Commercial Planning and Activation Manager

Full time

Hybrid

Philadelphia, PA
Appleton, WI; Appleton SEC

Commercial Planning & Activation Manager

About the Role

Essity Professional Hygiene North America is seeking a Commercial Planning & Activation Manager to help translate strategy into focused, effective execution across the Sales organization.

This role drives customer‑focused commercial execution by connecting planning, activation, and performance management. Partnering closely with Sales leadership and cross‑functional teams, the Commercial Planning & Activation Manager ensures priorities are aligned and initiatives are thoughtfully coordinated to support effective execution in the field.

Serving as a central point of alignment across the organization, this role helps reduce complexity, surface misalignment early, and equips Sales with the insights and clarity needed to accelerate growth.

The position reports to the Senior Commercial Planning & Activation Manager and works closely with Sales leadership and business partners across Marketing, Commercial Analytics, Finance, and Business Development. This is a high‑impact role for a collaborative team player who thrives in complex environments and enjoys turning strategy into results.

The ideal candidate will could/should live near our Appleton, WI or Philadelphia, PA office

What You Will Do

• Partner with Sales Leadership to translate commercial strategy into focused go-to-market execution plans with clear priorities, actionable sales programs, and measurable outcomes.
• Lead commercial activation across the business by aligning sales, marketing, training, analytics, and other cross-functional teams to ensure consistent execution of strategic initiatives, product launches, campaigns, and growth priorities.
• Develop and execute integrated activation plans that drive pipeline growth, opportunity management, account penetration, and revenue performance across channels and segments.
• Support demand creation efforts through targeted sales enablement programs, account-based marketing (ABM) initiatives, lead activation strategies, and customer engagement campaigns designed to accelerate growth within key customers and priority segments.
• Drive adoption of go-to-market models, sales processes, tools, and commercial programs that enable sellers to effectively communicate value, advance solution-based selling, and improve customer outcomes.
• Apply strong project management disciplines to lead initiatives from planning through execution, balancing scope, timelines, resources, and stakeholder expectations.
• Analyze sales performance, pipeline health, customer trends, and commercial metrics to identify insights, opportunities, and risks while providing actionable recommendations that improve decision-making and sales effectiveness.
• Partner with sales leaders to strengthen sales productivity through improved account planning, pipeline management, forecast accuracy, win rates, deal velocity, customer retention, and share growth.
• Leverage analytics dashboards and performance reporting to monitor progress, identify performance gaps, and develop recommendations that improve sales behaviors and business results.
• Support sales capability development by identifying performance improvement opportunities, partnering with training and enablement teams, and helping prioritize initiatives that deliver the highest commercial impact.
• Drive organizational alignment and accountability through executive communications, performance reviews, activation updates, and continuous improvement of commercial planning and activation processes.

Key Characteristics

• Collaborative Team Player: You work effectively across teams, build trust, and prioritize shared success.
• Action Oriented: You bring a bias for action and focus on progress over perfection.
• Ownership Mindset: You take accountability for outcomes and follow through on commitments.
• Growth Oriented: You are curious, adaptable, and committed to continuous improvement.
• Strategic Thinker: You can step back, connect the dots, and understand how individual priorities impact enterprise outcomes.

How You Work

• You create clarity in complex environments and help teams focus on what matters most.
• You proactively surface misalignment, risks, or competing priorities and work collaboratively to resolve them.
• You communicate clearly and concisely, translating strategy into practical, workable plans.
• You bring structure and organization to ambiguous situations through strong project management.
• You influence effectively without relying on direct authority.
• You are energized by partnering with others to drive shared outcomes.

Who You Are

• Bachelor's Degree in Business or Sales & Marketing preferred
• 5+ years' experience including a combination of field sales, sales operations, sales enablement, sales leadership/management, and/or Commercial Excellence roles.
• Experience working within large, matrixed organizations and working cross functionally with other functions
• Broad B2B industry experiences with distribution channels and field sales
• Excellent business acumen, strategic planning, analytical, communication, project management, and change management skills.
• Customer success obsession and a bold passion for working towards results and customer satisfaction
• Excellent communicator able to assemble and clearly articulate key strategies, plans and reports aligned to drive tangible business impact. Strong listening and facilitation skills
• Experience working CRM systems (i.e. Microsoft Dynamics) preferred as well as working knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Proficient with corporate productivity and web presentation tools
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, and strong listening and presentation skills
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and manage time effectively to drive for results and sense of urgency
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships on all levels
• Strong organizational & collaborative skills and ability to work virtually with customers and internal teams.
• Sound business acumen and sales financial understanding with ability to solve for customer needs
• Ability to travel up to 20-25% domestic travel

What We Can Offer You 

At Essity, we believe every career is as unique as the individual and empower employees to reach their full potential in a winning culture motivated by a powerful purpose. 

Compensation and Benefits 

Competitive annual salary range + annual bonus incentive + benefits 

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors such as knowledge, skills, and experience. 

Along with competitive pay you will be eligible for the following benefits: 

• United Healthcare PPO / EyeMed Vision Insurance / Delta Dental Insurance
• Wellness program provided through Rally
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) with employer match and annual employer base contribution
• Company paid Basic Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• PTO offering with Paid Holidays
• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, and accident insurance
• Employee discounts program
• Scholarship program for children of Essity employees.

Additional Information

The Company is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified candidates and employees pursuant to applicable law. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

If you require reasonable accommodation as part of the application process please contact EssityHRNorthAmerica@essity.com

Together, we are improving lives, every day

Working at Essity is not just a career; it is a chance to directly make the world a healthier, more hygienic and safer place. With impactful innovations coupled with sustainable solutions, we strive to reach more people every year with the necessary and essential solutions for well-being.

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