Sales & Distribution Officer - 4Ward Development

4Ward Development is a well-established safe water enterprise (SWE) with business subsidiaries in Ghana and Uganda that provide safe water services at District Wide Scale. Our goal is to exceed the expectations of rural customers by delivering a guaranteed supply of high-quality water on a continuous basis. 

4Ward Development was launched by Access Development, an enterprise with a decade of experience providing safe water to 600,000+ people through 2,000 water points across Africa. During this time, Access Development pioneered an innovative water system, NUMA, backed by our non-profit partner and owner, Water4. Access Development, and thus 4Ward Development West and East Africa, are wholly owned for-profit Subsidiaries of Water4, Inc. 

The 4WardWA suite of water solutions is designed to provide safe water tailored to consumer demand, including: hand-pumps with professional management, public retail points, and private water connections for households, schools, clinics, and businesses.

4WardWA has current operations in the Wassa East district, Western region, Ghana, where we have provided the entire district with access to safe water and adjourning communities in the Komenda, Edna-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipal. This is in partnership with Water4, The Dutch Government (RVO), Hilton Foundation, Wassa East District Assembly, and many other partners.

4WardWA is scaling up its operations in Upper West and Savanna Regions in 2022 in partnership Water4, Helmsley Trust Foundation and Global Communities, with more partners to come as part of our strategy to provide three districts in these regions with safe water services. 

Job Description

• REPORTING: The Sales & Distribution Officer will report to the Product Manager, Northern Operations

Position Summary

Under the supervision of the Product Manager, the Sales & Distribution Officer (SDO) will be responsible for managing the distribution of goods or products from the factory to customers or stores. S/he will plan and execute delivery schedules, manage warehouse and transportation, oversee distribution operations as well as handle sales channels and identify opportunities for sales and expansion.

Additionally, the SDO will conduct market research and analysis to evaluate trends, brand awareness and competition ventures. The incumbent will manage the day-to-day interaction with customers including other stakeholders and will work closely with the Facility Maintenance Officer on other activities carried out by the Product Department. 

Responsibilities

• Oversee and develop marketing campaigns and promotions.
• Conduct research and analyze data to identify and define audiences.
• Devise and present ideas and strategies for review by management
• Gather feedback from customers or prospects and share with internal teams.
• Manage the full sales cycle from negotiating/closing deals and handling complaints or objections effectively and efficiently.
• Grow distribution width and depth in the designated sales area.
• Develop chart distribution/delivery route maps and schedules within allocated territories.
• Make packaged water products in the assigned territory easily visible and readily available. 
• Build customer loyalty and retention through delivering innovations, customer focused and value-added solutions based on the principles of mutual benefit.
• Up-sell other products and secondary placements to penetrate new territories and retailers.
• Spearhead the preparation and presentation of client proposals and all client presentations
• Generate weekly & monthly reports and manage the customer database. 
• Achieve both monthly and weekly targets. 

KEY EXPECTED RESULTS

• Relationship-building: Customer, staff, and stakeholder relationship management.
• Time management skills: The ability to prioritize, multi-task, and be time efficient.
• Teamwork, leadership, and motivational skills: The ability to organize, manage and motivate the team to ensure productivity and excellence.
• Report Writing: Effective and accurate sales/distribution reports being produced on a timely basis

Required Skills or Experience

Education

• Minimum qualification of Diploma in marketing, supply chain, business administration, logistics, and operations, or a relevant field.

Experience

• At least 2 years of experience in a channel sales/supply chain-related role is required.
• The ideal candidate must have a MINDSET of an entrepreneur.

Preferred Skills

• Should take a strategic approach to the planning and management of tasks. 
• Strong mindset for continuous improvement, meeting or exceeding expectations and able to demonstrate complete discretion and confidentiality.
• Excellent verbal and written/ interpersonal communication skills with an ability to build relationships with people at all levels. 
• Demonstrate problem-solving capability – the ability to create win-win situation while deriving desired numbers and outcome. 
• Excellent organizational and leadership skills
• Attention to detail and the ability to multitask efficiently.

General Competencies

The following competencies are expected of all Water4 employees:

• Job knowledge: Demonstrates knowledge of purposes, objectives, practices and procedures required to perform the job.
• Productivity: Produces a volume of work consistent with the normal requirements of the job.
• Quality of work: Work is accurate, thorough and timely according to agreed standards and expectations agreed.
• Communication: Expresses information verbally and in writing in a clear and coherent manner.
• Reliability: Can be depended upon to perform assigned tasks in a timely manner and degree of supervision required.
• Initiative: Exhibits drive to complete tasks and takes charge in the absence of detailed instructions.
• Delegation: Delegating and following up regularly to ensure that delegated duties and responsibilities are carried out.
• Teamwork: Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with co-workers and works to share responsibilities towards common targets.
• Leadership: Motivates and builds morale, eliciting cooperation from subordinates and achieving results through a team effort.
• Constructive Feedback: Accepts improvement-oriented ideas and offers the same to colleagues or those under their supervision

Working Conditions

Physical Demands - Sitting, standing, and/or walking for up to 8 hours per day. The total working hours in a week is 40 hours. Should work be done during evenings and weekends, the SDO will be compensated with an equal amount of time off.

Location

• This position is based in Wa, Upper West Ghana.