Key Account Head

Job Description:

Location: Prague

The Key Account Head is the senior leader, accountable for defining and executing the total sales and route-to-market (RTM) strategy across all retail, wholesale, and distributor channels in the market.

This role holds full accountability for delivering the market's P&L targets- including Net Sales Value (NSV), Market Share, Profitability (MAC), and Trade Expenditure (TREX) optimization. Leading both Key Account Management and the extended Field Sales Organization, the KAH unites country vision with rigorous execution. The role serves as the primary voice for the country in regional cluster governance forums (Central Europe / Europe), steering cross-functional alignment between Demand, Supply Chain, Finance, and Category teams to accelerate sustainable, mutually beneficial growth.

What will be your key responsibilities?

Strategic Leadership & Market Strategy

• Route-to-Market (RTM) Strategy: Define and execute the market’s multi-channel commercial vision across Modern Trade, Traditional Trade, Discounter, E-Commerce, and Specialist channels.

• Commercial Strategy Execution: Translate enterprise and regional category growth visions into concrete market-level sales plans, customer segmentation, and distribution strategies.

• Governance & Cluster Integration: Act as the market’s primary commercial lead on regional cluster forums (Central Europe S&OP+, DMR/Pre-DMR, ODF, and SRM Councils), ensuring country priorities and risks are effectively represented and resourced.

Full Commercial P&L Ownership & Revenue Management

• Financial Delivery: Deliver top- and bottom-line commercial commitments: Gross Sales, Net Sales Value (NSV), Market Share, Gross Margin, and MAC.

• Trade Expenditure (TREX) & SRM: Oversee total market trade budgets, governing investment strategies, promotional efficiency, pay-for-performance agreements, and return on investment (ROI).

• Forecasting & Demand Planning: Champion commercial forecasting accuracy and S&OP+ discipline, driving close synchronization with Supply Chain, Customer Service, and Demand Planning.

Customer Engagement & Strategic Partnerships

• Top-to-Top Leadership: Spearhead executive-level customer relationships, acting as the primary senior commercial counterpart for C-suite decision-makers across leading national and regional retailers.

• Joint Business Planning (JBP): Oversee multi-year Joint Business Planning strategies, ensuring value creation, category growth leadership, and preferred supplier positioning for Mars.

• Contract Negotiations: Govern the annual commercial negotiation framework, setting terms, pricing realization, listing targets, and joint growth scorecards.

Organization Leadership & People Development

• Commercial Team Leadership: Lead, inspire, and shape the end-to-end commercial sales organization, driving high engagement, inclusion, and a results-oriented culture.

• Talent Pipeline & Succession: Mentor direct reports (Key Account Heads/KAMs, Field Force Leaders, RTM Leads) and build a robust succession pipeline for commercial talent across the regional cluster.

• Capability Building: Elevate team capabilities in strategic negotiation, category-led selling, digital commerce, revenue growth management (RGM), and advanced sales analytics.

In-Store Execution Excellence & Field Force Governance

• Execution Standards: Establish and enforce market-wide in-store standards ("Perfect Store"), distribution baselines, promotional compliance, and secondary display execution.

• Field Operations Alignment: Provide high-level governance and strategic direction to the Field Force leadership, optimizing territory design, agency partnerships, and digital field automation tools.

• Market Immersion: Maintain regular market and store immersion visits to monitor competitive dynamics, retailer compliance, and shopper experience firsthand.

What are we looking for?

• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Commercial Management, Marketing or related field.
• Fluency in English and the local market language (Czech)
• 10+ years of progressive commercial and sales leadership experience within the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG / CPG) industry.
• P&L Management: Demonstrated track record of full commercial P&L accountability, trade budget governance, and revenue growth management.
• Customer Leadership: Extensive experience leading senior top-to-top negotiations and multi-year Joint Business Plans with major international and national retail accounts.
• People Leadership: Proven success managing large, diverse commercial teams (including both office-based key account teams and field sales forces), with a strong reputation for developing talent.
• Cross-Functional Mastery: Deep understanding of modern S&OP+ processes, category management, trade marketing, and demand/supply integration.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 130,000 like-minded and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.