SUMMARY:
National Sales Manager - Pharmaceutical
POSITION INFO:
National Field Sales Manager (NFSM) - Pharmaceutical Objective of the Role The National Field Sales Manager (NFSM) is accountable for the disciplined national execution of the companies' approved sales strategy across the Critical Care \/ Anaesthesia and Neonatology portfolios. The role leads the field sales force, translating approved Business Unit priorities into territory-level execution, customer coverage, sales productivity and measurable commercial results. The NFSM combines direct field leadership with structured coaching, performance management, market feedback and operational reporting. The NFSM operates within the Commercial Authority & Field Governance Framework and is an execution-focused commercial leadership role. The position does not carry enterprise commercial strategy, portfolio-director authority, material pricing or tender authority, or direct Board reporting responsibility. These matters remain with the relevant Business Unit leadership and, where applicable, the Commercial Director. The role is expected to maintain a strong national field presence, uphold ethical promotion and professional conduct, and ensure that Sales Representatives execute within approved plans, communication standards, regulatory requirements and documented approval pathways. Reporting Relationship Reports To: Relevant Business Unit Lead, according to portfolio accountability - Business Unit Director (Neonatology) and\/or Business Unit Manager (Critical Care \/ Anaesthesia), within the approved commercial structure. Direct Reports : Sales Representatives. Key Interfaces: Commercial Director, Marketing\/Product Manager, Finance, Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Customer Liaison and administrative support functions. The NFSM holds joint approval authority with the relevant Business Unit Lead over defined non-routine in-field activities, including congress participation, CME\/CPD engagements, after-hours activities, sponsorship requests and infield scientific engagements, in accordance with the Commercial Authority & Field Governance Framework. Key Responsibilities Sales Strategy Execution and National Field Leadership • Execute the approved national sales strategy in alignment with Business Unit objectives, approved promotional plans and defined commercial priorities. • Translate Business Unit direction into clear national, regional and territory-level execution plans with measurable field objectives. • Recommend national and regional sales targets, customer coverage priorities and call-frequency requirements to the relevant Business Unit Lead for approval. • Contribute field-based inputs to sales forecasting, target setting and field-expense planning without assuming Business Unit budgeting or enterprise financial authority. • Lead the operational planning and execution of the bi-annual Sales and Marketing meetings within the agenda and strategic direction approved by Business Unit leadership. • Monitor market dynamics, competitor activity, healthcare professional needs and field feedback and recommend tactical execution adjustments where appropriate. • Ensure the consistent implementation of approved product and marketing campaigns across the field force. Field Leadership, Coaching and Performance Management • Exercise clear and appropriate line-management authority over Sales Representatives while applying a coaching and mentoring approach that supports accountability, engagement and continuous development. • Maintain a strong in-field presence and use structured co-working to assess representative effectiveness, call quality, customer engagement, message delivery, territory management and compliance. • Target approximately 70% of working time for field co-working and direct field leadership, subject to operational requirements and agreed management priorities. • As a practical guideline, reserve approximately one working day per week for administration, reporting and managerial meetings, with the balance directed primarily toward field leadership. • Conduct structured regional and country trips to ensure appropriate national field visibility and equitable coaching coverage across territories. • Provide timely written and verbal feedback following co-working, agree corrective or developmental actions and monitor progress against agreed expectations. • Manage sales performance proactively, including the identification of underperformance, appropriate coaching, improvement action and escalation through company performance-management processes where required. • Promote a high-performance culture that encourages responsible stretch performance, disciplined execution, teamwork and ethical conduct. • Recommend appropriate sales-force recognition or incentive considerations to Business Unit leadership and the Commercial Director where relevant; final approval remains outside the NFSM''s authority. Operational Planning, Targeting and Reporting • Monitor national sales performance against approved targets and identify regional, territory, product and customer-level performance gaps requiring corrective action. • Review and consolidate representative planners, call analyses, sales reports and field observations into meaningful management information for the relevant Business Unit Lead. • Maintain disciplined national call planning, customer targeting and frequency models to support appropriate coverage and productivity. • Ensure the Targeting and Frequency report remains accurate, current and usable for monitoring customer coverage, call frequency, sales productivity and message delivery. • Ensure completed weekly planning and post-call reporting is submitted within the agreed internal deadline • Submit a consolidated NFSM monthly report with analysis, field