1. Post Graduation with 15 to 18 Years of experience
2. Minimum 8 Years in Microfinance Institution

1. Postgraduate with a specialization in Business Administration.
2. Substantial years of experience in microfinance business development, management, sales, and operations.
3. Comprehensive exposure in MFI background, having handled a substantial portfolio of about 1500Cr AUM, spanning 4 to 5 states, with large team reporting.
4. Having exposure to or been a part of policy inputs/IT projects/Products or Analytics.

About the client: PSS has been mandated to hire a Business Development Manager - Pulses for a multinational corporation with a strong presence in the agriculture industry, specializing in the procurement of raw materials and the processing of pulses in our manufacturing plants. They have their major operations in India, Australia, and Canada, and are known for their commitment to quality and innovation.

Job Purpose:

You will be responsible for driving business growth through strategic partnerships and market expansion in B2B and GT revenue channels. This role requires a deep understanding of the agricultural commodity landscape coupled with relationship-building and sales operational capabilities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Research and analyze market dynamics and competitor activities to formulate effective business growth and sales operations plan
• Identify and build a new client base to expand the market share through effective sales and supply chain models
• Plan and deliver on the B2B sales volume of a minimum of 1.2k MT per month from production facilities and locally sourced commodities (RM) in India
• Plan and deliver on the GT sales volume of a minimum of 1.5k MT per month from production facilities in the East and West regions of India
• Lead negotiations with clients, suppliers, and partners to secure favorable agreements; ensure successful closure of deals while maintaining the company's profitability.
• Collaborate with the Factory operations team on Finished Goods (FG) delivery as per customer specifications and contract terms
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with existing clients to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction and market credibility
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders such as finance, logistics and quality to ensure seamless execution of sales and trading operations.
• Plan and manage the timely collection of receivables and payment terms in the sales cycle
• Continuously assess and manage risks associated with commodity trading including market fluctuations, regulatory changes, and other business-impacting factors; develop risk mitigation plans to safeguard business interests
• Prepare regular reports on business development activities, including key performance indicators, market trends, and potential opportunities

Educational Qualifications And Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in business, agriculture, economics, or a related field. A Master's degree in management is preferred
• Proven experience in business development within the agriculture commodity trading sector
• Strong understanding of agricultural markets, commodities, and trading practices
• Excellent negotiation and communication skills
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with clients and industry partners
• Analytical mindset with proficiency in market research and data analysis
• Results-driven with a track record of achieving and exceeding sales targets

About the client: PSS has been mandated to hire a Manager - Regional Product Development for an Indian company that mainly manufactures fashion accessories such as jewellery, watches, and eyewear.

Job Purpose:

To introduce the right regional products by generating an in-depth understanding of cultural, ceremonial, and community-specific requirements for jewelry and by undertaking extensive indexing of relevant competition.  On this basis, work closely with the Cluster management and the regional teams to determine the appropriate sales plan and the supporting assortment plans. This role will also be responsible for identifying regionally relevant products or categories that can be imbued with its signature and promoted as such. As a part of the WiMI program, this role will also work closely with the regional DEC and the Cluster management teams on the development of regionally relevant, marketed collections aligned to the regional marketing calendar.

Key Responsibilities:

Merchandising: Planning for Regional Products:

1. Mapping the current universe of regional products

2. Range-planning for regional products: Identifying the gaps in the current universe, based on customer, and community understanding as well as competitive indexing. Accordingly, planning for product introduction to ensure that these product gaps are filled

3. Collaborating with the regional vendors to ensure the development of products to fill the product gap happens on a regular & timely basis.

4. Wherever required, work closely with the Responsible Sourcing teams for the timely onboarding on relevant and capable vendor partners

5. Review of product performance and decision-making on product-continuation

6. Engaging closely with the Retail stores to drive decisions on range expansion/discontinuation               

Developing a Robust vendor ecosystem for regional products:

1. Evaluating the current vendor ecosystem for regional products both in terms of expertise & cost

2. Periodic visits to the vendors to understand their capability as well to get inputs from vendors on regional products.

3. Conduct existing vendor performance evaluations based on product performance and evaluate new vendors based on skill set planning.

4. Onboarding the right new vendors in terms of expertise & cost as per the gap observed in the current regional vendor eco-system

Vendor development 

On-time introduction of new products in line with both the customer requirements as well as the prescribed Quality parameters.

Periodic Competition Indexing

1. Monthly visits to regional competitions to benchmark the regional products offered, weight bands, making charges, etc.

2. Synthesis of actionable insights and incorporation into the Range plan

Competition Understanding            

On time and in full completion of indexing as well as actions thereof

Product Management: Product Portfolio Management

1. Manage the entire product lifecycle from inception to product retiral for regional products.

2. Achieve Category Top Line Targets as per planned Cat-PB sales shares of regional products.

3. Provide inputs on the model stock recommendations for assortment planning.

4. Ensure the effective cascade of the newly launched regional products with all the internal teams including Retail, VM, Marketing, etc.

