Cloud Sales Executive at Ericsson

Req ID: 151817
Location: Lagos, NG

Job Summary

• You will be the driving force behind a tremendous sales acceleration of IT Cloud solutions to a select customer / small group of customers. The focal point in all business development and sales initiatives directed at building, consolidating, optimizing and transforming the cloud operations and infrastructure of your customer base. Your scope cuts across all cloud service models (IaaS-PaaS-SaaS), architectures (Private-Public-Hybrid) and nature of workloads (Enterprise, Business Support Systems and Media).
• The successful candidate will combine a ferocious appetite to develop business; an exceptional acumen in technical, business, market and operational aspects of cloud; and a keen interest to actively develop her organization’s capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Secure sales targets
• Seek and qualify leads: conduct in-depth 360° discussions to take stock of the customer business and technology environments, requirements, plans & issues; secure participation in relevant procurement processes (e.g., RFXs)
• Mobilize organization to pursue opportunities: decompose opportunity situation and develop pursuit plans anchored on compelling events to act now; provide structure, clear directions and objectives for engagement teams to act
• Lead sales engagements: lead direct and indirect, virtual/cross-functional teams, seeking assistance within a large, complex organization on proposals, offer development, demos, proofs of concepts, strategy development, 3rd party solutions, etc.; lead responses to procurement processes (e.g., RFXs)
• Close sales: maintain a continuously updated 360° map of “what is needed to close the business”; early and clear articulation of case towards own stakeholders;  secure all of the company’s strengths, capabilities and possibilities to secure business on “D-day”
• Own and manage a 48 months sales funnel that secures a significantly growing business
• Identify strengths and weaknesses of Ericsson’s positioning vs. competition in any given situation through research, industry contacts, personal networks, etc.
• Drive knowledge transfer and thought leadership: secure knowledge continuity through immediately-near individuals; active high level participation in global re-use and knowledge sharing

Basic Qualifications
Cloud Domain:

• Thorough knowledge of cloud economics: TCO and commercial models, their cost structure and value drivers; make buy analysis
• Relevant real life experience with bimodal IT operations: procuring, selling, implementing, utilizing and/or operating such infrastructures - private and/or hybrid
• Expertise on at least three of the following five cloud stack elements: Hardware / Software Defined Infrastructure, Data Storage, Data / Application Platform, Security, Data Center Facilities
• Expertise on processes and interventions to build, consolidate and optimize cloud operations; and/or to transform data centers into highly available cloud platforms
• Fluent in the ITIL/ITSM framework, agile methodologies and DevOps practices
• Knowledgeable about the most relevant industry players, offers and dynamics: infrastructure, professional services and XaaS
• Bachelor of Business Administration, Science or similar
• Substantial in-field experience from sales/solutions at Ericsson or equivalent
• Experience from working in the field with customers

 Superior soft skills across the board:

• Entrepreneurial & Commercial thinking: ambitious, self-driven, go-getter, risk-taker, persuader and influencer, persistent, action oriented, change driver, opinionated (“my business!”)
• Solutions-focused: curious, positive, collaborative, issues into possibilities
• Consultative skills: establish credibility; explore requirements; plan in view of interests, ambitions and possibilities; handshake engagement; deliver on it
• Organizational awareness: establish power-base mapping to sensibly act and plan in accordance
• Superior presentation / communication skills: purposeful structure, crisp content (less is more), actionable delivery
• Maintains good rapport and demonstrates leadership and teamwork in cross-functional teams.