Company:
EarthEnable, Incorporated Location:
Kigali/Nyamata, Rwanda, with significant time in rural villages across Rwanda
Compensation: Starts modest with significant performance-based raises About
EarthEnable EarthEnable is transforming the way people live, by making homes
healthier for families across rural Rwanda. 80% of Rwandans live in homes with
dirt floors which are dus
Kigali/Nyamata, Rwanda, with significant time in rural villages across Rwanda
Compensation: Starts modest with significant performance-based raises About
EarthEnable EarthEnable is transforming the way people live, by making homes
healthier for families across rural Rwanda. 80% of Rwandans live in homes with
dirt floors which are dus
ty, unsanitary, and fertile breeding grounds for
parasites and germs. While replacing a dirt floor with concrete has significant
health benefits (e.g. reducing diarrhea by 50% and parasitic infections by
80%), concrete is unaffordable for many Rwandans who need it. EarthEnable
addresses this pressing and ubiquitous problem by selling high-quality, earthen
floors that are 80% cheaper than concrete with 90% less embedded energy.
Earthen floors are already prevalent in modern homes in the United States.
They
are composed of natural materials (gravel, clay, sand, and murram) commonly
found in Rwanda. EarthEnable trains and hires local masons to install the
floors which are sealed using a proprietary drying oil that makes them
waterproof, strong, and polished. In our first 20 months of operations,
EarthEnable has installed over 200,000 square feet of flooring and employed
over 90 Rwandese staff. The Role
are composed of natural materials (gravel, clay, sand, and murram) commonly
found in Rwanda. EarthEnable trains and hires local masons to install the
floors which are sealed using a proprietary drying oil that makes them
waterproof, strong, and polished. In our first 20 months of operations,
EarthEnable has installed over 200,000 square feet of flooring and employed
over 90 Rwandese staff. The Role
The
person hired for this role will have a unique and urgent opportunity to
catapult us to the next level of impact. We are in a great place; we have
developed an excellent product that our customers cherish and that has
multiplicative health, employment, and environmental benefits. We have scaled
rapidly to reach over 600 customers in just over a year and a half. Now, we are
ready for a visionary Director of Sales and Marketing to pilot and implement
innovative strategies and business models to fundamentally disrupt the home
improvement market for the rural poor.
person hired for this role will have a unique and urgent opportunity to
catapult us to the next level of impact. We are in a great place; we have
developed an excellent product that our customers cherish and that has
multiplicative health, employment, and environmental benefits. We have scaled
rapidly to reach over 600 customers in just over a year and a half. Now, we are
ready for a visionary Director of Sales and Marketing to pilot and implement
innovative strategies and business models to fundamentally disrupt the home
improvement market for the rural poor.
The
Director of Sales and Marketing will lead EarthEnable’s swift expansion to new
geographic regions as well as to even lower socio-economic segments of the
population. The job will include piloting, iterating, and implementing
strategies to improve all aspects of customer relationship management:
marketing, sales, branding, payment plans, promotions, pricing, and
after-service support. It will also include developing and testing scaling
models (Organic growth? Franchising? Partnerships? Licensing our oil? The
options are endless!). We need someone who is wildly creative and
intellectually curious, excited to take big risks that yield high returns,
looks forward to days in the field getting their hands dirty and talking to
rural customers, and who runs towards the most challenging of problems, never
giving up. Key responsibilities include: Developing marketing strategies for
EarthEnable across Rwanda, e.g. organizing market days, door- to-door sales,
village events, village meeting announcements, and a rock-solid customer
referral strategy (most of our sales are currently referrals, yet we don’t have
a referrals system in place, given the challenges of tracking them) Piloting
innovative savings and credit mechanisms to help customers finance the floor
over time (including collateral for savings) Constantly assessing willingness
to pay and elasticity of demand to optimize both impact and revenue Developing
a training academy for sales representatives and supervisory structures (as
needed) Identifying potential partnerships and negotiating partnership
agreements (for financing, marketing, sales, etc.) Enacting an efficient
customer follow up system to obtain satisfaction scores and respond to
complaints Ensuring customer default rates and cancellation rates are low
Collecting live and accurate data on leads and clients (including their
location) via mobile technology Working closely with Operations team to align
supply and demand Supporting local brand development and ensuring excellent
deals for branded collateral Building a team that efficiently handles
marketing, sales, financing, customer service, and partnerships Working closely
