Head of Sales (Greenblade Growers) at Centum

Principal Accountabilities

The performance of this role is critical in ensuring that all production is sold and that all available demand is met through continuous expansion and strong commercial acumen.

Market development and revenue generation:

• You will analyze all market intelligence reports and identify all new business opportunities to expand the business and maintain an efficient portfolio for the same. You will provide forecasts of demand and any relevant changes to opportunities and threats to contribute to formulating the annual budgets identified by desired markets.
• You will design, develop, implement, track and report on sales plans including strategies that firmly place the company as the supplier of choice in the existing market regions.
• While we have customers in multiple countries (such as Europe and the UK), bringing and building your own relationships is another key performance indicator. You will lead the development of new export markets for herbs produced by Greenblade mainly Chives  (70%-80%), Mint (10%-20%), and Rosemary (5%-10%). Others include Chervil, Tarragon, Marjoram, Coriander, and Dill (5%-10%).
• You will be responsible for end-to-end management of existing and new customers, including demand estimation, receiving and processing of orders, liaising with the  Packhouse team in sourcing from Tumaini and Bendo Farms, quality and quantity control, billing, processing of returns, and collection of cash.
• You will maintain professional relationships with all key players and customers and ensure they are satisfied. From time to time, you will visit markets to support sales initiatives, develop relationships, assess opportunities, and ascertain market information pertinent to gaining new listings and maximizing sales potential.
• You will also lead the development of local markets for vegetables and coordinate with the farm to ensure profitable production and efficient and optimized land use.

Product mix and pricing decision support:

• You will advise the farm on the best product mix based on customer engagement and feedback to maximize sales, especially in the foreign/external markets. Greenblade also wants to consistently meet the customers’ needs as per their desires on the basket mix/composition of herbs. They are happy tomove into the production of any product that will grow the volume and profitability of the business in the different markets.
• Based on customer engagement and understanding of the market, you will also design and getapproval for pricing strategies that aim at maximizing sales including  offering products to customers willing to pay higher prices during peak demand as well as using quantity discounts to push sales in times of low demand with a focus on winning business quoted.

Risk management and compliance:

• You will ensure that the company is in full compliance with all regulations and certifications and standards relating to outbound logistics, including harvesting and post- harvest/Packhouse operations, traceability reports, HDI, NTSA (for shipping trucks).
• You will ensure that contracts with suppliers and customers are up to date, monitor compliance levels, and ensure full compliance with these contracts.

Others:

• You will provide periodic reports on orders/volumes/prices/forecasting in line with company procedures and guidelines to the General Manager and the Centum Capital team.
• You will carry out research and market intelligence to ensure that the company’s strategic plan is nimble enough to respond to changes in the market-product fit.
• Perform any other role assigned by the General Manager.

Minimum Requirements

We are looking for someone with at least 5 years senior management experience in a similar work environment ie. agribusiness and someone who has consistently and prudently built and maintained relationships with the majorbuyers of fresh produce globally.

Must-haves:

• You have a degree in horticulture or a relevant course in business.
• You are entrepreneurial with experience in pricing, product mix, and Gross Profit Margin enhancement.
• You are commercially astute, especially in clients and product management.
• You have excellent communication, negotiation, networking, and business development skills
• You are a business leader with the ability to work effectively with diverse teams in decision- making and performance enhancement.