Kenya Country Manager at Optimum Options

Key Responsibilities and Tasks:

Project Management and Target Achievement:

• Working effectively with other functional teams to ensure all country donor-funded projects activities and targets are met and exceeded in time.
• Drive a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement, fostering collaboration, accountability, and a results-oriented mindset in Kenya.
• Develop and implement strategic plans, goals, and objectives to drive business growth and expansion in the country market.
• Provide accurate project management reports by ensuring that efficient and adequate management practices and tools are in place to enable monitoring of projects and accurate reporting to donors, the board, and senior management.
• Working with Project Leads, regularly reviewing the progress of projects against milestones and taking corrective action, and raising any issues with the leadership.
• Support Project Leads in managing the partners, helping them to identify opportunities and respond to existing relationships.
• Ensure all projects have a Tracking Tool such as an Efficiency Matrix, etc..

Distributor Relationship Management:

• Identify and recruit high-potential distributors that meet all the requirements of one becoming a distributor and promoter of MoneyMaker Pumps.
• Create a communication plan to keep distributors informed and engaged, addressing issues such as underperformance and non-compliance promptly.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with distributors, ensuring they have adequate pumps, accessories, and promotional materials to facilitate sales.
• Provide training and support for distributors and their staff on product knowledge, branding, stock management, and customer engagement techniques.
• Responsible for credit risk management by ensuring distributors pay their debts.

Marketing, Communication, Sales Support & New Product Testing/Launches:

• Execute marketing activities and ensure effective outreach in the field.
• Collaborate on Marketing, Product Development, and Fundraising to develop successful sales strategies and resources needed to drive sales for the country.
• Represent the organization at industry events and partner meetings, building strong relationships and promoting partnerships.
• Work with the Product Innovation and Development and Marketing teams to carry out market tests and launches of new products and services.
• Working with the Marketing & Communication team to communicate and build a strong and positive KickStart brand visibility and recognition among partners.

Strategic Partnership Development & Management:

• Research, identify, and establish strategic partnerships with NGOs, Governments, corporations, and key stakeholders to expand KickStart’s mission.
• Engage potential partner organizations, government agencies, and farmer groups to foster sales initiatives and promote KickStart technologies.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive country partnership strategy, including target partner profiles, go-to-market plans, and performance metrics to drive sales.
• Negotiate and draft partnership agreements and MOU’s ensuring they have a win-win-win beneficial terms and conditions for KickStart, partners and farmers.
• Identify and establish business opportunities for MoneyMaker products with partners in the country in line with the organizations strategic direction.
• Working with the Fundraising & Development team, identify and discuss potential funding opportunities in Kenya and provide advice on their suitability and potential alignment with KickStart’s strategic direction.
• Lead the team to deliver training to partner staff, farmer groups, and stakeholders on irrigation practices and the importance of sustainable farming.
• Track and analyze country partnership performance, providing regular reports on key metrics and insights.
• Identify trends and opportunities for improvement, informing future partnership strategies. Stay informed about industry trends and competitor activities, identifying potential partnerships and opportunities.
• Monitor and analyze performance metrics, financial indicators, and market data to track progress towards goals and make data-driven decisions.
• Lead the team in building and maintaining strong relationships with key partners, acting as a primary point of contact and ensuring ongoing collaboration.
• Regularly review and assess the country partnership performance, identifying areas for improvement and optimization. Proactively address partner needs and concerns, resolving issues and ensuring partnership success.
• Identify local partners and agents in the country and build strategic alliances with them to facilitate the implementation and success of projects.

Representation:

• Act as the representative for KickStart in stakeholder forums, trade shows, and conferences to communicate KickStart’s mission and strategies effectively.
• Represent KickStart in building and maintaining relationships with in-country service providers, government, donor representatives, local and international development partners, and the private sector.
• Support effective liaison between Kenya and other KickStart country programs in pursuit of the achievement of integrated program direction and delivery

Strategic Direction and Planning

• Ensure appropriate vision and strategy are in place to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Kenya program and KickStart International as a whole.
• Work closely with the Regional Manager for East Africa, the COO and others to drive KickStart’s strategic goals through annual planning and other forums.
• Provide strategic direction to the country program, which aligns with KickStart’s global strategic plan and contributes to achieving overall strategic goals.

 Leadership and Management

• Lead, motivate and manage the country program team in a supportive style, adhering to KickStart’s policies and procedures, staff recognition and celebration of success and as well as managing poor performance in the team.
• Work with other functional teams to ensure the program is adequately resourced.
• Effectively communicate KickStart’s vision, mission and core values to the team.
• Ensure staff are empowered to carry out their tasks to their skills and capabilities.
• Ensure well-coordinated management of work plans in line with program budgets, donor-funded project goals and country strategic requirements.
• In consultation with HR, manage staff performance, annual appraisals, motivation, and retention according to KickStart’s policies and procedures.
• Work with HR to develop training plans to build the capacity of the country team.
• Support effective communication and teamwork within and without the team.
• Lead the team in driving sales efforts within the partnership ecosystem, setting clear targets and monitoring performance against key metrics for team members.

Financial/Asset Management:

• Manage financial budgets, resources, and expenditures to ensure cost-effectiveness, profitability, and sustainability of operations.
• Oversee all assets and resources assigned to the country program to ensure proper usage and management.
• Be responsible for approving work plans, advance requests, expenditures and disbursement for the country program.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, sales and marketing, agribusiness, project management or related field
• 7 years of experience in partnership development, sales, or business development.
• Strong experience in managing projects funded by donors, the private sector or governments with a record of delivering program goals within deadlines and budgets.
• Experience in effectively building and sustaining key external and internal partners and stakeholders to realize organizational goals.