Are you a remarkable Marketing and Sales professional who enjoys working with innovative and new developments for the consumer market and do you want to be part of a team with exciting challenges, then this might be the opportunity you are looking for! We are looking for a remarkable Account Manager to join DSM Nutritional Products Nigeria.

The Challenge

The Account Manager needs to actively investigate and deeply understand customer’s needs, influence customer’s decisions, and build privileged customer relationships. It requires strong selling skills to capably negotiate, close deals, and increase customer satisfaction.

The Account Manager should also have an excellent knowledge of the West Office markets, which covers a very wide range of products, and an even larger number of product forms, and spans some mature as well as some highly innovative and premium products.

The Position

The key responsibilities in this position will be:

Customer Leadership

• Coordinates all activities related to his/her customers
• Actively investigates and deeply understands customer’s needs
• Builds privileged customer relationships and influences customer’s decision makers and processes
• Loading of customer complaints

Sales Development

• Develops and implements sales strategy and customer action plans
• Captures value by identifying market opportunities for existing and new products
• Negotiates and closes deals and contracts with focus on profitability and according to budget
• Tracks performance by customer and product and reports it accurately and timeously using CRM
• Loading and follow up of projects and sales actions on CRM
• Uploading an updating forecast on IBP
• Loading and maintenance of pricing on SAP

Product Knowledge

• Knows core products and services
• Uses value marketing and selling for straights and premixes
• Market ownership
• Understands market dynamics in own and customer markets
• Gets insight of consumer needs
• Oversees the elaboration and implementation of a sales plan for his/her region with the support of the marketing organization
• Masters Health Benefit Solutions to answer market trends and needs

Competitive intelligence

• Knows competitors’ offerings and value propositions
• Estimates DSM market share per product for responsible markets

Develop products (Premixes)

• Using expert knowledge, develop premix formulation (recipe) to meet client’s needs, consulting with other expert knowledge areas in DSM as required
• Costs customer specific and standard premixes

Implement change for the group

• Introduction of new offerings and changes to existing offerings within the sales team
• In consultation with Production and Purchasing assist with the implementation and management of product and BOM changes to ensure production can function efficiently
• Manage information flow to HQ regarding changes-bridging stocks

The Ideal

The required qualifications, experience and competencies will be:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience in science, technology, or business-related field
• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience
• Knowledge of and experience in own discipline: knowledge of industry and West African markets, in-depth know-how about products and/or applications
• Knowledge of and experience in other relevant disciplines: balance of commercial and technical knowledge, skills, and experience

• Very good command (written & verbal) of English is a prerequisite

• Innovative problem-solving ability
• Effective team player and leader
• Ability to work to a demanding work schedule and meet specific deadlines
• Organizational and leadership skills
• Strategic thinker
• Identify new business opportunities for the right customers and marketers
• Facilitate product launches and achieve quick sales start for new products and product forms
• Cooperates with the regional Market Development Manager to elaborate an innovation strategy in region
• Develop marketing concepts by conducting research, developing concept or product to meet identified needs, and presenting to clients.  In terms of forward integration, develop total concept.
• Promote new concepts e.g., nutraceuticals from DSM group to client base, and ascertain opportunities
• Provide suggestions for improved systems and processes
• Strive to achieve world class practices in the sales and marketing function