Business Manager, Business Assurance – East Africa

Role Overview

This is a senior regional leadership position accountable for the growth, profitability and transformation of the Business Assurance business across East Africa. Based around a Kenyan operating hub but with a mandate that extends throughout the region, the role holder sets and delivers the commercial agenda — opening new markets, deepening existing ones, and building the teams and operating model needed to sustain both. It matters because the business's regional position, revenue trajectory and reputation for quality and integrity rest on the decisions this leader makes about where to play, how to sell and how to organise.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the regional growth agenda for Business Assurance, holding full accountability for revenue, margin, market development and overall business performance across East Africa.
• Build and execute a rolling three-year growth plan that names priority countries, sectors, services, customer segments and the investment needed to pursue them.
• Open new geographic markets using whichever route fits SGS governance — direct operations, partnerships, affiliates or other models — and stand up country plans with clear commercial, operational and financial targets.
• Shift the commercial organisation toward active market development: disciplined prospecting, structured key-account growth and higher sales conversion, supported by a regular operating rhythm around pipeline, forecasting, tenders, pricing and win/loss review.
• Target underpenetrated sectors and scale relevant services — QHSE, Food, Sustainability, Digital Trust, Forestry, Supply Chain Assurance, Medical Devices and Academy — where local market potential and technical capability align.
• Personally lead selected major bids, tenders, customer relationships and market-entry initiatives, and develop regional and multinational accounts while expanding cross-selling across SGS businesses.
• Assess the existing organisation, leadership bench and operating model, then implement the structural, capability and people changes required to support growth and accountability.
• Coach and develop country leadership, sales and operational teams, build auditor and technical capacity ahead of demand, and strengthen succession pipelines.
• Safeguard consistent service delivery, customer satisfaction, accreditation compliance and technical excellence across every market in scope.
• Build and maintain relationships with customers, accreditation bodies, regulators, government entities, industry associations and partners, and keep a live read on competitor activity, regulation and emerging customer needs.
• Identify alliances, partnerships and, where appropriate, bolt-on acquisition targets that could accelerate market entry or capability building, and manage claims, complaints and commercial disputes in line with company procedures.
• Champion the company's values, integrity standards and quality requirements, and ensure full compliance with health, safety, environment, quality and integrity obligations across all assigned markets.
• Develop a balanced client portfolio spanning private companies, government and public-sector bodies, development organisations, NGOs and international institutions — including positioning early for donor-funded programmes, framework agreements and major regional tenders.

Requirements & Qualifications

• University degree in Business Management, Engineering or a related discipline; an advanced business qualification is an advantage.
• Minimum 12–15 years of progressive commercial and business leadership experience, including direct responsibility for a P&L or a substantial business unit.
• A proven record of growing and transforming a B2B services business across multiple African markets.
• Demonstrated experience entering new markets, creating new revenue streams, building commercial capability and winning major customers.
• Strong preference for backgrounds in TIC, certification, professional services, industrial services, sustainability, risk, compliance, laboratories or comparable technical B2B services.
• Evidence of delivering profitable growth through a combination of commercial expansion and operational improvement.
• Experience leading organisational change, upgrading team capabilities, developing leaders and making difficult people decisions when required.
• Strong working knowledge of East African markets and regional business practice; an established regional network is highly desirable.
• Experience managing diverse stakeholders and cross-functional teams across multiple countries and cultures.
• Exposure to business development with a mix of private companies, government entities, international organisations, NGOs, development agencies or donor-funded programmes is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Fluent in English; additional regional languages are an advantage.
• Core competencies include entrepreneurial leadership, commercial acumen, market-entry and go-to-market capability, sales leadership and pipeline management, strategic thinking with a bias for execution, people leadership and coaching, senior stakeholder management, financial planning and pricing, and the ability to influence and deliver across multiple countries and cultures.

What We Offer / Why Join

• A regional mandate with genuine entrepreneurial scope — the chance to shape strategy, build markets and own the commercial outcome rather than inherit an established book of business.
• Direct accountability for revenue, profitability and transformation across East Africa, with the authority to make the organisational and people decisions that growth requires.
• The opportunity to lead and develop country leadership, sales and technical teams, and to build a succession pipeline for the future.
• Exposure to a broad and varied client base spanning private enterprise, government, development organisations and international institutions.
• A role grounded in quality, integrity and technical excellence, within a business that invests in accreditation compliance, safety and operational standards.