5. Identify poor-performing products and propose measures for ensuring their liquidation.

6. Identify the best possible offers based on the seasonality in the region & the profitability of the product.

Range planning            

Proportion of regional NPIs that become regional bestsellers

Sell thru Vs target

Topline sales Vs target

Merchandising: Launch Region specific Collections

1. Create the new collection brief for the regional collection with clear deliverables on the product category, cluster, net weight & LC

2. Liaison with the NPD team and design team to ensure the concept presentation as per the timeline.

3. Approve/ select the designs created by the design studio.

4. Approve the final PDIS release; Coordinate with the NPI team for code creation.

5. Coordinate with the NPD & NPIM team to ensure that the first set of prototypes are received as per the design approved – if not ensure that the feedback is given for correction.

6. Support the NPD to conduct regional NPIM for the collection.

7. Conduct periodic canvassing with L3s for indent enhancement, seasonal up stocking etc. to improve new product penetration.

8. Collaborate with marketing for ad-variant planning

• New product introduction calendar                          
• Topline sales Vs target
• Collection sell thru Vs Target

Educational Qualifications And Experience:

10 -15 years with experience in Sourcing or Product development or Design or Merchandising functions with National or Regional jewelry brands.

Prior work in the jewelry sector and a thorough understanding of regional nuances is a must

1. Preparing Manpower Planning and Annual Operating Plan Budgets
2. Compensation surveys
3. Pay Range Design - Benefit Programs Survey
4.  Rewards Management - Framing HR policies and processes and publishing.
5.  Collaborate with Heads of Departments (HODs) to prepare comprehensive job descriptions for all roles and designations.
6. Manage both H1 and H2 Performance Management System (PMS) cycles.
7. Oversee HR-related management projects, collaborating with HR consultants on various management projects related to HR.
8. Guide employees on Flexi pay benefits and ensure compliance with relevant policies. - Provide organizational-level data on employee surveys, Long
9. Term Incentive Plans (LTIPs), etc.
10. Prepare costing based on AOP data for organizational planning purposes.
11. Conduct communication sessions to inform employees about policy amendments and new initiatives.

About the client: PSS has been mandated to hire an Associate Director- Logistics for one of the leading beer and beverage companies that manufactures premium and super-premium brands with sales offices and breweries across the country.

Job Purpose: 

1. Responsible for executing the logistic strategies and plans to ensure the right quantity & SKU of product reaches the market as per demand and permits issued by Excise.

2. Responsible for ensuring raw material/packaging material availability in breweries to support the production plan.

3. Responsible for ensuring compliance with excise laws applicable state to state.

Key Responsibilities: 

1. Lead the team to rightly forecast demands from the market and help breweries on their production planning to meet the demands without any delay & shortage.

2. Successfully monitor and communicate forecasts, changes, inventory estimates, supply situations, business risks, and opportunities across all warehouses on a periodic basis, identify areas of alert, and create solutions to mitigate any potential risks of product stockouts.

3. Analyse, track, and highlight the performance of defined categories/SKUs with a focus on filling each DC.

4. Developing a country-level deployment plan that meets anticipated customer demand at optimum inventory levels.

5. Takes joint responsibility with warehousing teams for inventory accountability across regional DCs.

6. Lead the Returnable Packaging, and ensure the Bottles, Kegs, and Crate inventory returns meet production requirements and budget.

7. Work to evolve strategies and business models to improve bottle returns through vendor and environment management.

8. Conduct Market visits and communicate ground-level realities to help decision-making in the dynamic pricing of RGB.

9. Ensure Best practices are implemented across regions for Ret Pack handling.

10. Responsible for setting up / improving logistics processes in the brewery and monitoring them to improve manpower efficiency vis-a-vis dispatch volume, safety, and VLC cost.

11. Responsible for capex identification, business case creation, and providing PMO activities for capex deployment for automation of logistics activities inside the brewery

Responsible for vehicle placements across all breweries, monitoring/controlling detention, and Excise liasoning.

12. Ensuring 100% vehicle placement vs. dispatch plan, coordination with Planning, BLMs, and LCA teams on production and permit plan.

13. Activation of vehicle placement from secondary sources that were not contracted to maintain business continuity.

14. New businesses: Activation of HMO for retail distribution, Evaluating cost savings opportunities.

Educational Qualifications And Experience: 

• Postgraduate (MBA in operations/Supply Chain)
• Premium Btech colleges and premium MBA colleges
• Analytical mind, especially on supply chain efficiency
• Excellent strategic thinking and planning ability
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills in dealing with government bodies
• Provide coaching and training to the team to deliver better business results
• Problem-solving attitude and crisis management

• Develop and execute comprehensive business strategies that align with the organization’s mission and goals.
• Identify and capitalize on new business opportunities
• Oversee financial planning, budgeting, and performance management
• Lead and optimize day-to-day operations to enhance efficiency and service delivery. 
• Implement robust policies and procedures to ensure operational excellence.
• Build, mentor, and lead high-performing teams across various departments
• Cultivate strong relationships with key stakeholders, including investors, regulators, and community partners.
• Monitor industry trends and competitive landscape to inform strategic decisions.

