Sales Learning - Associate Director

Overview:

Job Description

Role Title: Associate Director – Sales Capability

Level: L10

Function: Commercial / Sales

Location: Gurgaon, India

Role Purpose

Lead the design and execution of sales capability development across frontline sales teams to drive superior in-market execution and sustainable business growth. The role will blend structured capability building with hands-on field coaching to ensure translation of training into on-ground performance.

Success Metrics

Improvement in frontline productivity and execution KPIs

Capability adoption across regions

Improvement in sales team effectiveness (CE/ASM capability scores)

Measurable ROI from training interventions

Leadership Expectations

Acts as a bridge between strategy and execution

Leads by example through field immersion

Builds a high-performance learning culture within sales teams

Responsibilities:

Key Responsibilities

1. Sales Capability Strategy & Program Design

Develop a comprehensive capability-building roadmap for:

Frontline Salesmen (FLS)

Customer Executives (CEs)

Area Sales Managers (ASMs)

Identify capability gaps across markets, channels, and roles using performance data and field insights.

Design functional training modules covering:

Route-to-market execution

Perfect store / outlet execution standards

Sales fundamentals (coverage, distribution, visibility, productivity)

Negotiation and influencing skills

Distributor management

Pace/ tech Usage

WEC Adoption

Ensure alignment of capability programs with business priorities and commercial strategy.

2. Training Delivery & Field Immersion

Lead end-to-end rollout of training programs across regions.

Institutionalize a “learn apply coach” model:

Classroom/digital interventions

On-the-job coaching in markets

Spend significant time (~30–40%) in-market:

Work alongside salesmen, CEs, and ASMs

Demonstrate best practices

Provide real-time coaching and feedback

Build structured field coaching guidelines and playbooks.

3. Capability Building for Sales Leadership

Design and deliver targeted programs for CEs and ASMs on:

Team leadership and coaching effectiveness

Performance management

Territory planning and execution

Enable ASMs to become strong capability multipliers through “train-the-trainer” approaches.

4. Measurement & Impact Tracking

Develop metrics to track effectiveness of capability initiatives:

Sales productivity improvement

Numeric & weighted distribution gains

Execution scores (visibility, availability)

ROI of training interventions

Establish feedback loops to continuously refine training content and delivery.

5. Content Development & Digital Enablement

Create standardized, scalable training content (modules, playbooks, toolkits).

Leverage digital platforms for training delivery and reinforcement (micro-learning, assessments).

Partner with internal/external stakeholders to bring industry best practices into capability programs.

6. Stakeholder Management

Work closely with:

Sales leadership (ZSMs, RSMs)

Commercial strategy teams

HR / L&D teams

Ensure strong buy-in and adoption of capability initiatives across regions.

7. Team Leadership

Lead and develop 1 direct report.

Guide execution of capability initiatives through the team and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications:

Qualifications & Experience

MBA from a premier institute.

~8–14 years of experience in Sales / Commercial / Capability / L&D roles.

Strong exposure to FMCG sales operations preferred.

Prior field sales experience is highly desirable.

Key Skills & Competencies

Deep understanding of FMCG sales processes & frontline realities

Strong training design and facilitation capabilities

Hands-on coaching mindset with field orientation

Data-driven approach to performance improvement

Stakeholder influencing & collaboration

Leadership development and coaching skills

High execution bias and ownership