General Manager

About the role:

• The experienced General Manager (GM) to lead SunCulture’s operations in Kenya.  The General Manager is responsible for ensuring the achievement of the company's mission, vision, and strategic initiatives in Kenya. The General Manager should excel in decision-making, hold themselves accountable for results, demonstrate problem-solving ability, promote innovation, and manage risks effectively.  The General Manager's role is to drive the company's revenue expansion by setting clear targets, implementing strategies, and fostering a results-driven and customer-centric environment, and improving local profitability. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Executive Committee (ExCo) to implement the company's strategy and drive growth in Kenya in line with the overall corporate objectives.
• Provide strategic direction and leadership for all operations in Kenya, including profit and loss management (P&L). 
• Oversee and manage the Kenya OpCo team ensuring their motivation, performance, and development.
• Strategize and ensure PAYGrow (credit) portfolio health in accordance with company KPIs 
• Implement continuous operational and process improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
• Drive operational excellence across the full equipment lifecycle by optimizing stock levels, streamlining daily dispatch logistics, and accelerating pending installations; establish rigorous protocols for asset repossessions to minimize churn losses and maximize inventory reclamation efficiency
• Formulate, manage, and optimize the company's operating expenditure (OpEx); implement rigorous cost-control measures and financial reporting frameworks to ensure absolute adherence to approved budgets while maintaining high operational efficiency.
• Capitalize the Operating Company by structuring, negotiating, and securing diverse funding mechanisms—including traditional debt, equity investments, and Revenue-Based Financing (RBF)—to support strategic scaling, working capital needs, and long-term growth objectives.
• Act as a leadership link between the main office and field operations, ensuring alignment and effective communication.
• Set clear and ambitious goals, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) related to financial, customer, internal processes, and employee aspects.  Continuously assess and drive the performance of direct reports.
• Cultivate an entrepreneurial culture that fosters innovation and encourages teams to think creatively.
• Take accountability for reporting and forecasting, producing regular reports on business development updates, market landscape analysis, key partnerships, and distribution activities.
• Lead the local product marketing efforts for new product introduction.   
• Additional responsibilities as assigned from time to time.

Qualifications:

• 10 years’ experience in positions of leadership or management. 
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Management or related fields.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is a plus.
• Experience working in Kenya / East Africa is essential. 
• Proven success in improving processes and reducing inefficiencies.  
• Experience managing profit and loss (P&L) accountability.
• Prior experience in managing an off-grid pay-as-you-go / credit portfolio.
• Proven sales, route-to-market and distribution experience in a direct to consumer / business to consumer context.  
• Experience managing a large field-based sales force (agents and regional sales teams).  
• Experience in consumer durable goods, in last mile, bottom-of-the-pyramid communities.
• Ability to produce and present professional strategy, reports, accurate forecasts, and plans across the operations.  
• Aptitude for cross-functional management, including the ability to prioritise the most important activities and keep the team focused on delivering top priorities on-time and to the highest standard. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for effective stakeholder presentation and management.  
• Ownership mindset and comfort in a fast-paced, growth-stage environment. 
• Enthusiastic, entrepreneurial and a desire to 'sell for good'.
• Analytical and data-driven approach.