• MBA with 20 to 25 years of experience
• Leadership Skills
• Strategic Thinking:
• Expertise in financial management and budgeting
• Good Industry Knowledge
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Should have worked in Large MFI or SFB
• Should have handled large field force of Collections.
• Ideally should have handled recoveries too.
• Proficient in MS Excel or other data tools.
• Lead the collections setup & execute collection strategies.
• Implement technology-enabled collection practices and new-age solutions.
• Strong leadership & Team management ability & should be able to work effectively with cross-functional teams.

• A Post graduate degree
• Leadership experience including the ability to set direction, manage and motivate people, and work collaboratively with other teams. 
• A minimum of 15+ years of experience in Microfinance and SFB

About the client: PSS has been mandated to hire a Senior Media Manager for one of the leading and fastest-growing personal and healthcare businesses in India with a presence across 60 countries, with an enviable portfolio of household brands.

Job Purpose: 

• Executing activities related to media budget formulation, media planning, buying and implementation and producing action plans that are aligned with the marketing and media objectives.
• Identifying and implementing innovative methods of media planning and buying and recommending the right media priorities, using analytics, campaign insights, and consumer taste.
• Participating in price negotiation for slot purchase in television and radio airtime, and advertising space within newspapers, magazines, and other print publications.
• Monitoring performance and feedback from various media agencies to ensure optimal media coverage and desired brand projection in all media campaigns.
• Managing multiple agency partners/vendors to ensure optimized output and ensuring good networking with them to always be knowledgeable of the latest offerings in the market.

Key Responsibilities:  

• Media Budgeting Finalizes brand-wise overall budget along with HOD for the year and incorporates the necessary changes required to enable effective media planning.
• Prepares market-wise as well as medium wise budget for the calendar year by checking the past spending trends for each genre and individual channel, and maps it against the requirement for the year.
• Analyses the historical spend month-wise by individual advertisement /communication medium against the projected periodic budget.
• Media Buying Shares the budget with media agencies for buying and communicates the genre/channel-wise allocated budget to them for budget adherence and cost optimization.
• Devises the annual TV / Radio/Print media buying strategy based on the agreed format to arrive at the channel-wise allocation and set necessary benchmarks.
• Ensures maintenance of good relationships with advertising sales agents to obtain the best prices and values for advertisement placements, campaigns, or even media bundles.
• Remains up to date with industry research figures, including distribution figures for newspapers and magazines and audience figures for television and radio.
• Guides the team on print buying and analysis and also for print implementation of the assigned brands. Vendor Negotiation Efficiency Participates in negotiations with media buying companies to obtain the best rates and most appropriate media spaces in online, broadcast, and print advertising.
• Negotiates deals from channels either through media agencies or directly with the channels and explores new opportunities/value add and also searches for special properties offered against normal vanilla deals.
• Share the negotiation and deal details with the channels with HOD & other leadership positions for approval and sign off the same. Monitors the performance of the deals finalized and takes any necessary corrective action on the same.
• Channels inventory purchase based on the yearly deal agreement with monthly grid finalization for the specified channels.
• Finalizes special deals/properties for channels as per requirement from the Brand / Media department. Channel Performance Supervision Supervises brand-wise/channel-wise/market-wise budget/ inventory allocation received per month. Reviews channel-wise/program-wise FCT (Free Commercial Time)/Cost allocation for key channels with current evaluation in vanilla as well as in special properties.
• Checks service level of different channels and reviews monthly performance Job Description Gray Matters Consulting. 2019 Page 3 Privileged & Confidential with team and agency on CPRP (Cost Per Rating Point) benchmark/positioning of spots etc. and discuss it with HOD to take it forward.
• Market Analysis Conducts microanalysis of Channel/Genre performance trends in urban and rural areas for last year and the current year.
• Prepares SWOT analysis of the various channels by market to identify the channel with maximum effect and reach. Researches the inventory consumption by competitive brands/ advertisers by key channels/markets.

Educational Qualifications And Experience: 

• Experience 7 to 12 Any other experience
• Industries FMCG/FMCD

About the client: PSS has been mandated to hire a Vice President - Human Resources for an AI-powered SaaS company based in Chennai with Indian and global clientele including large brand names in the financial services, consumer goods, and technology sectors.

Key Responsibilities:

• Formulate and shape dynamic people strategies, strengthening employee engagement, and cultivating a vibrant, positive culture within the competitive SaaS landscape.
• Lead a diverse global team of technologists and other senior knowledge worker professionals in India, the Middle East, the USA, and South East Asia.
• Updating business leaders on critical HR metrics and ensuring that the company's strategies remain tightly integrated with evolving business needs.
• Employee engagement - Through comprehensive engagement programs, enhance employee NPS, glassdoor ratings, and appraisal satisfaction, while our recruitment and onboarding processes were enriched by the strategic use of AI tools

Prior Experience:

• Overall 12-15 years of experience, with at least 5 years leading the HR function of a growing technology organization.
• Must have led the HR function and driven talent management, employee engagement, strategic HR, hiring, and L&D agendas for a technology-driven organization.
• Experience with SaaS and cloud-technology companies is highly preferable.
• MBA in Human Resources from a good management institute would be a plus.