Director of Product Marketing & Sales

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. Having recently assembled a top group of investors for a significant growth financing round, we are now seeking driven, high-performance leaders to launch this exciting chapter of accelerated growth.

About Product Marketing & Sales

After many years of planting, Komaza has recently launched tree harvesting, processing and sales. We are now building a Product Marketing & Sales department with the goal of selling our quickly-increasing volume of wood products and maximizing revenues. The M&S department will research obtainable wood markets to gain strategic insights, build strong brand awareness, and develop lasting retailer and consumer relationships that translate into accelerating sales. This department will be responsible both for achieving growing sales targets over the next few years, and developing strategies for medium- and long-term growth. Our primary near-term products are diverse roundwood (fence posts, building poles, roofing rafters) to sell directly to larger consumers (hotels, contractors) and to retailers (hardware stores, log/timber yards). The M&S department will also be responsible for identifying market opportunities for innovative new wood products. You will be tasked with building and managing teams for Market Research, Marketing, and Sales that will include talented researchers, marketers and salesmen to hit the streets to sell an increasing variety of Komaza products.

About this Role

As Director of Product Marketing & Sales, you will be responsible for increasing sales from our current pilot level to $2 million annually in the next two years, while developing the strategy and capacity to grow to $10 million by 2020. All other Departments are cost centers; you will build Komaza’s core profit center. This role calls for a proven Marketing & Sales professional, not a wood industry expert. As the founder of this initiative, you will be responsible for driving growth at both strategic and deeply operational levels, managing your team to consistently deliver results, while building strategies and systems for long-term success. You are an open-minded, flexible, and determined thinker and operator who will do whatever necessary to sell Komaza’s growing harvest volumes for the best possible net return. You will report to Komaza’s COO, while working closely with the Founder & CEO, as well as other senior executives.

Responsibilities

• Develop a deep understanding of Komaza’s available wood markets (TAM/SAM/SOM), leading primary research into qualitative and quantitative insights on demand, existing supply chains, prices, opportunities and challenges.
• Design and implement Komaza’s Sales & Marketing Plan, with a clear strategy and operational plan for achieving ambitious sales targets.
• Recruit and lead a lean team of high-performing researchers, marketers and salesmen, while developing a culture of collaboration, accountability, honesty, customer service, and relentless hustle to make the sale.
• Build strong relationships with key customers, and coach and manage your team to build and maintain strong relationships with scores of potential customers from individual consumers to government tenders.
• Design and manage detailed real-time data collection tools and dashboards for sales forecasting and reporting, aligned with marketing and sales strategies to deliver results.

Qualifications

• 8+ years’ relevant work experience, ideally with 4+ years leading significant growth of a marketing & sales operation in East Africa; an MBA is preferred.
• Proven experience leading high-performing sales teams, introducing new products to local retailers and consumers. You can thrive in dynamic, uber-growth situations. You’ve worked and thrived at a rapidly scaling company.
• Excellent communication skills with the aptitude to distill complex systems and detailed analysis into simple, structured processes with concrete action plans.
• Energetic and enthusiastic – willing to do whatever is necessary to get the job done. You’re well-organized with experience in project and change management.
• Comfort with ambiguity and uncertainty, as well as patience and perseverance in the face of serious logistical and environmental hurdles.
• Proven success working and living in Africa is strongly preferred.

Expectations

We need a Director of Marketing & Sales who wants to make a meaningful commitment to building and rapidly scaling this department for a minimum of 3-5+ years. While we will open a Nairobi office to support regional expansion in the near future, this role will be primarily based at our current headquarters in Kilifi, Kenya for the foreseeable future. The role offers competitive salary and benefits.

Application Deadline
Closing date is 7th August 2016.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please follow this LINK to apply. Closing date is 7th August 2016.