Commercial Manager - Poultry & Feed Industry

Job Title: Commercial Manager Department/Group:Sales & Marketing Location: Nairobi Travel Required: Nairobi, Kenya (with regional travel across Kenya) Level: Senior Management Position Type:Full-time Line manager/ supervisor: Chief Executive Officer Functional manager: Managing Director Term: Permanent Immediate subordinates: Key Accounts Manager, Regional Sales Managers, Technical sales officers, Marketing officer, Customer Service Lead, Social Media Manager Key relationships: Internal • CEO and Group Executives • Peers- Feed Mill Manager • Key Accounts Manager, Regional Sales Managers, Technical sales officers, Marketing officer, Customer Service Lead, Social Media Manager, External Auditors Job Summary: To lead the commercial agenda — sales, pricing, channel development, customer management, and market expansion — across our clients poultry and feed portfolio, with a primary focus on the Kenyan market and forward positioning for potential future export and regional expansion. The role is accountable for top-line revenue growth, gross margin delivery, debtor health, market share, and brand positioning, and acts as the primary commercial interface between the business, customers, and distributors across both the DOC - poultry segment and the commercial feed segment. Duties: The Employee shall be responsible for the following functions of the Company: Sales & Revenue Delivery • Own the annual sales budget and deliver monthly, quarterly, and annual revenue, volume, and margin targets across both business lines: o Poultry: day-old chicks (DOCs), hatching eggs. o Feed: all feed variants, and specialty feed for third-party commercial farms. • Translate commercial strategy into regional and channel-level sales plans with clear SKU, customer, and geographic targets. • Drive new customer acquisition, existing account growth, and SKU penetration across Nairobi, Central, Rift Valley, Western, Coast, and Eastern regions. • Lead key account management for top-tier customers — commercial farmers, poultry aggregators, and institutional buyers. Pricing & Margin Management • Own the price list architecture across channels, customer tiers, and SKUs for both poultry and feed. • Lead monthly price reviews in response to input cost movements (maize, soya, DCP, premixes, FX, energy, logistics), ensuring gross margin targets are protected. • Approve trade discounts, rebates, and promotional spend within delegated authority; escalate beyond threshold to the CEO/CFO. • Drive product mix optimisation toward higher-margin SKUs and specialty feed lines. Channel & Route-to-Market • Design and manage the route-to-market model — direct distribution, distributors, dealers, agro-vets, van sales, and e-commerce partners. • Optimise distributor/dealer coverage, credit terms, and performance scorecards. • Lead trade marketing execution: visibility, merchandising, shelf share, farmer field days, demo farms, and promotional cycles. Customer & Farmer Engagement • Build deep relationships with commercial and emerging farmers, providing technical support jointly with the veterinary and nutrition teams. • Drive farmer loyalty programmes, extension services, and aggregator partnerships to secure feed and DOC offtake. • Lead customer satisfaction tracking and NPS where relevant. Debtor Health & Credit Control • Own commercial debtor performance — DSO (target ≤ 30 days), overdue %, and bad debt provisioning. • Chair the monthly debtors review with Finance, driving collection actions for aged receivables. • Approve customer credit limits within delegated authority jointly with the CFO. Market Intelligence & Strategy • Track competitor pricing, promotions, new product launches, and market share shifts across poultry and feed (key competitors: Kenchic, Kenbrid, Sigma, Unga, Pembe, Tarime, Yara, Farmer's Choice in adjacent categories). • Deliver monthly commercial intelligence reports to the executive team and board. • Identify category white spaces, new product opportunities, and adjacent market entry options (e.g., further-processed poultry, specialty feed, private label). • Scope and monitor export and regional expansion opportunities beyond Kenya (EAC, COMESA, and the Gulf) across DOCs, hatching eggs, and feed — covering regulatory requirements, logistics feasibility, and potential customer or distributor partners — to build an options pipeline ahead of any future strategic decision to expand outside Kenya, notwithstanding that this is not an immediate priority. Brand & Marketing • Partner with Marketing (or own the function where no separate Marketing Manager exists) to drive brand equity, ATL/BTL activation, digital presence, and farmer/consumer engagement. • Manage marketing budget and ROI reporting. Cross-functional Liaison • Interface daily with Production/Operations (feedmill, hatchery, breeder farms, broiler farms, processing) on demand planning, forecast accuracy, and order fulfilment. • Work with Finance on credit control, pricing, profitability analysis, and monthly commercial reporting. • Work with Supply Chain and Logistics on cold chain integrity, delivery performance, and fleet utilisation. People & Leadership • Lead, coach, and develop the commercial team across sales, key accounts, trade marketing, and customer service. • Set KPIs, run monthly performance reviews, and build a succession pipeline. • Design, implement and monitor Commission based incentives for Regional sales teams Requirements Requirements PERSON SPECIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS 1. Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Agribusiness, Animal Science, or related field. MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification is a strong advantage. • Professional certification in sales/marketing (CIM, MSK) preferred. 2. Experience • Minimum 10 years in commercial/sales leadership, with at least 5 years at senior management level in poultry, animal feed, agribusiness, or FMCG food. • Proven track record in a similar capacity managing multi-channel sales (modern trade, general trade, Agro-vet/dealer networks, institutional) in Kenya. • Demonstrated experience selling into the commercial farming community — DOCs and Feed • Experience managing debtors, pricing, and trade spend in a high-volume, margin-sensitive environment. • Exposure to poultry value chain product commercialisation is a strong advantage. 3. Technical Skills • Strong command of sales analytics — volume, value, mix, distribution, pricing elasticity. • Proficiency in ERP sales modules (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage), CRM platforms, and advanced Excel. • Sound financial literacy — gross margin, contribution margin, working capital, and ROI analysis. • Familiarity with KEBS labelling standards, Kenya Veterinary Board and DVS requirements, and halal certification where applicable. • Understanding of poultry and feed technical fundamentals — FCR, flock performance, feed specifications — sufficient to engage credibly with commercial farmers. 4. Behavioural Competencies • Commercial hunter — bias for growth, deal-making, and market expansion. • Strong negotiator across buyers, distributors, and farmer customers. • Data-driven decision-maker with executive presence. • Resilient under price and margin pressure; can balance volume and profitability. • High integrity, particularly in pricing, rebate, and credit decisions. • Strong communicator — comfortable at board level and on the farm. 5. Language Skills • Strong and effective communicator in both English and Swahili Languages Job context • Working hours are 8 hours a day (excludes Lunch hour), 5 days a week + 5 Hours on Saturdays • Location is Nairobi, HQ. • Manager level • Airtime & Internet