insights, performance risks and recommendations by close of business within the first week of the new month. • Ensure Sales Representatives comply with internal reporting, communication, feedback and request channels. • Monitor adherence to internal communication standards, including timely responses to work-related e-mail and approved business messaging channels. • Coordinate national and regional travel requirements to achieve appropriate field coverage while maintaining cost discipline and approved travel processes. • Verify and forward representative administrative requests, including approved expense claims, leave forms and flight requests, to the appropriate support function in accordance with internal procedures. Congress, CME, Sponsorship and Stakeholder Engagement Oversight • Jointly approve, with the relevant Business Unit Lead, congress attendance, participation duration and field objectives within defined authority parameters. • Coordinate approved CME and CPD activities across regions in support of product-specific commercial strategies and company policy. • Evaluate CME, sponsorship and non-routine engagement requests against stated objectives, relevance, available information and reasonable return-on-investment considerations before making a recommendation or exercising joint approval within delegated authority. • Ensure all external field engagements remain aligned with approved strategy, brand standards, ethical promotion requirements and documentation controls. • Ensure in-field scientific engagements occur only after the prescribed joint approval has been obtained and that scientific activity remains distinct from promotional sales execution. • Escalate exceptional, high-risk or materially sensitive engagement requests to the relevant Business Unit Lead and, where required, the Commercial Director. Cross-Functional Commercial Execution • Work closely with Marketing\/Product Management, Regulatory, and Business Unit leadership to ensure coordinated execution of approved commercial and scientific-support plans. • Support product launches, campaigns, training initiatives and customer-development programmes through disciplined national field implementation. • Provide structured market intelligence and field insights to Business Unit leadership to inform commercial planning and portfolio decisions. • Ensure that field requirements and customer feedback are communicated accurately to relevant internal functions without assuming specialist Medical, Regulatory or Product Management authority. • Coordinate with Finance, HR and administrative support functions on routine sales-force administration within established procedures. Field Governance, Approval and Escalation • Apply the Commercial Authority & Field Governance Framework consistently across all national field activity. • Exercise joint approval with the relevant Business Unit Lead for nonroutine field activities specifically assigned to the NFSM-Business Unit Lead approval layer. • Ensure that Product Managers provide portfolio and campaign support without independently authorising field activity. • Ensure that scientific engagement remains within approved, nonpromotional parameters and is not used to bypass established commercial or regulatory governance. • Maintain complete records of non-routine approvals, exceptions and escalations so that decisions remain traceable and defensible. • Require Sales Representatives to escalate non-routine requests through the NFSM rather than approaching higher levels of authority directly, unless a specific policy or urgent compliance concern requires otherwise. • Escalate unresolved operational disputes, material deviations and matters outside delegated authority to the relevant Business Unit Lead and thereafter, where necessary, to the Commercial Director. Compliance, Ethical Conduct and Professional Standards • Ensure that national field activities comply with SAHPRA requirements, the MCA Code, POPIA, approved promotional materials and internal SOPs. • Maintain clear separation between promotional sales activity and non promotional scientific engagement. • Ensure representatives communicate accurate approved product information and avoid unapproved, misleading or off-label promotional claims. • Maintain high standards of professional conduct, appearance, punctuality, customer engagement and company representation across the field force. • Ensure current approved policies, SOPs and process guides are accessible to Sales Representatives through the company repository and other authorised channels. • Identify suspected compliance breaches or governance concerns promptly and escalate them through the appropriate management and functional channels. • Support a culture in which commercial performance is pursued within ethical, regulatory and governance boundaries. Qualifications: Bachelor''s degree in Commerce, Science, Pharmacy, Marketing or a related discipline is preferred. A postgraduate qualification in Business Management, Marketing or Commercial Leadership is advantageous. Equivalent relevant pharmaceutical field-sales and management experience may be considered where the incumbent demonstrates the required commercial, leadership, compliance and analytical capability. Experience: Typically, at least 5 years of pharmaceutical or medical-device sales experience is preferred, including meaningful experience in senior field sales, coaching, territory management or sales-team leadership. Previous exposure to hospital-based, specialty, critical care, anaesthesia or neonatology portfolios is advantageous, together with practical experience in national or multi-regional field coordination, healthcare-professional engagement and regulated pharmaceutical promotion. Salary - market related and based on experience. Send cv to
