Commercial Manager - Poultry Feed Industry

Role Overview

This position carries full commercial ownership for a vertically integrated poultry and livestock feed operation, with your primary terrain being the Kenyan market and a forward-looking mandate to identify regional growth pathways. In practice, your week is split between shaping annual sales plans, reviewing price architecture against commodity cost movements, and being the senior face with key farming accounts and distribution partners across both the day-old chick and formulated feed business lines. The success of this role directly determines the company’s top-line growth, gross margin health, and market position, making it the central link between production capacity and commercial returns.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the full sales budget for both poultry (day-old chicks, hatching eggs) and feed (all variants plus specialty third-party farm rations), translating it into regional plans with clear volume, revenue, and margin targets across Nairobi and all major Kenyan territories.
• Lead pricing and margin strategy — maintain the SKU and channel price architecture, run monthly price adjustments based on maize, soya, premix, FX, and logistics costs, and approve trade discounts within defined authority limits while protecting gross margins.
• Design and manage route-to-market across direct sales, distributors, agro-dealers, and e-commerce channels, including setting distributor credit terms, coverage targets, and performance scorecards to ensure the right products reach commercial farmers efficiently.
• Deepen customer and farmer relationships by working with technical teams to offer practical support, coordinating farmer field days and demo plots, and driving loyalty programmes that secure repeat offtake for both DOC and feed orders.
• Control debtor performance — manage commercial DSO to a target of 30 days or less, chair monthly collections reviews with finance, and approve customer credit limits within your authority to minimise bad debt exposure.
• Generate market intelligence — monitor competitor pricing, product launches, and share shifts, then deliver monthly commercial reports to the executive team, while also scoping potential export opportunities in EAC, COMESA, and Gulf markets for future strategic consideration.
• Drive brand and trade marketing — whether directing an internal marketer or coordinating with external partners, oversee ATL/BTL campaigns, farmer-facing promotions, and digital engagement while tracking ROI on all marketing spend.
• Develop and lead a commercial team — set individual KPIs, coach sales and key account managers, implement performance-based commission structures, and ensure a strong pipeline of future leaders for the function.

Requirements & Qualifications

• At least 10 years of commercial or sales leadership experience, including 5+ years in a senior management role within a poultry, feed, or closely related agribusiness environment.
• A bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, agribusiness, animal science, economics, or a related discipline; an MBA or post-graduate qualification is preferred, as is CIM or MSK certification.
• Demonstrated success running multi-channel sales in Kenya — including modern trade, general trade, agro-vet networks, and institutional accounts — with a proven track record of selling into commercial farming communities.
• Strong hands-on experience with debtor management, trade spend control, and price setting in high-volume, low-to-mid-margin businesses where input cost volatility is constant.
• Deep working knowledge of sales analytics, including volume/mix/value analysis, distribution coverage, and pricing elasticity, plus practical proficiency in ERP sales modules (SAP, Dynamics, Sage) and advanced Excel.
• Technical fluency in poultry and feed fundamentals — FCR, flock performance, feed conversion, and spec sheets — enough to hold credible conversations with large-scale farmers.
• Familiarity with Kenyan regulatory requirements around animal feed and veterinary products, including KEBS labelling, Veterinary Board rules, and halal certification where relevant.
• Excellent communication in both English and Swahili, with the confidence to present at board level and the approachability to engage effectively on the farm.