National Sales Manager

A growing FMCG business with a multi-category food and consumer products portfolio is seeking an experienced National Sales Manager to lead its national sales strategy and execution. The successful candidate will build an effective route to market, develop distributor and customer networks, lead field sales execution and deliver sustainable revenue growth while protecting margins and cash flow.

This is a build and scale role for a commercially minded leader who can establish systems, develop teams and translate business objectives into measurable sales targets.

Min Qualification:

HND

Experience Level:

Executive level

Experience Length:

12 years

Language Requirement:

English

Full Time

Working Hours:

8 to 5

Applicant Location:

Nigeria

Job descriptions & requirements

Key Accountabilities

• National Sales Strategy and Leadership:
• Develop national sales plans and budgets aligned with approved commercial objectives.
• Translate business growth goals into regional, state, territory, channel, customer and individual sales targets.
• Establish sales policies, territory structures, customer segmentation and performance routines.
• Lead business reviews and report on revenue, volume, margins, risks, opportunities and corrective actions.
• Build a performance culture based on measurable outcomes, coaching and accountability.
• Route to Market and Distribution:
• Design and improve national distribution strategies, including direct distribution, distributor-led coverage and hybrid models.
• Identify priority states, cities, trade clusters and customer segments for phased expansion.
• Recruit, onboard, develop and manage distributors, sub-distributors, wholesalers and strategic retailers.
• Establish distributor coverage plans, commercial terms and performance measures.
• Monitor stock levels, active outlets, order frequency, territory coverage and working capital exposure.
• Sales Team Management and Field Execution:
• Build and lead a high-performing national sales team as the business expands.
• Set clear sales targets, call plans, route plans, territory responsibilities and reporting routines.
• Conduct field visits, distributor reviews and coaching sessions.
• Monitor sales productivity, outlet coverage, order values and collection performance.
• Identify capability gaps and recommend training, incentives or performance interventions.
• Revenue, Pricing and Margin Management:
• Own national sales revenue and volume delivery against approved targets
• Maintain pricing discipline and prevent unauthorised discounts or inconsistent customer terms.
• Work with Finance and Marketing to monitor gross margins by product, channel, customer and territory.
• Evaluate promotions, rebates, discounts and trade investments based on commercial returns.
• Escalate material pricing, credit and commercial exceptions through approved procedures.
• Key Accounts and Customer Relationships:
• Build relationships with major wholesalers, modern trade chains, strategic retailers and institutional customers
• Develop account plans covering sales volume, value, margins, distribution, promotions, service levels and payment behaviour.
• Negotiate commercially sustainable terms while protecting pricing discipline and cash flow.
• Strengthen customer relationships through reliable service, product availability and execution.
• Forecasting, Supply Coordination and Collections:
• Own sales forecasts by category, product, territory, channel and major customers.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and Operations to align sales plans with production capacity, inventory and distribution constraints.
• Identify stock-out risks and support inventory prioritisation.
• Work with Finance to manage customer credit exposure, overdue balances and disputed invoices.
• Make collection follow-up part of the sales cycle and resolve issues delaying customer payments.
• Trade Execution and Reporting:
• Work with Marketing to implement merchandising, product visibility, sampling, activations and promotional standards.
• Monitor competitor pricing, pack sizes, promotions, product launches, and distribution.
• Establish reliable sales reporting using approved CRM, ERP, mobile sales tools, distributor reports, and spreadsheets as applicable.
• Maintain documentation for pricing approvals, customer onboarding, credit terms, promotions, returns, and sales transactions.
• Provide weekly sales reports, monthly business reviews, and forward-looking dashboards.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Work closely with Marketing, Product Development, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance and Human Resources to coordinate brand activation, product launches, demand forecasts, inventory, customer credit, workforce planning and sales performance.

Requirements

• Minimum of an HND in Marketing, Business Administration, Economics, Finance or a related discipline. A relevant postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• At least 12 years of progressive FMCG sales experience, including a minimum of five years leading substantial regional, multi-region or national sales operations.
• Experience in food, packaged goods or related FMCG categories is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience building or managing distributor networks, general trade, wholesalers and modern trade or key accounts.
• Proven ability to deliver significant revenue and distribution growth with clear accountability for commercial targets.
• Experience launching new products, entering new regions, or building distribution for developing brands is strongly preferred.
• Exposure to pricing, margins, credit, collections, trade spending, and sales force productivity.
• Strong understanding of Nigerian regional markets, trade structures, customer economics and route-to-market practices.
• Core Competencies:
• Commercial ownership and understanding of revenue quality, margins, working capital and cash conversion
• Execution discipline and ability to translate strategy into measurable field activity.
• Route-to-market and distributor economics expertise.
• Leadership, coaching, negotiation and relationship management.
• Analytical skills across sales data, forecasts, pricing, distribution metrics and dashboards.
• Practical problem-solving under pressure.
• Integrity, control awareness and sound commercial judgement.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to build systems and teams in a growing business.
• Compensation and Benefits:
• A competitive compensation package will be offered in line with experience and market benchmarks. The package may include a performance-based incentive linked to agreed commercial measures. Benefits and allowances will be communicated during the formal offer process.
• Lagos, Nigeria, with extensive national travel.
• Employment Type:
• Full-time.
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