WHAT DOES A BUSINESS UNIT MANAGER DO?
The Business Unit Manager oversees the monthly sales forecast, ensures the delivery of sales targets across various channels and customers in alignment with brand priorities, and implements risk mitigation strategies within budget constraints. This position's responsibilities include managing the Sales & Merchandising team, recruiting and developing a high-performing sales force, and holding regular meetings to track progress and set result-oriented priorities. This role also involves building strong relationships with key customers, coordinating with the Supply Chain and Finance teams on logistics and payments, and adapting strategies based on market trends and legislative changes to enhance distribution and customer engagement.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Business Unit Manager
1. Business Unit Manager Duties
- Business Development: Develop business foci with the global sales team to extend market position further.
- Strategic Alignment: Alignment with Country Managers about measures to achieve business plan targets.
- Market Strategy: Define and execute go-to-market strategies for new and existing products.
- Market Expansion: Extend business with microscopy with new applications and newly addressed markets.
- Sales Training: Guide and train the global sales team in how to present and sell products.
- Customer Support: Support customer-facing initiatives of the global sales and applications team.
- Marketing Planning: Develop product marketing plans to improve product visibility and positioning.
- Product Innovation: Convert the market and voice of customer experience into fruitful improvements with a microscopic portfolio.
- Product Enhancement: Suggest innovations and enhancements for products to strengthen position, and to develop them further with new markets.
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborative working with all internal and external stakeholders
2. Business Unit Manager Details
- Strategic Planning Assistance: Assists Country Management/Management team with long and short-term Company planning.
- Goal Execution: Executes established goals and ensures corporate-wide plans are complemented and supported.
- Sales Strategy Development: Develops and implements Sales Management plans, policies, and goals that further strategic objectives.
- Service Quality Assurance: Ensures quality services are delivered in accordance with established Company standards, policies, and procedures.
- Budget Development and Monitoring: Develops and monitors budgets.
- Expense Management: Manages and oversees expenses.
- Sales Program Integrity: Ensures that the quality and integrity of the Company’s Sales Management programs and services are maintained.
- System Review: Conducts periodic reviews of existing systems, products, and procedures.
- Service Improvement Recommendations: Provides recommendations regarding improvements in service delivery, processes, and equipment needs which will further the Company's objectives.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensures compliance with applicable laws and regulations for local operations.
- Organizational Capability Enhancement: Enhance the capabilities of the organization, and identify needs for training and development thus contributing to the professional growth of employees.
- Communication Efficiency: Ensure efficient communication, through all levels of the organization, by developing effective working relationships with all employee groups with the aim of creating a positive attitude toward an improvement culture.
3. Business Unit Manager Responsibilities
- Operational Effectiveness Evaluation: Evaluates operational effectiveness through analyses of Department activity, on-site inspections, and other measurable criteria.
- Sales Management Oversight: Ensures all Sales Management functions are efficient, effective, well-managed, and adhere to established legal, regulatory, and Company procedures.
- Quality System Management: Ensures the company’s quality system assists in achieving the required productivity and service level goals.
- Complaint Handling Management: Assumes responsibility for the management of the company’s complaint handling functions and all reporting to the appropriate regulatory bodies.
- Regulatory Submissions Oversight: Assumes responsibility for overseeing all regulatory submissions and filings.
- Auditing Management: Assumes responsibility for managing all internal and external auditing efforts.
- Sales and Marketing Security Management: Ensures the security and safety of Company property, equipment, and personnel involved in Sales and Marketing Management.
- Sales Functions Coordination: Ensures Sales Management functions are well coordinated with related departments at CONMED Deutschland GmbH.
- Stakeholder Communication: Keeps management at CONMED Deutschland (Financial, Marketing, Product, Country) informed of activities, progress toward established objectives, and of any significant problems.
- Meeting Participation: Attends and participates in meetings and committees.
- Reporting: Completes required reports and documents.
- Leadership: Provides leadership through effective objective setting, delegation, and communication.
4. Business Unit Manager Job Summary
- Operational Oversight: Directs, schedules, and coordinates operational Department functions.
- Manager Training & Utilization: Ensures subordinate Managers are well trained, effective, and optimally used.
- Policy Instruction: Instructs subordinate Managers/employees regarding policy, procedure, and program changes.
- Performance Appraisals: Conducts performance appraisals.
- Corrective Actions: Formulates and implements corrective actions.
- Promotion & Compensation Recommendations: Recommends promotions, transfers, and salary adjustments as appropriate.
- Staffing Management: Ensures staffing levels are appropriate and human resources are effectively utilized.
- Reputation Management: Ensures the Company's professional reputation is maintained throughout the organization and the community.
- Issue Resolution: Ensures requests, needs, and questions are promptly resolved.
- Service Quality Monitoring: Monitors service delivery and ensures excellence in service levels.
5. Business Unit Manager Accountabilities
- Sales Forecasting: Own sales forecast, month-on-month delivery of sales targets across channels and customers as per brand priorities, and mitigate potential risks in line with budget.
- Team Management: Manage sales and merchandising team on the ground.
- Sales Prioritization: Set monthly priorities every month for salesforce covering result-oriented parameters, track progress and build mitigation plans.
- Meeting Coordination: Hold weekly/daily meetings with salesforce.
- Team Development: Select, recruit, train, and develop the sales force as a winning team of excellent execution.
- Customer Relationship Management: Build strong relationships with key customers across all channels, understand customer needs and tailor the principal’s strategy on resources to maximize business results.
- Key Account Management: Ensure key account contracts, promotion activities, and in-store execution as per principal's strategy and norms.
- Supply Chain Coordination: Coordinate with supply chain team on shipments.
- Market Analysis: Monitor market situation, emerging trends, and legislative changes to provide insights and feedback on strategy and recommend changes.
- Distribution Strategy: Unlock distribution expansion opportunities, and new and existing customer development opportunities towards distribution width and depth across the portfolio.
- Financial Coordination: Work closely with the finance team on the debit note process & payments.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams on supporting the principal's business as per priorities e.g. structure changes, field force route planning, quality management, compliance, etc.