Sales Director - Sub Saharan Africa (Grid Software)

Job Description Summary

The Sales Director will be responsible for driving commercial operations in Sub-Saharan Africa, managing the regional sales team, and fostering strong client relationships. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience selling industrial solutions and engineering services, with a proven track record in the Energy and Utilities sector. This role requires strategic leadership, team management, and the ability to collaborate with global teams for support. The candidate should also have a strong professional network within the Sub-Saharan African market and be capable of representing GE Vernova in industry forums, driving discussions with partners, funding agencies, and government bodies.

• Develop and execute a robust sales strategy to drive revenue growth in the Sub-Saharan African market.
• Build, manage, and mentor a high-performing regional sales team, fostering a culture of coaching and continuous development.
• Establish and nurture long-term client relationships with key stakeholders in the Energy and Utilities sector.
• Identify new business opportunities, partnerships, and market trends to expand our footprint in the region.
• Work cross-functionally with global teams to leverage technical and commercial expertise.
• Lead negotiations and close high-value deals with key clients.
• Engage with key industry stakeholders, including partners, funding agencies, and government bodies, to strengthen market presence
• Maintain accurate sales forecasts, pipeline management, and performance reporting.
• Manages a small to medium team of senior professionals as well as others. May lead functional teams or projects with minimal resource requirements, risk, and/or complexity. Communicates difficult concepts and may influence others' options on particular topics. May guide others to consider a different point of view.
• Team responsible for sales of GE Vernova Electrification Software solutions to external customers and other GE businesses
• Requires specialized knowledge across product lines, markets, sales processes, or customer groups. Requires strong commercial awareness, and is expected to influence the development of strategy for their broad sales territory, including control of resources.
• Interprets simple internal and external business challenges and recommends best practices to improve products, processes or services. Stays informed of industry trends that may inform work.
• Represent GE Vernova in industry forums, conferences, and thought leadership events.
• Monitor market dynamics, competitor activities, and regulatory changes to adapt strategies accordingly.
• Uses high level of judgment to make decisions and handle complex tasks or problems within projects, product lines, markets, sales processes, campaigns or customers. Has ability to assess quality of information given and ask pertinent questions to stakeholders or customers. Able to offer new solutions to problems outside of set parameters and is able to construct and provide recommendations. Uses multiple internal and some external sources outside of own function to help arrive at a decision.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating with global teams for support.
• Willingness to travel extensively within the region.

• Extensive experience in sales, with a strong focus on industrial solutions and engineering services.
• Proven experience in selling to the Energy and Utilities sector across Africa.
• Strong existing network within the Sub-Saharan African market.
• Demonstrated ability to manage, coach, and grow sales teams in a diverse and multicultural environment.
• Strong business acumen with expertise in contract negotiation and deal structuring.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English; proficiency in French is a plus.

• Strong decision-making skills and the ability to operate with autonomy.
• Ability to navigate ambiguous and rapidly evolving business environments
• Ability to manage and motivate a diverse sales team across multiple markets.
• Strong oral and written communication skills. Strong interpersonal and leadership skills. Demonstrated ability to analyze and resolve problems. Demonstrated ability to lead programs / projects. Ability to document, plan, market, and execute programs. Established project management skills.
• Deep understanding of industrial solutions and engineering services sales.
• Strong track record in high-value deal structuring and negotiation.
• Ability to develop and execute go-to-market strategies.
• Proficiency in managing complex sales cycles and multi-stakeholder engagements.
• In-depth understanding of the Energy and Utilities sector in Africa.
• A well-established network of key decision-makers, partners, and influencers.
• Awareness of industry trends, regulatory changes, and funding landscapes.
• Strong ability to build and maintain relationships with clients, government agencies, and funding organizations.
• Experience in representing the company at industry forums, conferences, and policy discussions.
• Expertise in navigating complex business and regulatory environments.