Vice President - GrainPro Africa

ABOUT GRAINPRO

 

GrainPro  is a mission-based company dedicated to reducing hunger and poverty through safe handling of dried agricultural commodities. GrainPro manufactures post-harvest management systems suitable for organic, chemical-free storage, solar-drying, and transporting of dry agricultural commodities worldwide. GrainPro’s patented air-tight technology ensures that valuable commodities are handled in a moisture protected, insect-free, and mold-free environment and can maintain quality, taste and nutritional value of dried food for years. The company is committed to sustainable growth through environmental stewardship and social impact.

 

ROLE OVERVIEW

 

The Vice President is charged with management of all business activities of GrainPro Africa Division, ensuring profitability and social impact are achieved consistently. Tasks include functions related to Implementation, monitoring, and adjustments of Division strategy 2023 as approved, team management, finance, and sales management. The Vice President also serves as a member of the Leadership Team and therefore considers and supports global priorities of GrainPro Inc – The Head office.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Vice President responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1. Focus on the Overall GrainPro Global objectives and cascade to GP Africa team through:

• Understanding of the objectives and Africa contribution to the overall performance;

• Participate and contribute to clearly thought through implementation plan, monitoring progress against targets and where relevant, propose pivot points to align with end goal – USD 9.1Million Sales among other key results.
• Quarterly reporting on progress against targets.

2. Team Management

• Management of the Africa team to excel in their KPIs.
• Understand each team member motivation aspects and how to harness these for maximum efficiency and effectiveness;
• Monitor, evaluate, and coach team members.
• Familiarize and adhere to all country-specific labor regulations.
• Upskilling plan for employees as per role.

3. Finance

• Lead in, and work with, the Africa Finance Director in curating the Division budget.
• Reviews and monitor division budget assisting with methods of budget improvements.
• Track and report on profitability of the overall GPA Division and each subsidiary under the Division.
• Track, recommend adjustments where necessary for each sector and product performance.
• Distributor and sub-distributor management jointly with Country and Regional Managers. 

 

4. Sales

• Achieves sales targets set for the Division as well as targets by sector.
• Acknowledge key focus products for Africa year on year to ensure increased sales with acceptable margins.
• Gradually contribute to significant growth of the grain sector with specific focus on smallholder farmer for increased GrainPro attributable social impact, as well as work with large sector actors to achieve scale.
• Contribute to defending and growth of both cocoa and coffee sector and inroads to spices and other opportunities.
• Creates formal partnerships with new distributors and partners. Builds a pipeline of potential future strategic partnerships.
• Engage in near-accurate forecasting to ensure no stockouts and no excess inventory.
• Determine pricing and packages for clients and distributors that protect the division’s margins.
• Communicate customer feedback to sales team members.
• Participate in and present at key Africa agri sector conferences with the aim of increasing GP visibility and forging long-term sales contacts.
• Contribute to proposal writing in response to tender business.

5. Global Team

• Collaborate with other senior leadership members towards implementing global priorities and share best practices. 

 

QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS:

 

• Bachelor’s Degree required at a minimum with a Postgraduate or Master’s degree qualification preferred.
• Concentration in Agribusiness, BCom -Marketing or business administration, preferred.
• Background in agriculture and a record of strong sales experience are essential.
• Experience in a management consulting environment will be an added advantage.
• Strong planning and organizational skills: planning ahead, meeting deadlines, and multitasking. Ability to juggle multiple competing priorities and meet tight deadlines.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite, and particularly agile in Excel,
• Proficient in using online digital business and communication platforms.
• Strong track record of proactively solving problems.
• Ability to work independently in the framework of a worldwide team.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. Excellent customer services skills.
• Fluent in English and French speech, writing, and reading. Proficiency in other languages spoken in the continent is an advantage.
• Strong business understanding with strategic orientation.
• Flexible and adaptable to changing environments.
• Self-starter, aggressive with ability to take initiative and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Able to work occasional evenings and weekends as needed to support international time zone collaboration.
• Willingness to do whatever it takes and the belief that no job is too big or too small.
• Team player with a positive, collaborative attitude.

STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION:
GrainPro is committed to the ideal of diversity in its staff. GrainPro does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, or ethnicity. We are strongly committed to hiring a diverse and multicultural staff.

TO APPLY:

Send a resume and cover letter to careers@grainpro.com. Compensation and benefits are competitive with qualification and relevant experience.