Sales Manager (Solar C&I)

Our client is on the hunt for a Sales Manager. They have positioned themselves as the largest privately held solar developers in Northern Europe with large-scale solar projects of 50 MW in Pakistan and 9 MW in Ukraine that are in operation, and more than 1 GW of projects under development and in pipeline. Approximately 900 MW has been commissioned since 1996. Their ambition is to develop, finance, build, own and operate renewable energy assets worldwide, with a focus on emerging markets – where they can make the biggest impact. The company is currently developing projects in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa, and we are headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, with offices in Oslo, Nicaragua, South Africa, Vietnam, and Ukraine. As their Sales Manager, you will be leading and coordinating solution sales initiatives in Africa. You will be supporting the company to grow the sales pipeline, move the opportunities through the sales funnel and guide the customer throughout the customer journey. You will work closely with the local country units as well as local sales partners to identify, nurture and close large corporate deals, focusing on solution selling. In this position, you will have a good mixture of tasks that are well- positioned towards a career within the global renewable energy sector. You will report to the Country Manager in South Africa and to the EVP of Global Sales, with heavy collaboration with country units, project finance and development teams. The work environment is characterised by highly skilled and experienced professionals with strong results and business focus, but it is also informal. Your colleagues have strong drive, they are dedicated, and are solution oriented. * Coordinate customer approach and lead generation initiatives with country units and local sales partners * Plan and execute lead generation tactics in key markets and build strong business relationships with customers and local sales partners * Work with the Country Manager and EVP of Global Sales to design and execute market and segment-specific outbound efforts * Identify customer needs and prepare/present solution sales proposals accordingly * Identify, train, and manage new local partners in key markets according to company sales strategy * Guide and educate prospects throughout the customer journey * Represent the company, with a comprehensive understanding of our offerings and our value proposition * Maintain and update CRM system according to company sales process * Ability to travel at least 20% of the time * Liaise with project finance and project development team for effective project handover and execution * Personal characteristics * Excellent communication and presentation skills * Strong emotional and social intelligence * Good listener and capable of asking the right questions to uncover the customer needs * Keen and able to learn constantly and quickly * Customer orientated, dedicated, and takes ownership of