with other senior leadership to determine the optimal business model to scale
Qualifications Educational level of A1 or B.A. in business, management,
marketing, economics or a related field 2+ years of marketing and sales
experience; experience with fast-growing start-ups is a plus Commitment to
Rwanda and specifically working in rural environments for 2+ years Experience
living and working in a developing country (preferably Rwanda / East Africa)
Creative and artistic with an eye for strong visual design and video design
Experience managing and analyzing budgets; modeling cost-effectiveness of
marketing strategies Resourcefulness and critical thinking skills to quickly
determine why something isn’t working and iterate quickly to try to solve
it; creative problem solving Exceptional people skills and managerial skills;
avid team player; coaching and mentoring approach Ability to work on a variety
of tasks at the same time Maturity and poise under stress Excellent attention
to detail, commitment to excellence, and outstanding work ethic Positive
attitude, sense of humor, entrepreneurial spirit, curiosity to learn new
things, patient with others Passionate about international development and
social enterprise Strong technology skills (knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel,
Google Docs, and Dropbox) Graduate degree (MBA, MPA/ID, MPA, MPH, etc.) a plus,
but not required Fluency in English
Director of Sales and Marketing will lead EarthEnable’s swift expansion to new
geographic regions as well as to even lower socio-economic segments of the
population. The job will include piloting, iterating, and implementing
strategies to improve all aspects of customer relationship management:
marketing, sales, branding, payment plans, promotions, pricing, and
after-service support. It will also include developing and testing scaling
models (Organic growth? Franchising? Partnerships? Licensing our oil? The
options are endless!). We need someone who is wildly creative and
intellectually curious, excited to take big risks that yield high returns,
looks forward to days in the field getting their hands dirty and talking to
rural customers, and who runs towards the most challenging of problems, never
giving up. Key responsibilities include: Developing marketing strategies for
EarthEnable across Rwanda, e.g. organizing market days, door- to-door sales,
village events, village meeting announcements, and a rock-solid customer
referral strategy (most of our sales are currently referrals, yet we don’t have
a referrals system in place, given the challenges of tracking them) Piloting
innovative savings and credit mechanisms to help customers finance the floor
over time (including collateral for savings) Constantly assessing willingness
to pay and elasticity of demand to optimize both impact and revenue Developing
a training academy for sales representatives and supervisory structures (as
needed) Identifying potential partnerships and negotiating partnership
agreements (for financing, marketing, sales, etc.) Enacting an efficient
customer follow up system to obtain satisfaction scores and respond to
complaints Ensuring customer default rates and cancellation rates are low
Collecting live and accurate data on leads and clients (including their
location) via mobile technology Working closely with Operations team to align
supply and demand Supporting local brand development and ensuring excellent
deals for branded collateral Building a team that efficiently handles
marketing, sales, financing, customer service, and partnerships Working closely
with other senior leadership to determine the optimal business model to scale
Qualifications Educational level of A1 or B.A. in business, management,
marketing, economics or a related field 2+ years of marketing and sales
experience; experience with fast-growing start-ups is a plus Commitment to
Rwanda and specifically working in rural environments for 2+ years Experience
living and working in a developing country (preferably Rwanda / East Africa)
Creative and artistic with an eye for strong visual design and video design
Experience managing and analyzing budgets; modeling cost-effectiveness of
marketing strategies Resourcefulness and critical thinking skills to quickly
determine why something isn’t working and iterate quickly to try to solve
it; creative problem solving Exceptional people skills and managerial skills;
avid team player; coaching and mentoring approach Ability to work on a variety
of tasks at the same time Maturity and poise under stress Excellent attention
to detail, commitment to excellence, and outstanding work ethic Positive
attitude, sense of humor, entrepreneurial spirit, curiosity to learn new
things, patient with others Passionate about international development and
social enterprise Strong technology skills (knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel,
Google Docs, and Dropbox) Graduate degree (MBA, MPA/ID, MPA, MPH, etc.) a plus,
but not required Fluency in English
Apply
online at http://www.earthenable.org/applynow. In your cover letter, please
state what excites you most about this role, and what you think will be the
most challenging about it
online at http://www.earthenable.org/applynow. In your cover letter, please
state what excites you most about this role, and what you think will be the
most challenging about it