GM-India (Sennheiser consumer), Sonova

Sonova's Consumer Hearing business seeks to capture growth opportunities in the fast-growing market for premium headphones, the emerging segment of speech-enhanced hearables as well as expand Sennheiser’s leadership position in audiophile category. As the leader among equals of the local Leadership Team, the country or sub-regional General Managers for Sonova Consumer Hearing will be responsible for developing, leading and driving the Go-to-Market Strategy for our Consumer Hearing Business in the dedicated country/ sub-region and drive profitable sales expansion, increase consumer awareness of our Sennheiser brand and gain market share consistently year after year. The key measure of success will be to consistently improve our top and bottom-line results and gain share.  

Primary Job Responsibilities :

• Accountable for local / sub-regional CHB results, including portfolio-channel mix management, executing in-line with pricing & promotional/ SOA guidance to deliver profitable growth, tracked in the local P&L, from gross sales to net sales and down to local ebita. Own ensuring all functions play their role here, including partnering closely with operations & customer service on returns, invoicing etc
• Represent CHB locally / regionally, both internally and externally
• Develop, drive & lead the execution of CHB GTM strategies to successfully drive profitable growth and market share gain year on year with clear channel / distribution strategies across the total CHB business (categories and channels)
• Drive online sales with the goal of increasing the overall share of online sales, as part of one omnichannel GTM strategy
• Lead the local multi-functional team and create one team approach, providing direct leadership for all sales employees for Premium Headphones, Audiophile and Hearing Care product categories, and dotted line / business leadership for the full organization
• Launch and sustain initiatives with excellence and execute successful trade marketing strategies to increase sales and our brand awareness/position within the markets we serve
• Establish and implement local short and long-range goals, objectives, policies and operating procedures based on global guidance 
• Establish both annual and monthly sales objectives in line with the Company's business plan and delivery against those plans; tracked via daily management
• Ensure team analyzes sales activities against goals, with sales goals being met and/or exceeded. Proactively lead the team to propose recovery actions to meet target if gaps / opportunities
• Establish compensation plans for all sales personnel including salary structures, clear sales targets and bonus plans in coordination with HR. Drive a high level of cross-functional employee engagement measure yearly through our HearMe survey
• Partner closely with operations to deliver robust and reliable sales forecast, improving our forecast accuracy and ensuring product availability for our consumers; accountable for local sales forecast
• Participate actively in CHB GM community, driving best practice sharing with an aim to better execute omnichannel GTM strategy
• Work closely with our sister businesses (Hearing Instruments & Audiological Care) to expand and promote our hearing care products in those two channel

People Responsibilities 

• Overall accountability for local business; responsibility for the local leadership team and working collaboratively with staff and colleagues to create a ‘one-team’, results driven oriented environment. 

• Local Sales Team as direct reporting lines 

• Other country-based functions as dotted-line reporting’s (outside of any R&D and Operations who are in global roles) 

Qualifications, Requirements and Experience

• Fluent written and spoken English is an absolute must. Fluency in a variety of other languages, pending geography (e.g., German, Spanish, French, etc.) is an advantage 
• Higher education with a technical or commercial degree (business administration, sales and/or marketing, or similar relevant field)

• Strong knowledge of premium audio electronics or high-tech product sales or FMCG. 

• Demonstrated and proven ability to meet and exceed sales goals within the Consumer Electronics channel or FMCG 

• Strong knowledge of the Consumer Electronics market and industry trends, competitors and leading customer strategies. 

• Strong sales and competitive drive, with focus on profitable sales growth 

• Outstanding and proven consultative selling abilities. 

• Strong business acumen and analytical skills, experience with P&L management and ownership 

• Strong ethics/high integrity with the ability to maintain professional internal and external relationships that meet company core values. 

• Ability to motivate sales team to meet and exceed sales goals, and to lead, influence and drive multi-functional team 

• Ability to plan and manage at both strategic and operational levels. 

• Ability to establish and maintain a consistent corporate image throughout product line, promotional materials and events. 

• Ability to work collaboratively with staff to create a results-driven, team-oriented environment. 

• Ability to take the initiative to make independent decisions/choices. 

• Highly organized with effective time management skills. 

• Excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills

Ideal Experience

• 10 - 15+ years of business experience gained across FMCG and/or consumer electronics 

• Preferably a classical trained FMCG commercial leader who has successfully worked in a matrix coupled with experience in consumer electronics. Preferably sales route-up having managed large key accounts. 

• Experience of omnichannel leadership, incl. e-com/digital commerce experience with track record of sales transformation 

• Has worked extensively across the given geography (local / regional) 

• Track record of substantial revenue growth 

• Success substantially scaling businesses, not simply inheriting numbers and maintaining the status quo. 

• Strong leadership skills and profound know-how in building and efficient leading teams 

• Proven track record in driving change initiatives 

• Comfortable working in and influencing cross-functional/-cultural teams within a fast-paced environment 

• Organized - good writing and administrative skills, including computer skills (word processing, graphics, spreadsheet, etc.) 

Leadership Competencies 

• Proactive leader with high self-motivation and a strong 'can-do' mentality 

• Be self-aware and humble, reflect and learn from mistakes 

• Inspire collaboration, diversity and inclusion 

• Engage, motivate and support our diverse talent through development, empowerment and recognition 

• Lead and inspire continuous improvement 

• Shows and drives a high level of process orientation 

• Leverage the strengths and to tap the full potential of our employee talent base 

• Strong solution and innovation focus 

• Capable of conducting her or himself in a group situation and dealing with others in the most effective way, asks good questions, listens to what others are saying, and stays engaged in conversations. 

• Demonstrates strong alignment towards the team’s goals and prioritizing collective wins over individual ones. 

• Strategically thinking visionary with strong analytical and conceptual skills 

• Entrepreneurial mindset, including a high tolerance for ambiguity, a penchant for experimentation, and a bias towards action 

• Inspiring leader and creative problem solver with a good feeling for business opportunities, someone who is ambitious and engaging 

• Open-minded, straightforward and “winning” character with integrity 

• Embraces the Sonova leadership principles

Social & Personal Competencies 

• Teamwork - must be able to lead a team of employees from multiple disciplines. 

• Influencing skills - must be able to inform, convince, persuade others to act on key initiatives.  

• Customer focused with business acumen - must be very customer focused and have strong interpersonal and communications skills. Ability to accurately assess key business metrics and situations from a “general manager’s” point of view. 

• Evidence of being able to communicate to all levels of the organization including those where English is not their primary language