Head of Sales

Head of Sales

Cape Town | On-site, with travel required

1-Year Contract with the intention of becoming permanent

Remuneration: R100 000 CTC pm + performance bonus

A well-established and growing organisation operating within the renewable energy and energy storage sector is seeking an experienced Head of Sales to lead its commercial performance across South Africa and selected African markets.

The business has established products, a growing customer base and significant opportunities for further market expansion. It is now looking for a commercially disciplined sales leader who can strengthen the sales function, develop strategic customer and channel relationships, and deliver sustainable, profitable growth.

This is not a conventional sales management role. The successful candidate will take end-to-end ownership of sales strategy, revenue performance, margin protection, strategic client relationships, commercial governance, pipeline management and team performance.

The ideal candidate will combine strategic leadership with hands-on commercial capability. They must be able to identify and develop major opportunities, engage credibly with senior decision-makers, negotiate high-value agreements and build client relationships that generate repeat business and long-term value.

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Commerce, Engineering or a related field
• 7+ years’ commercial or sales leadership experience
• Proven sales experience within the South African energy, electrical, renewable energy or related B2B infrastructure sector
• Demonstrated success in personally developing, negotiating and closing complex, high-value commercial transactions
• Proven experience building, leading and performance-managing a sales team
• Strong senior-level client and strategic account relationship management experience
• Sound commercial acumen, with experience in pricing governance, margin management and structured deal approvals
• Advanced CRM, pipeline management and sales forecasting capability, including the ability to develop effective pipeline structures and reporting standards
• Willingness to travel as required

Key Responsibilities

Sales Strategy and Market Development

• Develop and implement a structured sales strategy across residential, commercial, utility and strategic customer segments
• Identify priority markets, customer groups, channel opportunities and strategic partnerships across South Africa and selected African markets
• Translate the commercial strategy into practical annual and quarterly sales plans
• Review market conditions, pipeline data and customer feedback to refine sales execution
• Work closely with product and marketing teams to establish clear product positioning, competitive messaging and go-to-market strategies

Revenue and Margin Management

• Take accountability for revenue delivery, profitable growth and margin protection
• Drive performance through disciplined account planning, lead conversion and customer retention
• Establish and enforce appropriate margin thresholds, pricing controls and discount approval processes
• Ensure sales commitments align with operational capacity, inventory availability and financial objectives
• Prepare accurate monthly forecasts and provide clear commentary on performance variances

Strategic Accounts and High-Value Deals

• Personally lead the development, negotiation and closure of major commercial opportunities
• Build and maintain relationships with strategic customers, installers, EPCs, distributors, channel partners and senior decision-makers
• Structure agreements that balance customer value with profitability and operational deliverability
• Manage significant commercial escalations when required
• Work closely with technical and after-sales teams to ensure customers receive appropriate support following the sale
• Increase customer retention, repeat business and long-term account value

Commercial Governance

• Introduce consistent pricing, deal management and approval standards across the sales function
• Establish approval processes for discounts, credit terms, contractual commitments and other significant commercial decisions
• Implement clear Go/No-Go assessments for major deals and new product introductions
• Evaluate significant opportunities according to profitability, risk, delivery capability and strategic value
• Ensure commercial decisions remain properly documented and financially viable

Pipeline Management and Forecasting

• Implement and maintain a structured CRM pipeline with clearly defined stages, activity standards and conversion measures
• Monitor lead conversion, deal velocity, customer acquisition costs, retention and potential churn
• Establish disciplined pipeline and forecasting review processes
• Align live sales opportunities with procurement, production and inventory planning
• Provide executive leadership with reliable commercial reporting and market insight

Sales Team Leadership

• Lead, develop and hold the sales team accountable for clearly defined performance outcomes
• Establish appropriate roles, territories, KPIs and sales review structures
• Coach the team in strategic account development, relationship management, negotiation and commercial discipline
• Build a performance-driven culture focused on profitable growth, customer retention and consistent execution
• Design and manage incentive structures that encourage the right commercial behaviour
• Review incentive outcomes regularly and recommend adjustments where necessary

This position will suit a commercially strong and action-oriented sales leader who can create structure, strengthen accountability and deliver results in a demanding growth environment. The successful candidate must be equally focused on revenue and profitability and understand that sustainable client relationships are more valuable than once-off transactions.