Key Account Manager

Our client was founded in 1981 and focuses on manufacturing, marketing and distributing technological animal feed additives, and disinfectant products for animal feed, livestock, and food. They have an exciting permanent **Key Account Manager (Africa)** position available in Gauteng.

Despite all the change and growth over the years, one thing that has remained constant is the commitment and dedication of the team. Our staff are our greatest assets, playing a huge part in the success and growth of the company over the years.

**Product**: Technological animal feed additives. Detergent and disinfectant products for the feed, livestock and food industries.

**Market**: Animal feed mills and associated industries. Livestock operations include dairy farms, poultry and pigs. Abattoirs and food processing plants.

Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Cameroon, DRC

**Key Objectives**:

- Takes overall accountability for the sales of all products by ensuring consistent, profitable growth in sales revenues through proactive planning, deployment, and management of the sales team within their region.
- Retains key customers by being a strategic key account partner and advisor to the customer, discovering new opportunities to work together for mutual benefit.

**Responsibilities**:

- Implement and drive the organisation’s overall strategy by achieving market share, profit share and customer satisfaction objectives across the region, within defined expense budgets.
- Provide regular updates on regional performance and sales force efficiencies with recommendations for maximising business relationships and creating an environment where customer service can be enhanced within the region.
- Monitor market conditions and advises management of changes in competition, product availability or related matters.
- Collaborate with the management team in establishing and recommending realistic sales goals for the region.
- Streamline sales processes and systems wherever possible to ensure efficient and effective regional performance.
- Obtain profitable results by managing, coaching, motivating, developing, and retaining key Technical Sales Advisors.
- Personally observe the performance of the technical sales advisors in the field on a regular basis in order to ensure that the sales team are interacting professionally and providing excellent solutions to their customers.
- Build strong relationships with strategic customers in order to contribute to sustaining and growing our business to achieve long-term success.
- Supports product development in launching new and overhauled products to the market.
- Collect and evaluate customers’ feedback regarding product innovations with the aim of enhancing customers’ experience and increasing market penetration.

**Experience and Qualifications**:

- Grade 12 plus relevant bachelor’s degree
- A minimum of 7 years of sales experience within the agricultural/animal feed industry, of which 2+ years included sales team management.
- Proven track record of sales success.
- Proven ability to motivate and lead a sales team would be beneficial.
- Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills to interpret sales performance and market trend information with the aim of identifying business solutions.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, plus a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite are required.
- Results orientated with excellent interpersonal skills.

**Extensive travel
- 4 000 km and spend 10+ nights away each month, previous experience travelling within Africa is preferable.