Field Sales Manager, A&C

Who is Lafarge?

As a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, Lafarge is enabling greener cities, smarter infrastructure and improving living standards around the world. With sustainability at the core of our strategy, we are becoming a net-zero company, with our people and communities at the heart of our success. We are driving circular construction as a world leader in recycling to build more with less. It’s all thanks to our 7,000 talented people around the world who are passionate about building progress for people and the planet through four business segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates and Solutions & Products.

Who are Lafarge People?

Lafarge people are passionate about finding better ways to build. They embrace innovation and improvement with a pioneering spirit. They work as trusted partners, creating better solutions and experiences for their customers, communities, and colleagues.

About the Job

Role holder is responsible for building loyalty among various customer segments, providing technical product solutions and enhancing Lafarge brand presence in the manufacturing sector. Responsibilities include identifying prospects among large and medium companies, masons, developers, and home builders. The role also involves tracking construction activity and collaborating with colleagues to maximize commercial opportunities for Lafarge Africa Plc's concrete operations.

What you'll be doing

Safety:

• Apply and manage the safety policy, drive policy standards and adversaries already put in place for role holder, colleagues, subcontractors and all others who are in the site or plant.
• Report all incidents/VPC/BOG and near misses
• Ensure access to jobsites is in line with safety standard for pumps, electrical lines and space

Sales Functions:

• Implement the area commercial strategy, and sales action plans to achieve sales target and profit margin
• Organize and control commercial operations for respective region/Area to achieve given sales target and profit margins.
• Evaluate the quality of Lafarge's relationship with customers, assess their evolving needs and proactively manage and handle complaints and feedbacks
• Work closely with Marketing, Quality Control, Production and Legal departments when necessary to improve and promote quality and service.
• Work with the Marketing Department to develop & implement communication materials and messages to customers
• Develop action plan to drive the sales of value added products(VAPs) and new products launch in the territory.
• Organise and coordinate the Area sales activities to ensure all customers are satisfied and ultimately meet target
• Negotiate prices, volume with customers and other extras services and take proactive decision in critical situation (prices delay and claims).
• Represents Lafarge Africa Plc at meetings including trade exhibitions, building expo and trade fair to promote Lafarge products especially (value added products - VAPs)
• Keep to the sales policies and procedures put in place for him and ensure on time delivery of products (concrete) to the customers.
• Ensure all backlogs/pending orders are cleared and necessary documents are met.

Placing & Finishing Service:

• Ability to propose placing & finish service policy when it is relevant
• Write and give placing & finishing service prices for swift closing of jobsite
• Follow jobsite, applications, deliveries, invoicing, and funds collection to a completion.

Advisory Functions:

• Understand standard concrete and range of VAP (specifications applications) and make adequate recommendations in termof (production, transport, pouring).
• Advanced understanding of applications and building system. (individual hosing, commercial & institutional, industrial and civil works roads/utilities)
• Suggest adapted products, services, solutions with proper consideration of technical abilities and financial situations of each customer.

Reports:

• Key sales indicators and reports main action to Line Manager for close out.
• Monthly Customer relationship Management in terms of issues, new lead/closed out sales.
• Regularly scheduled reports from sales database monthly and report to Area Manager
• Report all market intelligent activities on a weekly basis, with clear understanding of trade activities.

Competition law:

• Adequate knowledge of competition law and apply it when needed.

Production, Transportation/Plant Daily Support:

• Monitor monthly purchase and sales are in line with pumping and delivery unit scheduling and business target.

Environment:

• Ability to respect and enforce procedures in place to indicate a non-compliance of environmental incident and report to line Manager for daily decisions and cascade such information to plant Operator/Batcher.

Credit, Administrative, Invoicing functions:

• Identifies creditworthy customers, following the in house process, negotiates payment terms and the implementation in collaboration with credit department for debt recovery and billing.
• Establish new customers are smoothly registered on the database.
• Ensure all pre-invoicing to avoid claims and manages the cash (price and payment terms) with the credit department
• Ensure all procedure are in place for cancellation of orders and deliveries
• Participate in credit meetings for adequate resolution

What we are looking for

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Building Technology, Architecture, Marketing, Humanities and Social Science with Master’s degree as added advantage.
• At least 3-4 years working experience and above in sales
• Good knowledge of construction materials In the industry
• Good Presentation, communication and networking skills
• Vision, business sense, basic financial knowledge and negotiation skills
• Strong customer focus
• Result oriented, proactive, capable of delivering under pressure
• Basic knowledge of concrete and production tool
• Knowledge of Value Added Product and Ultra Series products.
• Knowledge of transportation management
• Knowledge of computer tools: SFDC, CG Mix (if possible BC Mix), Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Ready-soft and pricing matrix.
• Knowledge of quality management.
• Ability to use social media platforms to drives sales

Long Term Goal:

• Ensure the optimization of customer’s portfolio
• Adapt sales to Lafarge’s priorities
• Improve the profitability of his portfolio

Behavioral and/or managerial competencies:

• Independent thinker and manager of own time
• Ability to discuss and influence others
• Good team player with effective interpersonal skills covering growth facilitation and customer interface aspects
• Rigorous, organized, self-management
• Dynamic, available, mobile
• Listening skills, communication skills
• Work/Teamwork
• Persistent, diplomatic and ability to anticipate

Your Lafarge Experience:

Lafarge offers endless opportunities for you to play your part. Whether you’re in a technical, managerial, or frontline role, you can shape a career that works for you. With Lafarge you have the chance to embrace the passion we share for our planet. You’ll be encouraged to seek out diverse perspectives, share your ideas and build the skills and connections you need to perform at your best. Because it’s only when we work together in a culture where everyone thrives, that we can build the world we all want to live in.