Sales Director Africa (Sub Sahara)

Role Overview

This is a regional commercial leadership role with a supplier of specialised equipment used across the chemical, food and cosmetic industries. The person who fills it owns the growth agenda for Sub-Saharan Africa end to end: deciding which markets and segments are worth pursuing, standing up the sales structures needed to win there, and keeping distributors, dealers and major end customers closely engaged. Success here directly shapes how much of the region's demand the company converts into durable, profitable revenue while staying aligned with its global priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess and prioritise the region's most attractive countries and market segments, then translate that analysis into practical expansion plans grounded in local demand, competitor activity and buying behaviour.
• Build country-level sales strategies that connect to the region's broader growth objectives, and adjust them as conditions and opportunities shift.
• Identify, appoint, onboard and manage specialist dealers, distributors and other channel partners, setting clear expectations and holding partners accountable for performance.
• Grow revenue through a deliberate mix of indirect channel sales and direct selling, making sure the two routes reinforce rather than undercut each other.
• Develop senior-level relationships with key end customers, understand their operational and commercial needs, and convert those relationships into long-term, repeat business.
• Provide hands-on technical and commercial support on complex capital equipment sales, guiding partners and customers through lengthy evaluation and decision cycles.
• Recruit, develop and lead local sales teams across target markets, including staff who work remotely and across different countries.
• Run performance through clear KPIs and reporting discipline, using CRM, spreadsheets and business intelligence tools to track results and surface the next growth opportunity.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: a degree or equivalent background in business, economics, natural sciences or a closely related discipline.
• Sales experience: 10+ years in sales, ideally within laboratory, scientific or medical technology and equipment.
• International exposure: at least 5 years selling internationally, including omnichannel selling and management of distributors or channel partners.
• Regional knowledge: substantial Sub-Saharan Africa market experience, with an existing network of customers, distributors and business partners across the region.
• Leadership: a proven record of managing and developing small to mid-sized sales teams, including virtual and geographically dispersed groups.
• Commercial acumen: able to shape strategy, drive its implementation and point to measurable revenue growth you delivered.
• Analytical approach: comfortable working with CRM systems, Excel, business intelligence tools and KPIs to monitor performance and identify opportunities.
• Personal fit: entrepreneurial, hands-on and self-directed, with strong communication and relationship-building skills and a genuine willingness to travel extensively across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Why Join

You would carry real ownership of a large, varied region rather than inherit a settled book of business — from choosing which markets to enter, to appointing the partners who represent the company there, to building the local teams that sell. The portfolio spans innovative equipment and solutions for the chemical, food and cosmetic industries, which means a steady stream of technically interesting conversations with customers and partners. Day-to-day work involves close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders across countries, and the autonomy to act entrepreneurially while keeping the region's plans connected to global business objectives.