Reporting To: Director

Department: Commercial / Sales & Marketing

Location: Kiambu

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Our client is an established commercial floriculture enterprise in Kiambu County specialising in the cultivation and export of premium-quality roses to international cut flower markets.

JOB PURPOSE & SUMMARY

The Sales & Marketing Manager will drive commercial strategy, international market expansion, revenue growth, and product diversification for the company. Reporting directly to the Director, the ideal candidate will lead year-round supply negotiations, build high-value buyer relationships, establish competitive pricing frameworks, and diversify the company's portfolio into value-added categories such as Pre-Assembled / Pack-at-Source (PAS) bouquets.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES

A. Commercial Strategy, Pricing & Contract Management

• Year-Round Contract Negotiation: Lead negotiations with international buyers, supermarkets, wholesalers to secure year-round supply agreements, optimal volumes, and favorable pricing terms.
• Dynamic Pricing Frameworks: Formulate and adjust competitive pricing strategies based on production costs, seasonal demand peaks (e.g., Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Women's Day), competitor intelligence, and market fluctuations.
• Sales Forecasting & Revenue Optimization: Develop data-driven sales forecasts in coordination with production teams to maximize farm profitability, optimize stem-length realizations, and minimize packhouse rejections.
• Annual Commercial Budgeting: Develop annual commercial budgets and monitor performance against revenue and profitability targets.
• Customer & Product Profitability: Drive profitability across customers, markets, rose varieties and product categories.

B. Market Development & Global Expansion

• New Market Penetration: Identify, research, and execute market-entry strategies into high-yield emerging and traditional export markets across Europe, the Middle East, EuroAsia,/ Asia, and North America.
• Customer Pipeline Development & Conversion: Build and convert customer pipelines into profitable sales and long-term contracts, personally driving key opportunities through to closure.
• Trend & Consumer Insights: Monitor global floriculture trends, shifting consumer preferences, purchasing behaviors, and competitor activities to position the company as a supplier of choice.
• Fairtrade Commercial Development: Grow the company's share of Fairtrade sales and maximise premiums through strategic buyer engagement and market development.

C. Product Diversification & Portfolio Management

• Value-Added Offerings: Drive product innovation by introducing new product categories, such as expanding into Pack-at-Source (PAS) bouquets etc.
• Variety Management & Trial Feedback: Collaborate with agronomy and farm production teams to evaluate market appetite for existing and trial rose varieties, aligning planting schedules with future commercial demand.

D. Buyer Relationship & Client Account Management

• Key Account Management: Serve as the primary commercial contact for global buyers - nurturing strong, long-term B2B relationships built on trust, quality consistency, and reliable delivery.
• Order-to-Dispatch Communication: Oversee the end-to-end sales communication process, ensuring customer orders are accurately processed, packhouse dispatches are aligned, and client feedback is systematically integrated into farm operations.
• Credit Control, Collections & Claims: Work closely with the Finance Office to manage customer credit, follow up on collections and resolve claims while minimising financial losses.

E. Strategic Management Reporting & Digital Integration

• Executive Advisory: Provide regular analytical reports and strategic recommendations to the Director regarding market shifts, sales performance, revenue margins, and strategic risks.
• Systems Utilization: Leverage farm ERPs, sales databases, CRM platforms, and market analytics tools to track sales pipelines, buyer performance, and operational KPIs.

F. Team Leadership & Cultural Development

• People Development: Lead, coach, and mentor the sales and marketing team, setting clear individual targets, performance expectations and accountability for pipeline development, customer conversion, revenue, margins and collections, whilst promoting professional growth, accountability, and a high-performance culture.
• Hands-On Commercial Leadership: Personally lead strategic negotiations, pursue priority customer opportunities and support the team in converting complex or high-value deals, while building the capability and discipline required for sustainable commercial growth.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Farm Managers, Agronomy, Packhouse, Quality Assurance, Cold-Chain Logistics and Finance to align commercial commitments with production capacity, quality specifications, dispatch schedules, cost management and cash collection.

5. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

What success looks like

• Revenue and budget performance

Achievement of annual and quarterly revenue targets, with performance measured against the approved commercial budget

• Profitability and margin growth

Gross margin or contribution by customer, market, variety and product category, against agreed targets.

• Pipeline development and conversion

Qualified pipeline value, conversion rates, new accounts secured, time to conversion and revenue generated from newly acquired customers.

• Customer acquisition and retention

Growth in active, profitable accounts, retention of strategic buyers and revenue growth within existing accounts.

• Order fulfilment and claims

On-time, in-full delivery performance, rejection rates, claim frequency, claim resolution time and financial losses arising from claims.

• Credit control and collections

Overdue receivables, debtor days, collection performance against agreed terms and customer credit exposure.

• Team performance

Achievement of individual and team sales targets, pipeline conversion, reporting discipline and account management standards.

6. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Education & Professional Background

• Education:

- Bachelor's degree in Agribusiness, Business Administration, International Trade, Marketing, Horticulture, or a related field.

• Work Experience:

- Minimum of 7+ years of progressive experience in a Sales & Marketing Manager role specifically within the cut flower / floriculture export industry.

• Export & Standards Expertise:

- Proven track record in international perishables export markets, with deep familiarity with certified industry standards (e.g., Fairtrade, MPS, KFC, ETI).

Technical Competencies

• Deep operational knowledge of the global flower supply chain, Dutch auctions (Royal FloraHolland), direct supermarket programs, and cold-chain logistics.
• Practical understanding of rose varieties, head sizes, stem lengths (40cm - 80cm+), vaselife requirements, and packhouse procedures.
• Proficiency in Dansoft will be an added advantage (or a comparable ERP System)

Core Competencies & Personal Attributes

• Strategic & Analytical Thinker: Ability to translate complex market data into actionable business strategies and accurate sales forecasts.
• Commercial Acumen & Negotiation: High-level executive presence with strong contract negotiation and deal-closing capabilities.
• High Technology Quotient (TQ): Quick to adopt digital tools, data-driven reporting platforms, and modern communication tools.
• Agile & Creative Mindset: Proactive problem solver capable of adapting commercial strategy to sudden weather, cargo, or economic market shifts.

This is a hands-on commercial leadership role, accountable for personally developing and converting key customer opportunities, delivering profitable sales targets, and building a disciplined, accountable sales and marketing function.