Sales Manager - Schools - UAE and Qatar

Job description

Background Information:

Pearson has one defining goal: to help people progress in their lives through learning. We champion innovation and we invest in models for education that deliver on our promise for effective, accessible, and personal learning from early literacy, college and career readiness to professional education, through data informed instruction and inventive applications for mobile and digital learning.

Pearson, the world's leading learning company, has global-reach and market leading businesses in education, business, and consumer publishing and is listed on the London and New York stock exchanges.

The Pearson Middle East hub has adopted a holistic business approach, working the entire continuum of products through services and solutions. By working beyond traditional selling and moving towards higher value relationships with our customers, we aim to meet the greater needs of educators and institutions.

Purpose:

The Sales Manager’s prime responsibility is to lead Pearson’s Schools sales team in the UAE and Qatar and ensure meeting or exceeding financial KPI targets.

He/She will work to motivate and develop the team through management and coaching to achieve sales targets and implement best practice in all aspects of their sales job.

He or She will work closely with the Line of Business to deliver the assigned accounts’ sales and business development objectives.

The Sales manager will be interacting with key distributers in the UAE and Qatar and ensuring seamless partnership.

He/She will ensure systematic data collection and sales integrity

The Sales Manager is responsible for the brand and reputation of Pearson and all Pearson products, services and solutions in assigned accounts. He or She will work hard on leading a best of class sales team, building senior level relationships with the distributers and customers, maximizing profitable revenue, improving market share, developing growth strategies, coordinating account plans, and working within assigned operating budgets.

As a member of the UAE and Qatar team, the Sales Manager (Schools) is expected to contribute to long-term growth by providing strategic input and feeding valuable market information to the management and product teams.

Key Accountabilities:

1. Sales Management and Business Development

• Achieve and exceed the accounts sales target. Accountable for assigned financial KPIs including revenue and operating income
• Work with regional management to translate vision and strategy into effective sales actions to maximize profitable revenue across Pearson Schools products, services, and solutions in assigned accounts
• Lead the sales team to identify solutions and point opportunities in each assigned account and mobilize resources to bring Pearson Schools expertise to each opportunity to win the business. Resolve territory product and service delivery issues.
• Ensure accurate forecasting and sales planning
• Develop three-year account business plans including an annual sales plan in support of organizational goals and objectives incorporating articulated customer needs and funding criteria.
• Enable the team to seek new solutions opportunities for growth in sales territory. Looking for digital sales and emerging opportunities.
• Contribute to bidding process (maybe even lead on the  bidding process and take accountability to monitor bid progress

2. Maintain and establish  productive working models with internal stakeholders

• Coordinate field input to product management, product development, and marketing groups in advance of sales cycles to ensure instructional needs are met with effectiveness and innovation.
• Ability to work in a matrix organization, and have the ability to leverage relationships internally to obtain the best outcomes

3. Reporting and market intelligence

• Prepare sales and pipeline reports showing secured sales, potential sales, and sales opportunity areas implementing the use of strategic sales analytics in assigned accounts
• Provide the regional management with accurate information regarding all aspects of the sales activities in assigned accounts (sales and budget forecasting, competition analysis, strategy adjustments, sampling effectiveness, market trends, etc.)

4. Reporting line

The Sales Manager will report to the Head of UAE and Qatar, Pearson Education. A lot of coordination with product expert teams both in the regional and global organizations is a must to ensure the line of business can fulfil their product and market ambitions.

Measures of success:

• Achieving financial and growth targets
• Implementing the new distributer model
• Development of new business and significant medium term growth of business with the Schools sector in the UAE and Qatar
• Accuracy of projections for business development
• Timely and accurate data

Desired Skills and Experience

Competencies

Essential:

• Sales Management and Business Development experience at a senior level of at least 5 years.
• Team leader but with “own sales” success ambition
• Sales and Marketing/Business Development as a discipline; knowledge of the Education System in the Gulf (preferred)
• Entrepreneurialism, business acumen and financial literacy
• High learning curve when it comes to gaining knowledge of new and existing product lines and solutions
• Strong organisational, administrative and planning skills
• Flexible and adaptable approach to a changing organization
• Strong communication skills, both in writing and presentations, leveraging technology
• Willingness to travel across the territory
• Ability to prioritise tasks and manage time effectively

Education, Qualifications & Training 

• Bachelor’s , Masters or postgraduate qualification

Previous Experience

The candidate should have a proven track record managing teams, working in B2B commercial roles in the Arab World and have been based in the region. Previous experience in selling Education and IT/software solutions to large corporations could be useful. Excellent sales and negotiation skills to be put at the service of both clients/distributers and Pearson. The candidate should possess great team working skills

Essential:

• Experience in developing markets, relationships and new business
• Experience in leading a team of professionals
• Experience of working with external decision making agencies
• Up to date understanding of key education initiatives
• Up to date knowledge of Pearson capabilities

Personal Style and Behavior:

• A proven manager with high professional integrity, cultural sensitivity and the ability to establish credibility and represent Pearson at all levels.
• Pro-active and flexible working style, constantly looking for improvement and continuous learning.
• Hard working and highly motivated with excellent interpersonal skills, well organised with a business development/sales/educational background and a keen eye for spotting things that need to be done.
• A completer/finisher who will see all things to a successful conclusion.

IT Literacy 

• Essential:
• Proficient in all Microsoft packages

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