Job Description – Growth Manager Modern Trade

Location: Mumbai

Experience: 4–8 Years

About the Role

We are looking for a proactive and analytical Growth Manager Modern Trade to manage and grow relationships with key modern trade accounts. The ideal candidate will have experience in FMCG/D2C brands, strong account management capabilities, excellent negotiation skills, and a data-driven approach to driving business growth. This role requires someone who is process-oriented, commercially sound, and capable of collaborating with cross-functional teams to achieve sales objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end relationships with key Modern Trade accounts to drive sales, visibility, and business growth.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with buyers and category managers across modern trade partners.
• Develop joint business plans (JBPs) with key accounts and ensure timely execution of agreed initiatives.
• Monitor sales performance, secondary sales, stock availability, and forecast demand to achieve business targets.
• Analyze sales data, market trends, account performance, and shopper insights to identify growth opportunities.
• Track KPIs including sell-in, sell-out, inventory, promotions, and return on investment (ROI) of trade activities.
• Plan and execute promotional activities, product launches, visibility campaigns, and merchandising initiatives in coordination with internal teams.
• Negotiate commercial terms, promotional calendars, listing opportunities, and trade investments with key accounts.
• Coordinate closely with Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and Demand Planning teams to ensure seamless execution and account servicing.
• Ensure timely resolution of customer issues related to orders, replenishment, claims, deductions, and payments.
• Maintain accurate sales forecasts, account plans, and business reports while ensuring adherence to internal processes and compliance.
• Identify opportunities for range expansion, distribution improvement, and revenue growth across existing accounts.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong Key Account Management and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing abilities.
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret sales data and generate actionable insights.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Power Query preferred) and PowerPoint.
• Experience working with sales dashboards and business reporting tools.
• Strong process orientation with attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple accounts and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Commercial acumen with a solution-oriented approach.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA in Marketing, Sales, or Business Management (Preferred).
• 4-8 years of experience in Modern Trade/Key Account Management.
• Experience in FMCG, Personal Care, Beauty, Consumer Goods, Pharma or D2C brands.
• Hands-on experience managing large modern trade retailers such as DMart, Reliance Retail, HyperCity, Spencer's, Star Bazaar, Nature's Basket, or Health & Glow.
• Experience in business planning, promotional planning, trade marketing execution, and sales forecasting.

What We're Looking For

• Customer-centric and relationship-driven professional.
• Data-driven decision maker with strong business acumen.
• Self-starter who takes ownership and delivers results.
• Strong collaborator who can work effectively across Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance.
• Highly organized with a process-oriented mindset and execution excellence.