Job Openings at Engie Africa

Job Overview

• The Head of Commercial will play a critical role in ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria (EEAN). As Commercial Director, you are responsible for developing and implementing Sales, Marketing & Business Development (Partnerships) strategies to accelerate growth with our current and new, while maintaining strong customer repayments.
• You are also expected to identify new commercial opportunities, manage marketing efforts and coordinate the execution of market research and analysis to create business plans based on commercial opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and manage the overarching strategic direction, priorities and focus areas for sales commercial (sales, marketing and business development), cascading and ensuring alignment throughout EEAN.
• Manage consolidated country P&L commercial performance (primarily revenue and gross profit), with a secondary focus on driving overall EBITDA (given sales team core responsibilities for credit, product, operations, and CX outcomes).
• Where the country is underperforming on sales and commercial targets, manage turnaround efforts to remediate performance.
• Establish a best-in-class commercial operating model, with a high-impact and right-sized organizational structure, tools, reports, standards and systems.
• Lead our go-to-market strategy through understanding our customers, the market and competitive landscape then determining competitive positioning with regards to products, prices, channels and locations.
• Develop and lead a team a commercial team (including State Managers) on a local, regional and national level, with full responsibility for the team’s workplan, coaching and professional development.
• Lead and oversee strategic projects to improve commercial performance.

Detailed Responsibilities

Strategy, Planning & Budgeting (10%)

• Set and manage the overarching strategic direction, priorities and focus areas for commercial across EEAN over the short, medium and long-term
• Develop the commercial strategy to drive efficient customer acquisition and revenue growth throughout EEAN, including directly owning key inputs with our go-to-market strategy (locations, distribution channels, marketing, partnerships etc.) and collaborating cross-functionally to determine other key strategic inputs (e.g. product, pricing, CX, etc.)
• Ensure regions have localised strategies in line with the country strategy and have robust plans to deliver the country targets, including allocating sufficient investment and resources to reliably execute
• As part of the management team, provide thought partnership for cross-functional leads, provide input into strategies, act as a key stakeholder on cross-functional decisions and ensure that core commercial and enabling functions align with the sales strategy
• Develop the sales, marketing and business development team budgets, and track departmental expenditures, financial goals and budgets
• Where required, both lead and oversee strategic commercial projects to drive sales growth across EEAN

Governance, Reporting, Analytics & Performance Management (40%)

• Continuously manage country P&L performance, including:
  • Primary focus on revenue (though sales volumes, kit mix and price), gross profit (through maximizing sales of higher margin withs with a lower COGS) and cost of sale
  • Secondary focus on EBITDA, given sales team core responsibilities for credit, product, operations, and CX outcomes
• Set the overarching sales target setting process, approve regional sales targets
• Oversee the development of reports, analysis and insights for financial performance and other operational KPIs for sales (per sales manager / agent, active agents) and marketing (brand health, marketing spend, referrals, etc.)
• Establish the overarching governance framework to track performance against commercial goals, lead national] governance forums and hold State Managers and other departments accountable for results and plans
• Where there is underperformance, provide hands-on support to turnaround and make key decisions to remediate performance
• Continuously monitor performance of other key functions that drive sales, including product, pricing, sales, distribution, portfolio health, customer experience, software, and service with potential partners, working with them to take remediation action to address underperformance

Commercial Operations (30%)

• Lead and manage development of a robust sales operating model, including:
  • Develop procedures and policies for core sales operations functions (lead and opportunity management; recruitment and training, tools of trade, incentives, size and structure, government reporting and performance management etc.)
  • Implement procedures and policies throughout the sales function, monitor and ensure compliance, continually test and improve
• Lead and manage marketing operations, including:
  • Lead market research, including the market and competitive landscape to identify analyze threats and opportunities.
  • Segment EEA Nigeria’s customers and develop tailored strategies to target
  • Identify trends in customer behavior closely following sales, product usage, customer retention, upgrades and competitors, leveraging this data to enhance our commercial strategy.
  • Supervise all marketing channels and methods to ensure appropriate information is effectively communicated to external audiences (including leading campaigns).
  • Establish and manage external partnerships, including negotiating ongoing contracts with suppliers and customers; managing and reviewing contracts and making recommendations regarding commerciality.

Leadership, Management & Culture (20%)

• Develop and lead a team of sales and commercial managers and analysts, including full responsibility for coaching and their professional development
• Manage the team’s work plan and workload to ensure delivery of agreed goals
• Help recruit, collaborate with, coordinate and train diverse teams such as Marketing and especially field sales and credit teams.
• Provide strong leadership, management and coaching for regional sales teams, including with support to other members of the Management Team

Required Skills & Experience

• Minimum of 12 years’ experience in progressive business leadership experience, with 3+ years leading a Commercial function (particularly FMCGs, MNOs & financial institutions)
• Strong commercial capability across sales and marketing (particularly in B2C), with a demonstrated history of leading and delivering strong commercial results
• Outstanding leadership, having led large field-based sales teams and the ability to create a performance culture with strong governance, accountability and results
• Strong understanding of the Nigeria commercial environment, ideally with time spent in various regions throughout Nigeria
• General strategic, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to set and communicate the strategic vision for commercial throughout the organization
• Ability to lead high-impact cross-functional strategic commercial projects end to end (including planning, analysis, conclusions and implementation) to achieve results
• Exceptional judgement and decision-making skills, with the ability to independently assess and take action to achieve results
• Outstanding stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to develop relationships with key functional leads (especially Customer Finance, Customer Experience and Operations) but also with external strategic commercial partners
• Demonstrated passion for our mission, values and customers!

