Commercial Manager - Farmerline Limited

Do you want to improve millions of lives and leave a lasting legacy at the same time? Do you want to use your talents and skills to make a difference and not just a living? Do you want to help feed the world now and in the future? Farmerline works to reinvent how the world thinks and invests in the lives of small-scale farmers.

We are working to help farmers produce and sell food. We are bold and systemic thinkers but operate lean and nimble.Since 2013, Farmerline has directly helped farmers to improve their productivity and profit in Ghana and also provided technical support to other organizations to do the same.

Farmerline started its operations serving 400 farmers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana with information via mobile information services. We have supported many organizations with our tools and knowledge to improve the way they work with farmers. Over the past 8 years, Farmerline and its partnership network has profiled and served over 1million farmers and digitized over 1,000,000 acres of farmland across 16 countries in Africa.

Farmerline is a learning organization and you will have the chance to apply your ideas and creativity to solve problems every day. If you work well in a dynamic collaborative culture, set high standards, and meet challenges with determination and a sense of humour, you’ll thrive at Farmerline.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and encourage applications from all candidates. We believe that diverse perspectives help our teams to create innovative solutions and understand our global clients’ needs. In alignment with our values, we are committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse global workforce without discrimination.

Role Overview

The Commercial Manager will lead the management of all business operations including sourcing of commodities, budgeting, client and project management and input sales of the operational area.

Responsibilities

• Develop, plan and implement commercial plans and strategies for the operational area.
• Lead the team through change, guides the team in troubleshooting challenges and provides strategic focus and direction in the operational area.
• Lead the procurement of logistics for sourcing, storage and distribution of farm produce and products in the operational area, while coordinating the redistribution of inputs with the operational area.
• Plan, execute and monitor weekly, monthly and quarterly work packages for the regional team with their key objectives and targets as agreed in respective performance management contracts.
• Work with sector managers to identify and develop new potential clients, input dealers ,agribusinesses and commodity sourcing etc
• Gather, report and communicate customers’ feedback on service, technology and product delivery
• Plan for the achievement of individual and divisional targets in alignment with the strategies and policies of the company

• Establish and manage the long-term relationships with both internal and external stakeholders (customers, business partners, suppliers, etc.) This includes continuously exploring opportunities for expanding coverage into new geographical areas and sales channels of all Farmerline products
• Map out on a continuous basis all input market opportunities and actively match the markets to the inputs and products
• Ensure effective communication with relevant stakeholders in a structured manner.
• Provide support for all projects in the zones in collaboration with other units.
• Develop weekly, monthly, quarterly & annual business reports / plans, in conjunction with the Unit Head.
• Budget Management: Optimize the budget by tracking, controlling, and evaluating all spending.
• Key Account & Stakeholder Management: Develop a key account management strategy with up-to-date joint execution plans for each account. Develop and execute customer retention strategies.
• Oversee and supervise the use and management of all company assets in the commercial zone – warehouses, vehicles etc

   

Required Qualifications

• BA/BSc/MA/MSc degree in Agricultural Science, Agribusiness, or related field. An agronomy background is a plus.
• Knowledge of the systemic challenges in agriculture value chains in Ghana, a passion for creating lasting solutions to them and ability to navigate farming communities.
• 3+ years of professional experience in the implementation of farmer interventions, agriculture stakeholder engagement and business development sales.
• Demonstrated skills in negotiating and formulating technology contracts, understanding cost models and various price structures.
• Strong leadership experience and ability to lead a team in executing projects and exceeding targets.
• Proven experience in the use of mobile technology to facilitate market access.
• Project management skills and the ability to create and stick to timelines.
• Excellent oral communication, writing and presentation skills.
• Project management, cost and revenue budgeting experience is required.