ORGANIZATION CONTEXT

German manufacturer of pliers, pliers wrenches, and other tools, distributed for global sales. 

Its tools are principally for professional use in various trades, but they are also increasingly

popular for DIY and EDC use as well. KNIPEX employs around 1,200 people at the Wuppertal location, and around 1,900 in the group.

JOB SUMMARY

As a sales manager of Kenya you will look for opportunities to promote the brand and find new business.  You will identify the potential customers and the best partners to work with.  You will in time understand who is who and how best to position Knipex as a premium brand.  You should be able to research the decision makers of the companies and be able to close deals.

The Role is to promote the Knipex brand and find channels to market while building awareness / boosting the brand recognition. Understanding the market and how our tools fit into the picture.

The position requires management skills, excellent team building and people coaching skills, extensive experience and in-depth understanding of operational and administrative support processes and compliance requirements. She/he must demonstrate an understanding of Knipex needs and concerns for ensuring effective sales management support.

As a member of the Senior Management Team in Kenya, s/he participates in decision making at the organisational level and policy making on matters of Sales, Management and operations.

The position reports to the Country Director.  You will be largely independent but will need to report – a framework of guidelines will be in place to work within

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Making meetings, does product demonstrations, closing sales, finding key markets, creating a community
• Have the ability to be customer facing and drive deep technical whiteboard sessions aligning our current capabilities plus our product roadmaps with our customer’s business outcomes
• Personally and actively developing and fostering relevant senior client relationships in support of the overall achievement of sales targets
• Actively supporting sales cycles and major customer engagements by bringing specific knowledge and experience to the opportunity
• Driving the adoption of key Sales programmes and providing feedback on these
• Undertaking external benchmarking - identifying and overseeing implementation of sales management best practices
• Ensuring compliance with the sales governance processes and best practice
• Ensuring a robust and accurate outlook process at all times and shortfalls to plan identified and remedial actions carried out promptly
• Working with Marketing to develop demand generation activities and ensuring 100% follow up of all leads and suspects created from these activities by salespeople in the team

KEY COMPETENCIES AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Driver’s licence, secondary school or Tertiary education is a must
• Experience in selling tools, equipment and machinery is a prerequisite
• Applicant must be available for travel when required and should have a valid passport 
• Must understand basic mechanical concepts
• Proficient in Computer with knowledge in Microsoft Office Suite, Internet usage, Outlook, Excel, Word, Power Point 
• Should have expertise to cold call in person and by phone. 
• Ability to thrive in team environments, with a strong understanding of diversity and other cultures
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with a fluent writing style and good knowledge and practical use of both English and Kiswahili. 
• Customer focused while handling multiple priorities
• Organised, works well alone, independent, can speak in groups for training
• Excellent presentation skills

WORKING CONDITIONS

• The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya.
• Remote work 

EXPECTED PERCENTAGE OF TIME TRAVELLING

• Travel to other parts of the country (estimated at 30% of work time) is a core requirement of this position. Occasional travel outside Kenya may be necessary.