Head of Sales - East Africa

Role Profile

• To lead and deliver the East Africa Countries team and business (KE, TZ, UG, RW, BU) as per 5 year plan.
• To contribute to the development of the business strategy and ensure as a member of the country management team it is delivered in line with agreed business targets and timelines
• Manage customer relationships to gain a deeper understanding of their business and business needs to enable development of customized value offers that build a successful and sustainable business partnership.
• Work with the Commercial Operations & Marketing teams to implement the agreed customer strategy, monitor effectiveness and adjust as required, to ensure marketing and sales targets are achieved.
• To achieve agreed sales targets in accordance with the BA strategy and objectives.

Accountabilities

• To define the CP strategy including sales plans, targets and expense budgets; working in close collaboration with the Commercial Ops team
• To implement agreed sales & budget plans and ensure that targeted market share is achieved.
• To assume responsibility for realising the required growth of the business in East Africa with due consideration/assessment/management of all (financial) risks involved.
• Works within the sales and support teams for the achievement of customer satisfaction, revenue generation, and long-term account goals in line with company vision and values
• To fully understand market evolutions & key competitors’ offers, adjusting our GTM and/or developing new sales strategy accordingly
• To define channel strategy, review channels’ capabilities and role within the value chain to customer and regularly review our pool of channels partners based on agreed criteria
• Act as key contact / interface for all Syngenta businesses to customer.
• To successfully lead the sales team, developing a growth mindset, ensuring trainings & growth opportunities for all
• To ensure sales teams develop close customer relationships & are strongly accountable for their sales
• To work closely with marketing, Commercial Operations & other functions to ensure appropriate customer segmentation and appropriate value offers are communicated as part of the field support programme.
• To overview sales budgeting and product forecasting
• Works in compliance with commercial policy of the country, HSE requirements, local legislation and competition law.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Critical experience and knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of the Eastern Africa agricultural sales environment, sales techniques and approaches
• Strong people management and leadership skills
• Language skills - must have excellent language skills of Swahili and English.
• Key sales management skills; strong understanding of customer needs, structure and business drivers
• Understanding of the agricultural competitive environment
• Education level of undergraduate in BSc. Agriculture as a minimum

Critical leadership capabilities and skills

• Sets ambitious business goals and demonstrates a high degree of ownership of agreed goals
• Communicates with impact
• Manages for performance and demonstrates a high degree of ownership
• Strategic thinking and a good team player
• Leadership – ability to lead, coach, drive and motivate individuals, teams and customers
• Business delivery orientation
• Develops people, organization and self
• Focuses on customers

Critical Success Factors in the First 6 months 

• Finalize & implement the new channel strategy in Kenya, ensuring minimal business disturbance and a positive communication on the ground
• Create a sustainable and profitable relationship with our channel
• Deliver on the BA targets
• Working closely with other functions, to review and implement the sales strategy (sales team organization, customers segmentation & targeting, sales KPIs)
• Develop, motivate and mentor the sales team
• Relationships developed with key stakeholders in the crop protection and seed business
• Support design of systematic ways of collecting grower/ channel data

As a world market leader in crop protection, we help farmers to counter these threats and ensure enough safe, nutritious, affordable food for all – while minimizing the use of land and other agricultural inputs. Syngenta Crop Protection keeps plants safe from planting to harvesting.  From the moment a seed is planted through to harvest, crops need to be protected from weeds, insects and diseases as well as droughts and floods, heat and cold. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Switzerland.