Regional Partnerships & Business Development Representative

Our client is a fast-growing social enterprise that manufactures and sells high performance reusable (washable) sanitary pads as an impactful feminine hygiene solution for millions of women and girls in East Africa and beyond. The company’s mission is to empower women and girls through business, innovation, and opportunity.Currently they employ over 200 people across its three hubs, Uganda, Kenya and Malawi and are now looking to grow its impact in the West Africa region through its network of partner organizations

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Our client has established themselves as the leading supplier of reusable sanitary pads in the East Africa region. The company’s fastest growing market segment is supplying reusable pads to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and multilateral organizations (ex. UNICEF, UNFPA, etc.) in Sub-Saharan African countries (ex. Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, etc.). They seek an exceptional candidate to build, expand and manage their network in the West and Central Africa region, by leading business development and driving demand creation for the product . The ideal candidate is a French speaking, determined, self-motivated individual who is keen to gain hands-on experience in the emerging social enterprise sector.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct a market assessment of West Africa for our client's client base.
• Co-develop and execute a go-to-market strategy.
• Develop a network of contacts with key partners at the regional and national level
• Create new opportunities for the sales of their Menstrual Kits in a.o. DR Congo, Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast and surrounding countries, by identifying new partnerships with NGOs, UN Agencies and government bodies.
• Support the head of department to create new business opportunities in the global market segment.
• Keep an up-to-date database of all their clients on Salesforce.com
• Effectively manage relationships with customers, partner and stakeholders
• Identify strategic partners to conduct product acceptability studies with our client in new markets.
• Host Training of Trainers and field trainings for strategic partners on our clients’ training curriculum
• Assist customers with field visits to help inform on use and care of our client to product recipients, and conduct follow-up
• Attend conferences and trade shows to promote our clients’ products and liaise with customers
• Monitor competition by gathering current marketplace information on related products in East Africa

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• 3-5 years minimum work experience, ideally in business development, sales, marketing, entrepreneurship, customer service, or a similar field
• Mastery of English and French with excellent command of the language, both written and oral is a MUST
• Proven ability to strategize, organize, and deliver a customized, targeted sales pitch to a broad spectrum of potential customers, partners and stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; demonstrated ability to interact professionally and with sensitivity amongst culturally diverse staff and customers
• Understanding of the NGO and relief sector in Africa
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and proactively, with excellent time management
• Complete familiarity with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience working with Salesforce or similar CRM
  Additional skills & requirements
  
  
• Flexibility with shifting priorities and competing demands in a fast-paced, challenging work environment
• Willingness to work flexible hours (including evenings and weekends) and travel frequently across Africa (min. 50% of the time)
• Commitment to the company’s mission and objectives, with a keen sensitivity to empower and enable value-conscious consumers through social enterprise