Area Sales Manager at Puratos Nigeria

Puratos is an international group offering a full range of innovative products, raw materials and application expertise to the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors. Our headquarters are just outside Brussels (Belgium), where the company was founded in 1919. Almost a century later, our products and services are available in over 100 countries around the world and, in many cases, are produced by our network of local subsidiaries. Above all, we aim to be ‘reliable partners in innovation’, helping our customers around the world to deliver nutritious and tasty food to their local communities.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Area Sales Manager

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

Job Description

• Reporting directly to the General Manager, the successful candidate for this key function will be responsible for Identify, initiate and follow up the collaboration with the artisan and distributor sales.

Key Accountabilities
30% in Customer Management:

• Defines and grows the business through effective customer management and account business plans (joint as applicable) at trade level for the responsible customer / s or account / s channel /s area/s under the business unit.
• Identifies, understands and owns the customer relationship and partnership.
• Part and parcel of this role are the following but is not limited to:
  • Account goal planning (budget, channel strategy etc.)
  • “Route to market” analysis, evaluation and improvement
  • Customer/ Account business planning
  • New product launch
• The role leads in delivering profitable growth for Puratos and customer / s.
• Leads the articulation of customer / account priorities and opportunities and what it will take to deliver against these – he or she is the key communicator of this at all forms.
• Communicates and consistently monitors progress of the execution of the Artisan & distributor account strategies amongst trade customers with internal and external stakeholders.
• Develops and executes joint business plans with customer / s. (business consulting)
• Clearly establishes: “where to win” and “how to play” customer & trade programs that deliver the outcomes required with clear customer marketing, sales and financial deliverables.
• In all called out areas below, the role will comply with or develop the right measurable at all levels to ensure delivery and visibility of progress (or the lack of it) in achieving general trade business goals:
• Externally, the role is the main driver of the customer relationship – the main driver of joint business performance:
  • Developing new customers – creating sales profit by developing new customers
  • Attendance at education program for customer & seminar
• He or she articulates the right and relevant financial deliverables with respect to channels, and He or she is responsible for ensuring the delivery of the right stock, at the right time:
  • Credit management & collecting bills – adjusting and managing credit limit by each customer, collecting bills, managing bad bonds
  • Stock management – forecasting imported/manufactured item sales managing expiration date
  • Product / SKU planning and forecasting
  • Inventory goal planning and management
  • Returns minimization – planning and execution

40% in Sales Execution & SANCOC Management:

• Oversees the delivery of the responsible account sales goals through well defined Unicode (KPI).
• Delivers the agreed Artisan & distributor strategies for his or her customer.
• Part and parcel of this role are the following but is not limited to:
  • Compliance to trading terms (understand major items and influence if necessary)
  • Leading the joint business planning process with the customer
  • Lead SANCOC process and utilize sales channel portal as key instrument of sales process
  • Execute business reviews (internal and external) as planned
• Understan customers in their manufacturing operation systems, processes and policies to use their languages for sales discussion.

30% in developing new business opportunities:

• Define business opportunities via understanding of market/competitive landscape
• Identify, act on and materialize market opportunities based on new busine assignments from market analysis as well as development execution plan
• Lead and drive new business assignments by well-organized collaboration and communication with other functions to make more productive and better result.

Profile

• People skills oriented.
• A good personality and attitude: open-minded, honest, diplomat, precise, team player.
• Coordination skills with outcome oriented.
• Knowledge of the English language.
• Strong communication skills.  Excellent oral and written communication skills; strong interpersonal and presentation skills
• Good capacity of analysis and synthesis.
• Distributor account background (Technical food), experience in sales and/or marketing.
• Capacity to define and articulate a market and a pricing strategy.
• Sales negotiation skills with Artisan & Distributor accounts.
• Capability to build network of relationships in the industry; ability to be perceived as the subject matter expert.
• Basic knowledge of sales budgeting process, marketing techniques, production and distribution processes.
• Deep knowledge and exposure to sales and marketing
• Proficient in MS Office based applications
• Deep knowledge and exposure to sales and marketing
• Account Management & Category Management skillset
• A high level of understanding of finance and operations (logistics) of the business

Required Competencies
Strategic Agility:

• Thinks strategically by clearly anticipating future trends, challenges, and consequences, creating breakthrough strategies and plans to achieve a competitive advantage, and proactively adjusting strategies and plans in order to sustain a competitive advantage.

Business Acumen:

• Understands how businesses work including how strategies and tactics work in the marketplace. Maintains working knowledge of competitors as well as current and possible future policies, practices, trends and information affecting his/ her business and organization.

Drive for Results:

• Pushes self and others to exceed goals and achieve breakthrough results. Recognizes the key actions necessary to achieve results; establishes and communicates the priorities to others; and, maintains own and others focus on achieving the important goals. Demonstrates persistence in overcoming roadblocks to achieving results and encourages others to do the same

Problem Solving and Decision Making:

• Uses a systematic process to solve difficult problems including gathering and examining information from a variety of sources; identifying the root cause of problems; drawing appropriate conclusions; generating viable solutions; and, weighing the pros and cons to arrive at a final decision. Makes decision in a timely manner, sometimes with incomplete information and under tight deadlines and pressure.

Process Management:

• Identifies the processes required to accomplish work tasks; simplifies and integrates processes and work tasks to enable efficient work flow; utilizes best practices to organize people and activities; measures result against key metrics; uses resources efficiently.

Offer

• Puratos provides a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment that encourages our people to take initiatives and bring ideas that will contribute to the success of the company.
• Of course, Puratos offers a competitive package (salary, group insurance, healthcare, training…) but additionally, offers you a position that you can further develop and shape.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online