Area Business Manager (m/w/d)

Job Description

The Area Business Manager will oversee sales, collections, and distribution operations within an assigned area for the direct distribution of Sun King Solar products sold on a Pay-As-You-Basis model, also known as the EasyBuy Business Unit, through a network of Energy Officers.

EasyBuy technology and services enable customers to purchase solar products through small, manageable instalments, making reliable and affordable energy accessible to off-grid and rural communities.

The Area Business Manager will be accountable for sales growth, timely and accurate collections, and the sustainable expansion of the Direct Distribution business across the assigned area. The role combines field operations, team development, customer engagement, and commercial performance.

What you will be expected to do

• Recruit and retain Energy Officers: Build and maintain a team of at least 40 Sun King Energy Officers within the assigned area. Use a range of recruitment channels, including referrals from village heads, teachers, religious representatives, healthcare professionals, farmers, and other community networks. Build awareness and credibility around Sun King's mission to provide clean, affordable, and reliable energy.
• Train Energy Officers: Deliver training across sales, collections, products, technical knowledge, inventory, and logistics. Equip Energy Officers with the knowledge and resources required to perform effectively while maintaining high standards of integrity, ethics, and professionalism when engaging with customers.
• Provide role clarity: Ensure Energy Officers have a clear view of their day-to-day activities, sales and collections plans, routes, and targets. Ensure each Energy Officer has a defined sales territory, knows how to demonstrate and sell Sun King products, can address basic customer queries, and knows where to access guidance when questions or concerns arise.
• Conduct regular field visits: Maintain a weekly touchpoint with every Energy Officer through in-person meetings, joint customer visits, sales activities, or calls. Identify and resolve issues raised by Energy Officers and provide weekly updates to the Regional Business Manager. Ensure the first five sales made by each Energy Officer are completed jointly with the Area Business Manager to establish strong sales and collections practices.
• Work alongside Energy Officers: Conduct regular joint field activities to strengthen sales and collections capability and maintain strong team engagement. Activities may include evening activations, market activations, and visits to local communities and gatherings such as SACCOs, self-help groups, retail centres, and markets to generate group sales.
• Achieve sales and collections targets: Meet or exceed monthly sales and collections targets set by the Regional Business Manager. Provide daily and weekly updates on sales performance, Energy Officer recruitment, customer issues, and resolutions as required.
• Strengthen field sales processes: Review collection progress with Energy Officers each day and provide coaching on effective collection practices. This includes customer and area profiling, timely collection follow-ups, addressing customer concerns to facilitate payments, and repossessing systems as a last resort where customers default.
• Stay informed about the market: Monitor market activity and developments within the assigned area and take appropriate action to protect and grow Sun King's business. Keep the management team informed of relevant market trends and opportunities while strengthening Sun King's position as a pioneering solar energy brand.
• Resolve customer issues: Provide high-quality assistance to customers across product delivery, product usage and payment guidance, installation, and after-sales warranty matters. Work with Energy Officers to establish clear processes and resolve customer issues within 24 hours.
• Manage marketing and operational spend: Ensure Energy Officers have the marketing materials and equipment, including smartphones, required to perform their roles effectively. Monitor spending across marketing, supply chain, store maintenance, and smartphone allocation to ensure efficient use of company resources.
• Conduct regular Energy Officer meetings: Organise weekly team meetings with Energy Officers, with the Regional Business Manager participating where required to address outstanding customer or team matters. Plan meetings effectively to encourage strong attendance, clear communication, and progress against priorities. Recognize strong performance and maintain high levels of team engagement.
• Expand retail presence: Grow the retail network within the assigned area in partnership with the Area Retail Coordinator. Ensure retail activities follow established processes and increase the number of high-performing retailers across the area.

You might be a strong candidate if you have

• A Degree or Diploma in any educational background.
• At least 2 years of field sales experience within the relevant area or region. Experience in Microfinance, Banking, or Telecom field sales would be an advantage.
• A strong interest in working with rural consumers and addressing customer needs.
• A structured approach to work, with the ability to manage priorities and deliver results with limited supervision.
• A strong alignment with the social mission of expanding access to energy and creating employment opportunities within rural communities.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to develop and manage large Energy Officer teams.
• A practical, customer-focused approach and the ability to establish positive working relationships with customers, community members, and colleagues.

What Sun King offers

• Professional growth in a dynamic, rapidly expanding, high-social-impact industry
• An open-minded, collaborative culture made up of enthusiastic colleagues who are driven by the challenge of innovation towards profound impact on people and the planet.
• A truly multicultural experience: you will have the chance to work with and learn from people from different geographies, nationalities, and backgrounds.
• Structured, tailored learning and development programs that help you become a better leader, manager, and professional through the Sun Center for Leadership.

We place great importance on sustaining a diverse, inclusive work environment. We believe that innovation and understanding comes from diversity on every spectrum. We work to make sure every Sun King team member knows that they belong, knowing that sustaining an inclusive workplace requires conscious effort and is a continuous journey, not an end-state. Sun King recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes people based on their experience, skills, effort, and results. We explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, caste, national origin, color, gender, marital status, family structure, sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS status, or disability.