pharmaceutical company/companies which are highly competitive in cost and service

• Must have good communications skills and have interacted with multicultural and cross functional teams in a global organization across a matrix environment
• Multi market and multi country experience would be considered an added advantage

• Must be very hard working. Must be willing to travel extensively if required

• Must be able to challenge performance and drive improvements from the senior management team, using business and financial knowledge to identify new value added opportunities and get business to engage and deliver

• Must have worked with a company and in a position where report writing is essential

• Strong interpersonal skills and collaborative team player demonstrated by creation of a network of key partners within sales, distributors, head office international sales management, finance and supply chain at head office level. Able to drive effective decision-making through proactive identification of issues and ensuring flow of information

Education & Languages

1. Preferably a Science Graduate. Master’s degree and/or complimenting business related degree would be an added advantage.
2. Must be a fluent in spoken and written English.