Key Account Manager - Modern Trade

About us Homeline Products manufactures back-to-school and houseware articles under the Pratap brand — pencil and compass boxes, lunch boxes, kids’ water bottles, storage containers and stainless steel. We have manufactured from our own certified facility at Daman since 1999, hold character licences from Mattel for Barbie and Hot Wheels, and are ISO 9001:2015, SEDEX and BIS certified, with all products drop-tested and migration-tested by Cotecna. We supply seven national modern trade chains — our three largest are D-Mart, Vishal Mega Mart and Reliance Retail — are live on four quick commerce platforms, and export to retailers in over 23 countries. Modern trade is our fastest-growing channel and the one we are investing behind. This role is being created, not backfilled. Why this role exists We are already inside seven national chains but under-listed within most of them, and absent from a set of formats where our range clearly fits. The job is to close both gaps: sell more SKUs into the accounts we hold, and open the accounts we do not. This is a commercial ownership role, not an order-processing one. You will own the numbers for your accounts and be expected to defend them. What you will own Account development • Own a portfolio of national modern trade accounts end to end — assortment, pricing, promotions, visibility and the annual terms negotiation • Increase SKUs listed per chain and doors serviced per SKU; build and maintain the account-by-SKU distribution grid • Run joint business planning with each account: agreed volume, margin, promotional calendar and review rhythm • Negotiate annual terms of trade, listing arrangements and visibility investment within approved commercial parameters New account acquisition • Build and work a qualified prospect pipeline across value retail, hypermarkets, cash and carry, and regional chains • Map buyers and category managers, secure range review slots, and take new accounts from first meeting to first repeat order • Complete vendor onboarding, documentation and portal registration for each new account Commercial ownership • Own the account P&L to net realisation — gross price through scheme, listing, visibility spend, damages, freight and cash discount • Raise, track and reconcile all claims and debit notes; keep claims ageing current and disputes closed • Own collections and debtor days for your accounts Supply and service • Own fill rate and OTIF for your accounts; work with the plant on the rolling three-month forecast by SKU • Manage the order-to-cash cycle including PO acknowledgement, ASN, barcode and packaging compliance • Resolve short supplies, rejections and penalties before they become listing risks Market working • Visit stores weekly against a standard audit — share of shelf, planogram compliance, pricing, competitor activity, out-of-stocks and damages • Bring back a documented view of what is happening on shelf, not an impression of it Reporting • Publish a monthly account review pack: performance against plan, gap analysis, forecast, and three actions with owners and dates • Maintain the pipeline, distribution grid and claims register as live documents What success looks like in the first twelve months Measure Net revenue from your portfolio - To plan Contribution margin after all trade spend - To plan, defended at SKU level SKUs listed per account - Materially higher than at joining Fill rate / OTIF - 95% or better, reported monthly New national accounts converted to first repeat order - At least Three Claims ageing and overdue receivables - Current, with no unreconciled balances over 90 days What we are looking for Essential • 4–8 years in modern trade or key account management, in FMCG, houseware, stationery, toys, general merchandise or a comparable consumer category • Direct, current working relationships with buyers at national chains — you can name the people, not just the companies • Demonstrated experience taking an account from listing to scale: you can describe a specific range you built and what it delivered • Working knowledge of retailer vendor portals, PO and ASN processes, and claims and debit note reconciliation • Strong Excel — you build your own analysis rather than waiting for someone to send it • Comfortable negotiating terms of trade and holding a commercial position under pressure • Graduate in any discipline, and willing to spend real time in stores Preferred • Experience with licensed character merchandise, or with seasonal, calendar-driven ranges • Exposure to quick commerce or e-commerce marketplace listings and their commercial mechanics • Experience in a founder-led or mid-sized manufacturing business, where you built the process rather than inherited it • Working knowledge of Hindi and Marathi alongside English How you work • You bring numbers to arguments, and you change your mind when the numbers say so • You are comfortable being the person accountable for a shortfall, and equally comfortable saying no to a buyer • You would rather have a difficult conversation early than an expensive one later What we offer • Direct reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer, with real decision-making latitude • A business at an inflection point: certified manufacturing, licensed IP, national listings and significant unused capacity • The chance to build the modern trade function properly, rather than inherit someone else’s version of it Compensation: A fixed salary, benchmarked to your experience, plus a commission of 0.1% to 0.4% of sales revenue. Commission is earned on revenue for which payment has been received within the financial year, so what you collect is what you are paid on. To apply Send your CV to with the subject line “KAM Modern Trade”. In the body, in no more than ten lines, tell us about one modern trade account you grew — what it looked like when you took it on, what you changed, and what it looked like when you left. Applications without that paragraph will not be reviewed.