HEAD – PROJECTS & INSTITUTIONAL BUSINESS

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Kolkata, Saburi Ply is a growing manufacturer of plywood, block boards, flush doors, fire-retardant panels and shuttering plywood, with manufacturing facilities across three plants and a distribution network covering 350+ districts.

Saburi Ply is now building a dedicated Projects & Institutional Business vertical to expand beyond traditional distribution-led sales and establish the brand directly within large government, institutional and private project ecosystems.

This is a business-building role, not a conventional sales position.

The person joining this role will be responsible for creating the vertical from the ground up — establishing government approvals and empanelment, building architect/PMC specifications, developing institutional accounts, creating contractor relationships and, at the appropriate stage, building a high-performing projects sales team.

Saburi Ply has the products, manufacturing capabilities, certifications and supply infrastructure required to participate in large projects.

What we now need is the person who can get Saburi Ply into the approved-makes lists, specifications, BOQs and procurement ecosystems where major projects are won.

The successful candidate will have significant ownership and visibility, with direct access to the Managing Director and the mandate to build this business vertical.

• Drive Saburi Ply's entry into approved-makes and empanelment lists of key government organisations and departments.
  
• Develop and execute the approval strategy for CPWD, MES, Indian Railways, State PWDs, PSUs, government bodies and major government contractors.
  
• Identify relevant departments, authorities, consultants and decision-makers.
  
• Coordinate product presentations, technical documentation, samples, demonstrations and approval requirements with internal teams.
  
• Build a structured government-approval pipeline and maintain persistent follow-up until closure.
  
• Develop relationships with government-approved contractors and agencies involved in major projects.
  

• Build a strong specification pipeline across:
  • Hotels & Hospitality
    
  • Hospitals & Healthcare
    
  • Schools & Educational Institutions
    
  • Commercial Buildings
    
  • Residential & Commercial Developers
    
  • Corporate Offices
    
  • Large Interior & Fit-out Projects
    
• Develop relationships with architects, interior designers, PMCs, consultants, project managers and contractors.
  
• Ensure Saburi Ply products are specified and included in project BOQs and approved-make specifications before procurement begins.
  
• Track projects from initial specification through tendering, finalisation, procurement and supply.
  
• Build a project pipeline with clear stages, values, probability and expected closure timelines.
  

Develop direct B2B relationships and supply opportunities with:

• Hospitality chains
  
• Healthcare groups
  
• Educational institutions
  
• Real-estate developers
  
• Corporate groups
  
• Interior and fit-out companies
  
• Modular furniture companies
  
• Furniture manufacturers
  
• OEM customers
  
• Modular kitchen and interior brands
  

The objective will be to create repeat institutional business, not only one-time project orders.

• Build and maintain relationships with Class-A contractors, large private contractors and project procurement teams.
  
• Identify contractors who influence or execute projects where plywood and panel products are specified.
  
• Develop a strong network across architects, PMCs, contractors and institutional procurement teams.
  
• Convert specifications and approvals into actual commercial orders.
  

• Design the overall Projects & Institutional Business strategy for Saburi Ply.
  
• Establish market priorities, target segments, account lists and geographic priorities.
  
• Create the initial project-sales process, reporting structure, pipeline mechanism and sales methodology.
  
• Establish annual and quarterly revenue/order-book targets.
  
• Develop a scalable business model that can eventually support a dedicated pan-India projects team.
  

• Initially operate as the primary business owner for the vertical.
  
• Hire and build a lean projects-sales team once the business pipeline justifies expansion.
  
• Recruit, train, coach and manage projects sales professionals.
  
• Establish KPIs, sales targets and performance-management mechanisms for the team.
  
• Build a culture of disciplined pipeline management, specification conversion and account development.
  

Within 24 months, the successful candidate is expected to establish a functioning Projects & Institutional Business vertical with measurable outcomes such as:

• Saburi Ply empanelled/approved with relevant government departments and agencies.
  
• Meaningful presence in approved-make/vendor ecosystems of major government and institutional buyers.
  
• Saburi Ply products being specified by architects, PMCs and consultants on major private projects.
  
• A healthy pipeline across hotels, hospitals, schools, commercial developments and other institutional projects.
  
• Direct institutional supply relationships with hospitality, healthcare, education, real-estate and OEM customers.
  
• A strong Class-A contractor and project procurement network.
  
• A trained and productive projects-sales team.
  
• A clearly defined and growing annual project order book.
  

• 12–20 years of overall experience in building-materials sales/business development.
  
• Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience in Projects, Institutional, Specification or Project Sales.
  
• Experience in one or more of the following categories:
  • Plywood
    
  • Panels
    
  • Laminates
    
  • Doors
    
  • Building materials
    
  • Paints
    
  • Pipes
    
  • Sanitaryware
    
  • Electrical products
    
  • Other specification-driven building-material categories
    
• Proven experience of getting a brand/product approved, empanelled or specified by:
  • Government departments
    
  • Large developers
    
  • Institutional organisations
    
  • Hospitality chains
    
  • Healthcare groups
    
  • Major contractors
    
  • Large corporate/OEM customers
    
• Strong existing relationships with architects, PMCs, consultants, contractors, institutional buyers and procurement decision-makers.
  
• Demonstrated ability to independently build a business vertical, rather than simply manage an established sales team.
  
• Strong commercial understanding and proven negotiation and closing skills.
  
• Willingness to travel extensively across India.
  

• Experience selling plywood, panels, doors or related wood-based products into hospitality, healthcare or education projects.
  
• Exposure to OEM/B2B supply for furniture manufacturers, modular kitchens, interior brands or fit-out companies.
  
• Experience building a Projects/Institutional vertical from scratch.
  
• Previous experience with a challenger or emerging brand where the candidate personally created the market rather than relying primarily on an established brand name.
  
• Experience handling large-value project negotiations and institutional contracts.
  

Candidates must be able to demonstrate specific personal achievements in approvals, empanelments or project specifications.

During the selection process, candidates should be prepared to provide:

• Organisation/Department name
  
• Product/brand involved
  
• Year of approval/empanelment/specification
  
• Candidate's personal role in achieving the outcome
  
• Approximate business/order value generated, wherever possible
  
• Current status of the relationship, where relevant
  

Candidates who cannot demonstrate specific, personally delivered approvals, empanelments, specifications or institutional wins may not be shortlisted.

Business Development | Project Sales | Institutional Sales | Specification Sales | Government Empanelment | Key Account Management | Architect & PMC Relations | Contractor Management | B2B Sales | OEM Business | Strategic Sales | Negotiation | Pipeline Management | Team Building | Market Development | Commercial Acumen

Competitive compensation will be offered based on experience, current compensation and demonstrated business-development track record.

The compensation structure will be designed to recognise both business-building capability and measurable project/institutional business outcomes.

• Opportunity to build a new business vertical from the ground up.
  
• Direct visibility with the Managing Director.
  
• Significant autonomy and ownership.
  
• Opportunity to shape the Projects & Institutional business strategy.
  
• Scope to build and lead a dedicated projects-sales team.
  
• Opportunity to establish an emerging Indian plywood brand across major project and institutional markets.
  

Interested candidates should send their updated CV to:

[email protected]

Along with the CV, please include a short note listing the specific approvals, empanelments, project specifications or institutional business wins personally delivered by you, including:

Organisation | Year | Product/Brand | Your Role | Outcome

Applications without this information may not be prioritised.

Join Saburi Ply and build the Projects & Institutional Business vertical from the ground up.