Head of Sales and Commercial Operations

Purpose of the Role:

The Head of Sales and Commercial Operations is responsible for leading the sales function across Malaysia, driving revenue growth, expanding market share, and ensuring the successful execution of commercial strategies in the vision care sector. This role involves managing a high-performing sales team, building strong relationships with customers and strategic key accounts in the optical market in Malaysia, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver business objectives. This role also serves as the primary operational partner to the General Manager, focusing on maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the sales force through data, process and systems management.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Sales Leadership

• Develop and execute national sales strategies aligned with corporate goals and market dynamics.
• Lead and manage the sales team, setting clear KPIs and performance targets.
• Identify new business opportunities and partnerships to expand market presence.

Team Management & Development

• Recruit, train, and mentor sales professionals to build a high-performing team.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and coaching sessions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and customer-centricity.

Customer & Channel Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers, distributors, and partners.
• Negotiate contracts, pricing, and promotional agreements.
• Ensure excellent customer service and satisfaction across all touchpoints.

Sales Operations & Forecasting

• Oversee sales forecasting, budgeting, pipeline management, demand planning and revenue recognition processes.
• Analyze sales data and market trends to inform decision-making.
• Executes plans and updates business performance on a regular basis. Plans product needs with timely input to the rolling forecast. Contribute self as a key member in the country management team and be actively involved in the annual operating budget cycle and the Long-Range Strategic Plan (LRSP).
• Collaborate with supply chain and finance teams to ensure product availability and revenue recognition.

Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis

• Monitor competitor activities and industry developments.
• Provide insights to support product launches, marketing campaigns, and pricing strategies.

Sales Force Effectiveness (SFE)

• Territory Management (S&T): Execute Sales & Territory (S&T) planning, including design, segmentation, and alignment of territories and accounts to maximize market coverage and reduce channel conflict.
• SFE Strategy & Metrics: Lead the design and tracking of Sales Force Effectiveness (SFE) metrics (e.g., call rates, pipeline velocity, rep productivity) to drive continuous improvement.
• Sales Incentives (SIP): Manage and administer the Sales Incentive Plan (SIP), including SIP metrics, target setting, calculation, and communication, ensuring timely, accurate, and motivating compensation payouts.
• Sales Execution: Translate the company strategy and associated marketing plans into actions for the sales teams.

Data, Analytics & CRM

• Reporting & Dashboards: Develop, automate, and maintain a robust suite of reports and dashboards for the sales teams and General Management, providing actionable insights into pipeline health, forecast accuracy, and overall commercial performance.
• CRM Ownership: Serve as the primary operational owner and administrator for the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Ensure data quality, system integrity, and high user adoption to establish the CRM as the single source of truth.

Contracts & Commercial Support

• Contracting Process: Support the customer contracting process by coordinating between Sales, Legal, and Finance. This includes managing the lifecycle of contracts, pricing documentation, and commercial terms for both:

• Independent Opticians: Streamline simple customer agreements and on-boarding.

• Key Accounts (Chains/Hospitals): Facilitate the negotiation and documentation of complex, strategic customer contracts.

• Pricing Operations:

• Manage the operational implementation of pricing structures and discount policies across all customer tiers (Independent Opticians and Key Accounts).

• Coordinate with Finance on price list management, ensuring accuracy, communication, and system integrity.
• Support ad-hoc pricing analysis requests to evaluate proposed deals and ensure alignment with company profitability goals.
• Compliance: Ensure all commercial processes, data handling, and contracts adhere to relevant industry regulations and company governance standards.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Business or related field;
• Minimum 8 years of experience in sales leadership, preferably in healthcare, medical devices, or vision care. Working in a B2B2C business environment will be highly recommended.
• Proven track record of achieving sales targets and leading successful teams.
• Strong understanding of the Malaysian healthcare and optical market.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Travel extensively within Malaysia to customer accounts and meetings.
• Travel required internationally whenever needed.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with ERP systems systems and sales data analytics tools (Excel, Power BI).
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements in medical or optical products.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with marketing, regulatory, and supply chain teams.