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Job Purpose/Mission  

• The Freight Projects Manager is a critical link between upstream and downstream operations to ensure the smooth flow of goods from origin to destination by providing custodianship over quality freight services, while isolating, sealing, and implementing opportunities for cost optimization through efficient selection, contracting, onboarding, monitoring, and continuous improvement of freight vendor services for sea, air, rail, and land freights.  
• This position requires acute internal/external relationships management skills to communicate with cross-functional teams and partners, including supply chain, operations, markets, freight service vendors and the senior leadership, as well as data driven monitoring of partner’s performance through KPIs monitored daily, weekly, monthly to identify and implement improvements in freight processes and services. 

Responsibilities 

• Manage and optimize Sea Freight services from all providers (vendors). Track, measure, report and evaluate performance to optimize product flow and service costs.  
• Liaise with service providers via daily/weekly/ monthly/ quarterly (as applicable) meetings to understand issues and barriers to meeting performance target and driving future improvements. 
• Develop and implement performance improvement plans, leveraging internal cross functional expertise and resources. Report performance and provide insights via weekly/ monthly/ quarterly (as applicable) forums with senior leadership (or procurement/ sourcing team as required). 
• Track, assess and resolve all issues, providing mitigation to management and senior leadership. Actively identify, document and lead opportunities to continuously enhance efficiency and quality delivered by external and internal partners. 
• Facilitate vendor searches, contracting, onboarding, and portfolio benchmarking and with internal stakeholders as required. Negotiating contracts with carriers to find the best rates for freight shipments. 
• Establish professional relationships with vendors and suppliers to develop new business opportunities. Maintain awareness to sea freight operators of service quality and cost, review carrier choices, service frequency, transit times to ensure a competitive advantage. 
• Ensure vendors are continuously supported and aware of performance goals and contractual obligations. Work closely with the department quality supervisor to monitor and control monthly KPIs which enable company performance requirements. 
• To establish and maintain business relations with Customs, Agents, Brokers, Shipping Lines, suppliers, or any other local business partners; negotiating contracts and setting clear standards for the vendors to deliver agreed KPIs consistently. 
• Become the contact window to provide business support to internal and external freight partners and networks by enabling the team to provide timeline responses including solutions and proposals for further optimization opportunities. 
• To support country operations and supply chain customers to develop Sea Freight Operating Model and drive improve KPIs. Initiate corrective route plans to improve department service, quality, and data led cross-functional decision making for key freight results. 
• Reviewing shipping documentation to ensure compliance with company standards and federal regulations. Maintaining records of all incoming and outgoing shipments, including tracking numbers, dates, and customer information 
• Coordinating with insurance companies to ensure that cargo is covered for damage or loss during transport. 
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders (finance, supply chain, operations) to align favorable incoterms for shipping to the 9 markets in EEA. 
• Communicating with key internal and external customers regarding shipment details and delivery schedules. 

At EEA, we have high expectations for our managers. Each manager plays a key role in creating an exceptional experience not only for our customers but for every person on our team. Our managers help EEA realize our ambitious goals while developing their own leadership skills and facilitating growth for their direct reports.  

We believe that great managers: 

• Deliver ambitious results: As a high-performing and accountable leader, you create an enabling environment for effective action and bold decisions which contribute to successful delivery of results. 
• Act with integrity: As an ethical leader you are honest, respectful, objective, and transparent. You create and build upon a foundation of trust and openness. 
• Inspire and mentor the team: As an inspirational leader you walk the talk. You empower and coach your team with trust and humility. 
• Are accessible: as an accessible leader, you develop and maintain deep connections with stakeholders through approachability and active listening. 
• Ensure diversity and inclusion: as an inclusive leader, you ensure diversity and foster a sense of belonging. 

Experience and skills: 

Experience: 

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in freights management, vendor management, shipping, clearing, and forwarding, imports / exports business. 
• Proven track record of developing and implementing freight management and optimization processes that drive business results and cost reductions in fast-paced supply chain environments. 
• Experience and comfort dealing with contractual freight agreements that may impact critical business decisions, procurement, bidding, and tendering processes. 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to use performance related data to drive key decisions. 
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams – experience to speed up decision making is important. 
• Strong leadership and team management skills with the ability to develop and motivate a team. 

Qualifications: 

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in operations management, supply chain management, freight forwarding, procurement of imports / exports services or international business management or other closely related fields. 
• A master’s degree in business management or financial management, contractual law or related field is an added advantage. 
• Possesses critical certifications in supply chain planning such as CSCP, CPIM, CLTD, CIPS, SCPro, or other relevant supply chain management association certifications. 

Language(s):  

• English 
• French is a plus (for West Africa). 

 Technology: 

• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, NAV, Oracle is very important. 
• Experience with other supply chain software and tools such as Streamline, JDA, Logility, Infor are an added advantage. 
• Advanced user analytics tools such as Tableau, Mzee, PowerBi, Excel, are important for this role. 
• Experience working with customs interfaces for declarations, import, assessment, are an added advantage.