Area Coordinator- Western Service Area at Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company Limited (ELDOWAS)

JOB REF:  ELDOWAS/2024/AC/05– 1 post

Reporting to: Commercial Manager.

Department:  COMMERCIAL

Terms of Engagement: Permanent &Pensionable

Job Grade: Grade 9

 Job Summary

To serve as a team leader, overseeing day-to-day commercial operations and focusing on the long-term interests of the company while pursuing new business opportunities in the respective area of operations. The role holder will serve as a link between the company and customers, and will be expected to put in place effective and innovative measures for accurate, complete and timely meter reading and billing as well as efficient collection of revenues due to the company including recovery of debts. The person will also be expected to coordinate as well as manage and supervise all staff under the area management.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities are:

• Managerial Roles and Responsibilities
• Manage all commercial operational aspects within the assigned area;
• Collaborate with the head of department to create strategic plans aligned with company objectives;
• Ensure that sites in the assigned jurisdiction are compliant with company guidelines and protocols;
• Establish training programmes for area staff members to improve customer service and sales outcomes;
• Develop processes for area and individual staff performance evaluations;
• Monitor and control inventory in each area;
• Coordinate logistics and facilitation of the area staff;
• Review historical operations data and reports to identify areas for improvement and innovation;
• Maintain financial information, prepare budgets as well as approve petty cash expenditures for the area;
• Commitment to maintaining a constant awareness of trends and market conditions in order to provide strategic advice to the head of department;
• Implement commercial strategies, meeting company goals and objectives in the area;
• Assist the head of department, in coordination with the Customer service manager, to conduct market research and analysis including creation of detailed business plans for the area;
• Manage existing customer relationships and their requirements to ensure they are being met;
• Look for opportunities to grow the business, whether through partnerships or new initiatives and work to take advantage of those opportunities;
• Analyze sales and other reports that give insight into how the company can make adjustments to improve performance in the area;
• Assess risks and make recommendations based on a thorough analysis of all factors involved in a business situation;
• Develop plans for expansion and business development within the respective area;
• Assume a leading role in taking strategic risks, acting to acquire new customers and manage client relationships;
• Collaborate with, and coordinate diverse teams (meter readers, billing, revenue, customer service, etc.);
• Develop metrics to monitor performance of commercial activities within the area and reporting results to the Head of Commercial Services;
• Assist in setting financial and operational targets, developing budgets, and monitoring compliance in the area.

Operational Roles and Responsibilities

• Keep track of commercial operation policies and procedures to make sure they stay relevant and make recommendations for necessary changes;
• Ensure timely, complete and accurate meter reading and billing of services and subsequent revenue collection in coordination with the Revenue, Metering and Billing Officers;
• Document sewer blockages as well as water leaks and bursts within the designated area for reporting to the Technical Services department through the head of department;
• Recommend water extension and upgrading of aged pipelines to the technical teams through the head of department in line with business expansion plans and NRW reduction strategy;
• Advising the Technical Services department through the head of department on water rationing programmes to ensure equity in order to minimize complaints and enhance customer satisfaction;
• Coordinate replacement of aged meters to ensure steady water supply;
• Ensure site surveys for new water connections have been carried out by the relevant technical personnel and recommending the necessary action;
• Ensure that all meters are accurately read, correctly entered into the billing system and bills are delivered to customers on a timely basis;
• Ensuring collection of revenues and outstanding debts by issuing notice to customers, visiting major defaulters to motivate them to promptly pay their water bills, disconnecting meters of defaulting accounts and promptly reconnecting meters of customers who have settled their accounts;
• Put in place a system that ensures prompt response to customer queries, information and correspondences;
• Supervise direct reports’ work and other administrative matters;
• Devise and implement sales and marketing campaigns for the assigned area in coordination with the Customer service manager;
• Create incentives to motivate employees to meet sales goals;
• Collect data and analyze reports to inform decision-making;
• Review performance of area staff;
• Identify training needs for area staff;
• Participate in the recruitment of staff within the department through identification of skills and resource gaps;
• Work with other managers to ensure smooth flow of operations;
• Resolve issues with contracts and commercial operations;
• Communicate with parties in a contract so that all understand the terms, particularly a contract’s legal and financial aspects;
• Coach employees on best practices for managing customer issues and handling daily issues and tasks;
• Perform any other relevant duties that may be assigned.

Key Result Areas:

The jobholder’s accountability areas are as follows:

• Extensive understanding of business growth models and ability to foresee commercial opportunities;
• Excellent relational skills, working tirelessly to build and maintain beneficial partnerships with key stakeholders;
• Effective operational cost control of the department’s financial resources within the respective area;
• Successful implementation of quality control standards for services offered by the department;
• Effective supervision of employees assigned to the area;
• Maximization of productivity in the area to enhance departmental performance;
• Continuous process improvement of services offered by the department;
• Ensure customer satisfaction for the consumers of the services offered by the department;

Knowledge and Skills Required:

The jobholder must possess:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or Management, Economics or in any other related field. A Bachelor’s degree in a related Technical Field with relevant commercial management experience may also be considered;
• Possession of CPA (K) or ACCA qualifications will be an added advantage;
• A minimum of 7 years’ related work experience 3 of which should have been in middle level management;
• Must be highly numerate with a high level of computer literacy and report-writing skills;
• Have proven integrity, ethics, transparency and accountability and must have shown merit and ability as reflected in previous work performance and results;
• Possess good interpersonal and communication skills, self-drive, strong leadership and managerial skills as well as strong negotiation skills;
• Must have demonstrated ability to handle sectional budgets, resources, processes, projects and relationships;
• Should have good knowledge of the relevant industry/sector as well as knowledge of regulatory requirements affecting the relevant sector;
• Must have ability to plan, organize, implement and evaluate departmental goals;
• Must demonstrate ability to handle multiple and conflicting priorities, and work under strict deadlines;
• Should have strong analytical skills and be results oriented;
• Must have high standards of integrity and ethical practice;
• Must be capable of functioning effectively both as a team player and a team leader;
• Must have strong management and leadership skills;
• Must have ability to accurately plan work assignments, prioritize tasks and deliver within deadlines;
• Should have problem solving and decision making abilities;
• Should be an effective communicator with the ability to handle both internal and external communication;
• Should demonstrate ability to identify and respond to risk areas within the department;
• Should have effective people management and conflict resolution skills;
• Must have knowledge and experience in use of MS office packages.