Overview

Are you ready to use your market development, leadership, and sales skills to correct the vision of millions of low-income customers across sub-Saharan Africa so they can work, learn, stay safe, and care for their families?

The pioneering social enterprise, VisionSpring, seeks a strategic and innovative Africa region director to create and execute the pan-African market strategy that builds demand for eyeglasses and delivers vision access programs and services for people who live on less than $4 per day. The director is responsible for market strategy, business development, sales and marketing management, operations, human resources, and financial management across VisionSpring’s five current key markets. The director provides leadership for VisionSpring’s expanding 15-person team and operations in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia, and more than 100 partnerships across hospitals, clinics, and NGOs, cultivating high levels of mission alignment, engagement, and productivity. The person in this position can be based anywhere on the continent, with preference for candidates located in our key markets, and should expect a heavy travel schedule. The Africa region director reports to the chief operating officer, located in VisionSpring’s New York support office

Job Description

• Vision Spring is creating access to affordable eyewear, everywhere. Clear vision creates opportunities for increased learning, work, safety, civic participation, and quality of life.
• As a social enterprise, social change motivates us first. Our focus on sales and revenue targets serves and advances our mission objective—to increase functioning, productivity, and income earning potential for our low-income consumers by correcting refractive error with eyeglasses. Every $1 of philanthropy invested in VisionSpring yields an unprecedented $43 in increased earning potential at the household level.
• We are working to transform the systemic dysfunction of an optical market that has failed to deliver eyeglasses—a 700-year-old technology—to 2.7 billion consumers in need of vision correction, most of whom live on less than $4 a day.
• We serve low-income consumers, not as beneficiaries but as customers. Our customers expect a high-quality and affordable product, and they will spend limited discretionary income for the immediate and tangible benefits of vision correction.
• We run our business on both sales metrics and social impact measures. We use a range of organizational forms and practices to get the job done.
• We believe in scaling our impact, not our organization. We are a lean team of doers.

Job Function / Responsibilities

Market Strategy and Business Development

• Create and execute the pan-African market strategy for VisionSpring’s products, programs, and services, and establish VisionSpring as a leader in eye care.
• Analyze the broad market to identify the core areas of competitive strength for VisionSpring by channel and country. Work with the COO to develop the strategic plans for growth and impact.
• Lead country-based teams of sales professionals, technical advisors, and operations personnel in VisionSpring’s key markets to identify the business development opportunities that will yield year-over-year growth.
• Track relevant funding trends in Africa and identify philanthropic and public donor opportunities. Work with the development team to produce high quality, timely Vision Access Program proposals for potential donors.
• Lead the development and execution of programs with the country teams, ensuring monitoring and timely reporting of program outcomes.
• Collaborate with VisionSpring’s global teams to assure best practices for sales and program design are used across market activities.
• Provide VisionSpring’s executive, communications, and development teams with timely, relevant, and accurate information about achievements against goals and key learnings.
• Represent VisionSpring with external donors, partners, customers, and local governments. Create, manage, and nurture partnerships to broaden and deepen the market for affordable eyeglasses for low-income customers.

Sales and Marketing Management

• In collaboration with the COO, support the sales teams in developing their annual plans for eyeglasses and personal protective equipment (PPE). Grow year-on-year sales, reaching our current goal of 10 million customers and setting new milestones.
• Provide guidance as needed for key accounts management and sales strategy, ensuring sales goals are met in a timely manner and customer complaints are resolved.
• Manage travel, trade show participation, site visits, and other sales activities to ensure a robust set of sales initiatives to generate leads across the continent.
• Ensure all sales activities are tracked and managed for performance in Salesforce, VisionSpring’s CRM system.
• Manage the marketing budget for the region. Ensure marketing campaigns are implemented across all channels and yield a return on investment.
• Work with sales teams to conduct market analyses and identify growth opportunities for both new and repeat customers.
• Create synergies across programs, and relationships with channel partners, to promote the development of the eyeglasses market and maximize value for eyeglasses wearers and institutional partners through wholesale, retail, and e-commerce channels.

Operations, Human Resources, and Financial Management

• Work with the global HR team to ensure all team member concerns are addressed and the Africa teams are performing with high levels of mission alignment, satisfaction, and productivity.
• Support the operations team with procurement and supply chain activities, working with local and international suppliers. Identify opportunities for operational streamlining, cost reductions, and process improvements.
• Work with the COO to manage the Africa budget, ensuring effective allocation of financial and human resources.
• Work with the global finance team for accurate and timely financial reporting.
• Partner with the COO, finance team, and legal counsel to ensure that VisionSpring is operating to the highest standards of ethics and integrity.

Requirements/ Qualification

• A minimum of 20 years of professional experience in multi-country sales and business development, with at least 10 years in Africa.
• Proven success in launching innovative new products/services; building and expanding new markets; leading sales teams; and operations management.
• Prior responsibility for multi-location teams of at least 20 people, including director-level team members, and budgets of $200,000 or more.
• Project development and implementation experience, including rapid recruitment of large, contract-based execution teams.
• Extraordinary follow-through, attention to detail and deadlines, and a strong personal sense of accountability.
• Must meet the highest standards of ethics, with a demonstrated capacity for discretion and for handling sensitive information with care.
• A strong commitment to respectful collaboration with colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
• University degree.
• Ability to travel up to 75% of time.
• Fluency in English, written and verbal. Second language preferred.
• Preferred experience: 1) Selling FMCG or health care products/services; 2) Marketing products/services to low-income customers; 3) MBA or graduate education in a relevant field; 4) Project Management Professional (PMP) certification; and/or 5) Familiarity with Salesforce.

About You

• You are passionate about building a socially oriented business that makes a positive, lasting impact on the lives of low-income consumers. Customer delight matters to you most.
• “Growth” is your superpower. You are resourceful in a fast-growing organization, and relentless about innovating and executing on strategies to grow sales and services. You seek answers, create structure, and devise solutions when obstacles appear.
• You have a deep appreciation for the diverse perspectives in pan-African markets. You are comfortable building new relationships across a spectrum of partners to drive solutions that impact entire market sectors while helping everyone to succeed.
• You are a skilled people leader and truly care about your team. You listen to and guide them while remaining decisive and action-oriented. Former colleagues still call you for advice because you have helped them thrive