Assistant Manager Sales - Personal & Home Care

Job Purpose

To drive profitable growth of the Personal Care specialty ingredients portfolio by developing new B2B customers, expanding strategic accounts, commercializing innovative ingredients and providing solution-led support to cosmetic manufacturers, brands and formulators across India. The role requires strong technical understanding, disciplined opportunity management and effective coordination with customers, principals and internal teams.

Key Responsibilities

1. Sales & Business Development

• Achieve annual revenue, gross margin and volume targets for the assigned Personal Care ingredients portfolio.
• Identify and develop new opportunities with cosmetic manufacturers, contract manufacturers, emerging brands and established B2B accounts.
• Develop new markets, customer segments, geographies and application areas for the Personal Care ingredients portfolio through structured market mapping, prospecting and lead conversion.
• Map target customers, applications and decision-makers, and maintain a healthy opportunity pipeline.
• Drive product approvals, trials, commercial negotiations and conversion from sample to repeat business.

2. Technical & Consultative Selling

• Understand customer formulation requirements and recommend suitable ingredients and value-added solutions.
• Present product benefits, application data, claims, technical documentation and formulation concepts to customer R&D, purchase, marketing, quality and management teams.
• Coordinate samples, laboratory trials, technical meetings, troubleshooting and project follow-up with application and technical teams.
• Maintain working knowledge of actives, emulsifiers, surfactants, rheology modifiers, emollients, preservatives, polymers, silicones, UV filters, fragrances and other specialty ingredients used in skin care, hair care, colour cosmetics, sun care and toiletries.

3. Key Account Management

• Build strong, long-term relationships with existing customers and increase wallet share through cross-selling and new-product introductions.
• Prepare account plans, customer forecasts and visit schedules for priority accounts.
• Lead techno-commercial discussions and negotiate pricing, volume commitments, payment terms, delivery conditions and contracts to secure profitable business while protecting contribution margins and maintaining strong customer relationships.
• Coordinate customer complaints, documentation, supply issues, receivables and service requirements with relevant internal teams.

4. Principal & Portfolio Development

• Promote assigned global and local principal portfolios in line with agreed business plans.
• Share forecasts, market feedback, customer project updates and competitor intelligence with principals.
• Support new product launches, principal visits, customer seminars and joint development projects.
• Identify gaps in the portfolio and recommend innovative suppliers, technologies and ingredients aligned with market needs.

5. Market Intelligence & Industry Representation

• Track market trends, competitor activity, regulatory developments, sustainability requirements and emerging formulation concepts.
• Plan and participate in relevant trade shows, conferences, seminars and customer events; represent the company and its principals professionally, demonstrate the portfolio, engage target accounts and generate qualified business leads.
• Record all event leads promptly in the BRM, classify them by potential and application, assign clear next actions, conduct timely follow-up and progress qualified opportunities through samples, trials, quotations, negotiations and commercial conversion.

6. Planning, Systems & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Maintain accurate CRM/BRM records for visits, calls, samples, quotations, projects and business opportunities.
• Update the BRM regularly with complete customer interactions, new leads, project stages, samples, quotations, expected value, probability, next actions and closure status.
• Prepare monthly forecasts, sales reviews, pipeline reports and market updates.
• Submit timely weekly and monthly reports covering sales performance, customer visits, new-customer development, new-market initiatives, project pipeline, forecasts, competitive activity and agreed action plans.
• Ensure close internal coordination with Supply Chain, Customer Service, Finance, Quality, Regulatory, Marketing, Technical and Application teams for samples, quotations, documentation, inventory planning, order fulfilment, customer support and timely project execution.
• Follow company policies, quality procedures and applicable regulatory requirements.

Candidate Profile

Education

• B.E./B.Tech in Chemical Engineering, B.Tech Cosmetics, B.Pharm/M.Pharm, B.Sc./M.Sc. Chemistry, Biotechnology or a related scientific discipline.
• MBA in Marketing or Business Management will be an advantage.

Experience

• Minimum 5–7 years of B2B technical sales, business development or key account experience in Personal Care ingredients or specialty chemicals.
• Experience with cosmetic manufacturers, brands, formulators and contract manufacturers across India.
• Exposure to specialty chemical distribution and global/local principal management is preferred.

Core Competencies

• Strong technical selling and application-oriented problem-solving ability.
• Customer acquisition, account development and opportunity conversion.
• Strong negotiation capability, commercial acumen, pricing discipline and margin management.
• Clear presentations and effective communication with technical and commercial stakeholders.
• Strong planning, reporting, analytical and CRM discipline.
• Self-driven, entrepreneurial and collaborative approach with willingness to travel extensively.