Sales Director Africa (Sub Sahara) at Summit Recruitment and Search

The client offers a wide range of innovative equipment for numerous applications/equipment for the Chemical, Food and Cosmetic industries. The successful candidate, will be responsible for driving sustainable business growth across Sub-Saharan Africa by developing and executing market expansion strategies, building and leading high-performing sales teams, and strengthening distributor, partner, and key customer relationships. The role requires a strategic and entrepreneurial leader who can analyze market trends, manage sales performance through KPIs, establish local sales organizations, and deliver profitable growth while effectively balancing regional market needs with global business objectives. Extensive travel and close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders are essential to the role.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify attractive market segments and drive expansion across key regional markets.
• Develop and implement country-specific sales strategies aligned with regional growth objectives.
• Establish and strengthen a sustainable market position for the company’s products and solutions.
• Identify, appoint, develop, and manage specialist dealers, distributors, and other sales partners.
• Drive sustainable revenue growth through both indirect channel partners and direct sales activities.
• Build and strengthen relationships with key end customers, identifying their needs and developing long-term business opportunities.
• Provide professional and technical sales support, particularly for complex capital equipment and solutions.
• Establish, recruit, develop, and lead high-performing local sales teams in key target market.

Key Qualifications

• Degree/background in Business, Economics, Natural Sciences, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years’ sales experience, ideally within laboratory, scientific, or medical technology/equipment.
• Minimum 5 years’ international sales experience, including omnichannel and/or distributor/channel partner management.
• Strong Sub-Saharan African market experience, with established exposure to customers, distributors, and business partners across the region.
• Proven leadership experience, managing and developing small to mid-sized sales teams, including virtual and geographically dispersed teams.
• Strong strategic and commercial acumen, with a track record of developing strategies, driving implementation, and delivering measurable revenue growth.
• Analytical and results-driven, with experience using CRM, Excel, business intelligence tools and KPIs to monitor performance and identify growth opportunities.
• Entrepreneurial, hands-on and self-driven, with strong communication and relationship-building skills and willingness to travel extensively across Sub-Sahara.