Chief Sales & Operations Officer (CSO / COO) at Proten

Reports to: CEO

About the Position

• Our client seeks to hire an experienced and highly qualified Chief Sales Officer / Chief Operations Officer (CSO / COO) with a proven track record of delivering forward thinking services within a technology-oriented business that works with rural / low-income communities.
• The selected individual is expected to lead our core operations teams of Corporate Sales, Community Sales, Farmer Out-Grower Network Operations, Logistics / Supply & Distribution Operations.
• S / he will own the strategic plan for increasing our top-line revenue while efficiently managing operational resources.
• The individual will also drive the responsibility for Our client’s sales strategy, managing budgets and lead execution of a strategic roadmap to significantly grow the core business metrics.
• As a member of the senior leadership team, the CSO / COO will also be responsible for implementing and tracking effective KPIs for our large operations team.
• S / he will  partner with senior level personnel within the team to drive innovation and the continuous improvement of people and processes within the organisation.

Responsibilities
Sales:

• Responsible for planning, implementation, managing all the sales activities of Our client including setting revenue and activity targets for team members, existing customer / farmer member retention, new customer / farmer member acquisition, and product pricing.
• As a member of the senior management team, make key contributions to the formulation of the company’s short and long term sales and marketing strategies to drive business growth.
• Report sales performance against budget and any variances.
• Manage and optimize the product portfolio to target different customer segments.

Operations:

• Identify, design and implement customer-centric process improvements within the business.
• Lead efforts in recruiting, managing and retaining our small-holder farmers.
• Ensure critical inputs (seeds, fertilizers etc) are distributed to our farmer members on-time, conveniently and cost-effectively.
• Deeply understand customer needs and adjust service delivery models to efficiently serve our farmer members.
• Pilot, measure and iterate on new acquisition and expansion models to allow the business reach its ambitious scale targets of 1 million farmers by 2025.
• Optimize our logistics, warehousing and storage and distribution models to reduce transportation costs, handling costs and minimize inventory loss.
• Leverage technology and introduce new and innovation solutions to improve our business operations across the life cycle.

Leadership and Team Development:

• Ensure, on an ongoing basis, that current and planned sales and operations strategy are aligned with company business objectives.
• Work with a team to closely track targets, achieve key milestones and dynamically adjust strategy to changing market realities and constraints.
• Hire, develop, evaluate and retain a strong team of sales and operations professionals.
• Foster and reward a strong performance driven culture of owning and exceeding targets.
• Ensure that the sales organization operates with integrity and to the highest ethical standards.
• Develop and maintain a plan that provides for succession and continuity in the most critical Sales and Operations positions.
• Partner with business unit leaders and other functional heads to create and execute robust business plans that significantly expand the business to reach our goal of 1 million farmers.
• Define data-driven action strategies to consistently optimize Our client’s commercial performance.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree from a reputable university in Marketing, Business Administration, Business Management or any related field.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible sales and operations management experience in a fast growing organization preferably in an emerging market and / or agribusiness.
• An advanced degree or MBA is highly desirable.
• Proven and successful ability to lead a large team towards growth in increased sales volumes, revenue generation and operational improvements.
• Experience with and thrives in a fast paced, start-up environment with dynamic business priorities.
• Data-driven decision-making and analytical mindset with excellent problem-solving skills and strong business acumen.
• Ability to navigate a diverse range of stakeholders including senior executive teams, corporate boards, young professionals as well as bottom of the pyramid customers.
• Exceptional people leadership and communication skills (both oral and written) with an ability to articulate ideas in a persuasive manner.
• An entrepreneurial mindset coupled with an ability to inspire confidence and create trust while working under pressure.
• Passionate, self-driven individual who achieves results through teamwork and collaborative approaches.