Sales Officer at Komaza Kenya

Who we are

Komaza is revolutionizing African forestry by unlocking the potential for small farmers to serve booming wood markets. With roots in San Francisco and headquarters in coastal Kenya, we have planted over 2 million trees with more than 6,000 farmers, making us Kenya’s largest commercial tree planter. By leveraging farmers’ contribution of land and labor, Komaza can access effectively limitless land and establish a hectare of trees for far less than big plantations – a powerful disruption to the traditional forestry model. We have been recognized with numerous awards and investments, including Forbes, Ashoka, Mulago Foundation, and Novastar Ventures.

About the team

In the Komaza Marketing & Sales team we are responsible for taking the product to market and getting the best returns for our farmers’ hard work. We build long-term sustainable business relationships with different segments of customers, and go the extra mile to best meet their needs. As a team we also look at global and national trends and make sure we can anticipate future demand to be on top of the latest developments in the industry. Market research is done on a continuous basis to see where new opportunities may arise - be it in value-addition, processing, export or product diversification.

About this role

As local towns and cities grow, consumption of wood materials is booming. Komaza’s vision is to become the leading supplier of wood products in East Africa. As Sales Officer, your role is to build vital connections into local distribution channels and forge deep relationships with a wide network of buyers. The ideal candidate will be driven and charismatic, a natural relationship builder who is energized by new connections and challenges. You are a problem solver, who is open and honest enough to seek both critical feedback and collaborative solutions to any obstacles.

What you will do

• Acquire and manage customers through the complete sales cycle (creating awareness, generating interest, sending proposals, closing sales, and doing after-sales follow up) with the aim of achieving set sales targets
• Go the extra mile to ensure customer inquiries are handled satisfactorily, and product delivery is beyond expectation
• Gain thorough understanding of our products, our (potential) customers and the timber markets, keep track of findings, and share learning through regular reports
• Collect intelligence and insights through market and customer surveys (desk & field)
• Monitor and report on stock movements, ensure the stock-yard is well-kept, no stock-outs occur, and orders are supplied in time by liaising with the Harvesting & Processing Department

What you have

• Bachelors degree in relevant field required
• 3+ years of relevant experience and proven sales track record with a reputable organization
• Ability, or related experience, to sell wooden poles and lumber
• Strong familiarity with working in Kenya, specifically the Coastal urban areas where we target to sell our wood products
• Supreme organisational, critical thinking, and communication skills with impeccable spoken and written English and fluent (spoken) Kiswahili

You’re also

• Flexible and scrappy with the drive to do whatever necessary to get the job done
• Self-directed and intellectually curious - you know how and when to seek feedback in the pursuit of continuous improvement
• Growth-obsessed with a strong desire for personal development
• A collaborative problem solver who seeks the opinions of other teammates and departments in the development of creative and sustainable systems
• Able to do a high degree of physical activity, including bending, stooping, reaching, twisting, lifting, pushing, pulling and moving items around the sales area when necessary.

What we expect

You are a good fit for Komaza if you want to make a meaningful impact in establishing this new role of Sales Officer in the organization. This role will be primarily based at our current headquarters in Kilifi, Kenya with large amounts of time (sometimes overnight) spent in urban wood product markets along the coast for the foreseeable future. The role offers competitive salary and benefits with potential for further career growth.

Deadline for applications is the 16th April 2017