Vacancy at d.light, Monday 8, February 2016

d.light is a global social enterprise which was initially founded to eradicate the kerosene lamp for the 2 billion people living without access to reliable power. Since the company was founded in 2006, d.light has enabled 50 million people in Africa and South Asia to upgrade from dim, dangerous and expensive kerosene lanterns to clean, bright and affordable solar-powered lighting and is well on its way to achieving ahead of schedule the original vision of empowering 100 million people by 2020.

With an expanding product range currently distributed in over 15,000 retail outlets in over 60 countries to over 50 million customers and with an increasingly recognized brand, d.light’s vision and our customer’s needs have grown beyond the eradication of the kerosene lantern. We believe we can build on this powerful foundation to provide affordable solar energy solutions for families that are not connected to the grid. We believe market development for solar is akin to the early stages of the mobile phone industry – rapidly growing consumer-driven adoption of the latest global technology leapfrogging less functional and more costly utility-based alternatives.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER – WEST AFRICA REGION

Position reporting to:  Director, Business – Africa

Job Location: Nigeria, Lagos

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Business Development Manager for West Africa is responsible for all aspects of business development and sales in both established and new markets in the WA region. The BDM will be responsible for leading the WA team and working closely with current and future distribution partners to ensure that d.light’s products reach consumers as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.

Responsibilities will include:

Leadership:

Manage sales team within the WA region

Work with the Team, in implementing sales organization objectives that are aligned with the core distribution strategy of the company with in WA.

Champion the d.light culture: The BDM must be highly aligned with our mission and be motivated to improve the lives of our customers. He or she also must support a strong culture of cost-consciousness through their personal behavior and in the decisions they make for the company in the region.

Business Development: Identify and develop new and creative strategic distribution channels and sales prospects in geographies where we are currently present in WA. Increase the business multi-fold with the existing distributors by providing them guidance in Sales, Inventory and MIS management. Ensure payments are received within the credit terms agreed.

New Market Development: Open up new markets in WA to increase the region’s geographic coverage. Identify and appoint new distributors within WA who are financially strong, interested in scaling up business, well connected, have wide & deep distribution network etc.

New Product Launches: Work with the New Products Innovation team to roll-out new products and initiatives in the region ranging from new portable solar lanterns to pay as you go solar home systems.

P&L Responsibility : Must have good understanding of ‘value chain’ economics of various business models and ensure overall profitability

Partnership Support: Support existing distribution partners in West Africa with business planning and marketing support

Achieving Sales Targets: Proven track record of setting and achieving ambitious sales targets.

Continuous Improvement: Partner with sales leadership to identify opportunities for sales process improvement fostering an organization of continuous learning and process improvement.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

QUALIFICATIONS

Passion for d.light’s social mission.

8 -12 years’ experience in sales, business development and/or marketing with significant experience inconsumer products in West Africa

Proven track record of delivering strong sales growth through creative distribution partnerships, particularly in rural and semi-urban environments in West Africa.

Must have dealt with sales & marketing of physical products especially consumer-durables.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Preference working successfully within an international organization

Proven track record of achieving sales goals

Strong people skills

Strong negotiation and influencing skills

TO APPLY

All candidates with the requisite qualifications should send their application with a detailed Curriculum Vitae to career@dlight.com  to be received not later than 20th February, 2016. Kindly include your day telephone contacts, your current and expected remuneration.

DUE DATE: 20 February, 2016