Assistant Vice President/General Manager - API Sales & Business Development - Pharma

Position Type: Leadership

Career Function: Sales & Business Development - Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API)

Location: Corporate Office, Hyderabad

1. Overview:

The AVP/GM - API Sales & Business Development will lead the API business with end-to-end responsibility for revenue growth, profitability, market expansion, customer success and overall P&L. The role will drive business strategy, commercial excellence, product portfolio development and cross-functional collaboration with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, R&D, Regulatory and Finance.

2. Key Responsibilities:

1. Business Strategy & P&L Ownership:

- Formulate and execute business strategies to achieve top-line and bottom-line targets for the API division.

- Drive market intelligence, competitive benchmarking, and portfolio positioning to expand market share and enhance product profitability.

- Define business plans and annual operating budgets with clear financial and operational goals.

- Lead pricing strategy, margin optimization, and product mix management to maximize profitability.

2. Product Portfolio:

- Lead as the anchor point for Product Portfolio Committee to ensure that PPC has adequate pipeline of new products.

- Act as trouble shooter by liaising & coordinating with stakeholders to navigate through decision making under uncertainties.

3. Revenue Generation & Realization:

- Ensure consistent revenue growth through strategic account management, new business acquisition, and expansion into new geographies and customer segments.

- Oversee end-to-end commercial operations from order booking to revenue realization, ensuring working capital efficiency and collection discipline.

- Collaborate with finance and credit control teams to maintain high-quality receivables and minimal overdue positions.

4. Business Development & Market Expansion:

- Identify, evaluate, and secure new business opportunities in domestic and export markets for API.

- Establish partnerships, distribution networks, and alliances with strategic customers and industry players.

- Drive product innovation and new applications in collaboration with R&D and technical services teams.

- Represent the business at key industry forums, trade fairs, and strategic customer interactions.

5. Cost of Sales & Operational Efficiency:

- Monitor and optimize the cost of sales through efficient demand planning, cost control, and margin management.

- Collaborate closely with manufacturing, supply chain, and quality teams to ensure on-time delivery, consistent product quality, and fulfillment of customer commitments.

- Implement performance dashboards and process improvement initiatives to enhance business efficiency and service excellence.

6. Client Relationship & Stakeholder Management:

- Build and nurture long-term relationships with key customers, distributors, and business partners.

- Ensure proactive customer engagement, solution-based selling, and high levels of satisfaction and retention.

- Partner with internal stakeholders manufacturing, R&D, regulatory, and logistics to deliver superior customer value and reliability.

7. People Leadership & Sales Team Effectiveness:

- Lead, develop, and motivate the sales and business development teams towards achieving strategic objectives and performance excellence.

- Define performance standards, incentive structures, and recognition mechanisms to drive accountability and motivation.

- Build sales capability through coaching, skill enhancement, and competency development.

- Drive retention and engagement of high-performing talent, fostering a culture of achievement and collaboration.

Performance Indicators:

- Revenue Growth: YoY revenue increase %, New customer acquisitions, Market share gain

- Profitability: EBITDA %, Contribution margin, Cost of sales optimization %, Pricing discipline

- Revenue Realization: Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), Cash collection efficiency %, Bad debt ratio

- Customer Success: On-time delivery %, Customer satisfaction score (CSAT), Repeat business ratio

- Business Development: Number of new product applications, new markets/clients added, Strategic partnerships formed

- Operational Collaboration: Order fulfillment TAT, Forecast accuracy %, Inventory turnover ratio

- People & Team Metrics: Sales productivity per person, Attrition %, Employee engagement/motivation index, Training hours per employee

- Strategic Value Creation: P&L achievement vs target, Value-added contribution to group profitability

Qualifications & Experience:

- Education: Graduate in Science / Pharmacy / Engineering with MBA in Marketing or General Management from a reputed institute.

- Experience: Minimum 15 - 25 years in B2B sales, marketing, or business leadership roles within pharmaceutical excipients, food ingredients, nutraceuticals, or specialty chemicals industries.

- Proven track record in managing P&L, scaling business operations, and leading large, geographically dispersed sales teams.

- Experience in working with manufacturing, SCM, and R&D interfaces.

Must Have Attributes:

- Strong business acumen with strategic orientation and execution rigor.

- Deep understanding of excipient and ingredient markets, customer ecosystems, and application knowledge.

- Demonstrated leadership in managing P&L, pricing, and margin delivery.

- Relationship builder with strong influencing, negotiation, and stakeholder management capabilities.

- Analytical thinker with comfort in data-driven decision-making and forecasting.

Desirable Attributes:

- Exposure to international markets and export business development.

- Experience in digital sales enablement tools and CRM systems.

- Entrepreneurial mindset with high ownership and agility.

- Strong people leader who inspires trust, collaboration, and performance excellence.