ABOUT THE ROLE
- We are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Project Sales Manager to develop and secure building-material project opportunities across Kenya, with a strong focus on real estate, government, institutional, and large-scale construction projects.
- The successful candidate will be responsible for identifying project opportunities at an early stage, developing relationships with key decision-makers, converting project leads into tile and building-material procurement orders, and managing projects from initial opportunity through negotiation, supply, delivery, payment, and after-sales support.
- The ideal candidate should have a strong understanding of the Kenyan construction and real estate market, an established network among developers, contractors, consultants, architects, government project stakeholders, quantity surveyors, and procurement decision-makers, and proven experience in engineering/project sales.
- Experience in tiles, ceramics, sanitaryware, surfaces, or other building materials will be highly advantageous.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT & BUSINESS GENERATION
- Identify and develop new real estate, government, institutional, commercial, hospitality, and other large-scale construction projects across Kenya.
- Proactively build relationships with developers, contractors, consultants, architects, quantity surveyors, procurement teams, project managers, and other key stakeholders.
- Identify projects at the early planning, design, tender, procurement, and construction stages.
- Develop project leads into qualified business opportunities and ultimately into confirmed procurement orders.
- Build and maintain a strong project pipeline to achieve agreed sales targets.
- Take ownership of project sales targets and revenue generation.
PROJECT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT
Independently manage assigned projects from initial development through completion, including:
- Project Identification → Client Development → Specification → Quotation → Negotiation → Contract/Order → Supply Planning → Delivery → Installation/Inspection → Payment Collection → After-Sales → Project Closure
Responsibilities will include:
- Understanding project requirements and specifications.
- Working with clients and consultants to identify appropriate product solutions.
- Preparing and presenting quotations and commercial proposals.
- Negotiating pricing and commercial terms within approved company guidelines.
- Coordinating orders and supply schedules with internal teams.
- Following up on production, stock availability, logistics, and delivery.
- Coordinating site deliveries and addressing project-related issues.
- Monitoring project progress through to completion.
- Following up on outstanding payments and supporting timely collection.
- Maintaining strong client relationships throughout the project lifecycle.
PROJECT SPECIFICATION & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
- Identify opportunities to have company products specified into upcoming projects.
- Work closely with architects, designers, engineers, quantity surveyors, contractors, and developers to promote appropriate product solutions.
- Understand project specifications and recommend suitable tiles, surfaces, sanitaryware, and complementary building products.
- Monitor changes in project specifications and procurement requirements.
- Identify opportunities to increase product penetration within existing projects.
CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key project stakeholders.
- Establish trusted relationships with developers, contractors, consultants, procurement teams, government stakeholders, and other decision-makers.
- Conduct regular client and project visits.
- Understand client requirements and anticipate potential project needs.
- Maintain professional relationships throughout and after project completion.
- Develop long-term accounts and repeat business opportunities.
CUSTOMER COMPLAINT & PROJECT ISSUE RESOLUTION
- Take ownership of project-related customer complaints and execution issues.
- Handle concerns relating to product quality, delivery delays, product specifications, installation results, quantities, and other project requirements.
- Coordinate with relevant internal departments to establish the root cause and develop practical solutions.
- Ensure complaints are resolved promptly and professionally.
- Maintain clear records of complaints, actions taken, and final resolution.
- Protect customer relationships and minimize the commercial impact of project issues.
PROJECT PIPELINE & MARKET INTELLIGENCE
- Develop and continuously update a comprehensive project pipeline database.
- Monitor projects by stage, value, location, client, contractor, consultant, procurement status, expected completion, and sales potential.
- Track upcoming projects before they reach the procurement stage.
- Gather information on project budgets, specifications, procurement plans, decision-makers, tender timelines, and competing suppliers.
- Provide regular project pipeline and market intelligence reports to management.
- Identify first-mover opportunities and recommend early engagement strategies.
COMPETITOR & MARKET ANALYSIS
- Monitor competitor activities within the Kenyan project and building-materials market.
- Track competitor project wins, product positioning, pricing, customer relationships, distribution strategies, and market presence.
- Monitor major tile and building-material competitors, including SAJ Ceramics and other local and imported brands.
- Identify competitor strengths, weaknesses, pricing trends, product gaps, and market opportunities.
- Provide actionable competitor intelligence to Sales, Marketing, and Management.
- Develop strategies to improve the company's competitiveness in project sales.
TENDER & GOVERNMENT PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES
- Monitor relevant government and institutional project opportunities, tenders, and procurement announcements.
- Identify projects where company products may be specified or supplied.
- Develop relationships with relevant project stakeholders while maintaining full compliance with applicable procurement laws and company policies.
- Coordinate internally on tender requirements, technical submissions, quotations, samples, and supporting documentation.
- Track tender and procurement processes through to award and order placement.
SALES & COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE
- Achieve agreed monthly, quarterly, and annual project sales targets.
- Develop sales forecasts based on the project pipeline.
- Monitor conversion rates from project leads to quotations and confirmed orders.
- Maximize sales opportunities across tiles and relevant complementary products.
- Negotiate commercially viable deals within approved authority levels.
- Monitor gross margins and commercial performance of project orders.
- Identify opportunities for repeat orders and account expansion.
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COORDINATION
Work closely with:
- Sales
- Marketing
- Product
- Factory
- Supply Chain
- Logistics
- Finance
- Customer Service
- Technical/Engineering teams
to ensure smooth execution of project orders.
The Project Sales Manager will be expected to coordinate internally and ensure that commitments made to customers are followed through to completion.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Academic Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree or Diploma in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Building Technology, Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, or a related field.
- Additional training in sales, project management, construction, or building materials will be an advantage.
Professional Experience
- Minimum 5 years of proven experience in project/engineering sales within the building materials industry.
- Experience selling tiles, ceramics, sanitaryware, surfaces, construction materials, or related products is highly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience managing large-scale construction, real estate, government, institutional, or commercial projects.
- Proven track record of achieving project sales targets and converting project opportunities into orders.
- Experience working with developers, contractors, architects, consultants, quantity surveyors, procurement teams, or government/institutional clients.
- Strong understanding of the Kenyan construction and real estate market.
- Existing professional relationships within the Kenyan project ecosystem will be a significant advantage.
