Head of Sales - Sub Saharan Africa

Head of Sales - Sub Saharan Africa

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This position reports to

Sales Manager

Your role and responsibilities

In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop an effective (business area/division/product group) sales strategy within the specified market scope (global/regional) and maintain it, to improve ABB’s market penetration and realize growth aspirations. Each day, you will define, plan, lead, and ensure the execution of sales strategy to achieve both qualitative and quantitative sales targets for products, systems, and/or services to ensure sustainable order growth, revenue, profitability, market share, sales productivity, and customer satisfaction. You will also showcase your expertise by leading, developing, and coaching the Sales organization (other sales managers and sales specialists within scope) to achieve the sales targets, through high performance. The work model for the role is: Hybrid. This role is contributing to the Process Automation business area in the Energy Industries in Longmeadow.

You will be mainly accountable for:

1. Creating, planning, and implementing a sales strategy, and strategic sales and business development initiatives, in alignment with the local and global strategy.
2. Establishing sales targets and ensuring sales achievement through regular oversight and definition and implementation of improvement plans as needed. As sales manager, your involvement through either leading or supporting key pursuits is crucial and will be considered a major KPI.
3. Identifying opportunities at existing and potential new customers within the Sub-Saharan region, determining plans for acquisition and allocating resources.
4. Coordinating the flow of information for sales activities, including leads, orders, contracts, etc., and evaluating data to ensure achievement of goals. Monitoring and providing reports to the Marketing and Sales organization on market intelligence.
5. Supporting the development of strong relationships with key customers.
6. Ensuring achievement of sales volume by setting appropriate sales prices and margins for all sales proposals. Participating in the negotiations of key contracts. Managing ongoing costs.
7. Supporting channel organization and aligning on strategy for growing the automation channel partner business. Supporting with the identification and onboarding of potential partners in the Sub-Saharan region.
8. Monitoring client financial status and reporting any changes regarding risk to relevant internal partner teams. Identifying and managing potential risks relating to contract agreements across customers/channels.
9. Taking ownership of the sales processes, and all relevant training and development plans, actions, and programs that concern the sales team members.
10. Ensuring development and roll out of marketing plan.
11. Management of Bid and proposal team, ensuring tendering efficiency and achievement of HIT Rate Target.
12. Ensuring (with HR Manager support) that the area of responsibility is properly organized, staffed, skilled, and directed. Coaching, motivating, and developing direct and indirect subordinates within HR policies. Driving and ensuring know-how sharing and cross-collaboration.
13. Achieving sales targets in respect of both budgets and sales efficiency within the Power, Water, Oil and Gas, and Petrochemicals industries, from both a Systems and Service perspective.
14. Building and maintaining strong relationships with key decision makers.
15. Ensuring efficient marketing communications.

Qualifications for the role

• Degree in Electrical / other related engineering tertiary qualification
• Master’s in engineering / MBA will be advantages
• Minimum 8 -10 years Electrical and Automation Systems/Projects Sales experience.
• Project or sales experience within the power, water, and oil and gas industries
• Proven track record and management of large teams a prerequisite (over 7 years sales management)
• Must be willing to travel in Africa
• Must be Sales Leader with extensive experience in Industrial sector, ability to manage large team (15+ Professional), proven track record in execution and delivering results.
• Preference will be given to previously disadvantaged candidates in line with the company's employment equity targets.

More about us

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