Sales and Marketing Manager

Tribal Textiles is seeking a passionate individual who is keen to join a fun, fast-paced textiles brand that changes lives. Serving as the Managing Director’s right hand, the Sales & Marketing Manager oversees local and international sales development of all channels (B2B / B2C) and develops brand marketing strategy – particularly using online mediums.

This full-time position, based in South Luangwa, Zambia, represents a unique opportunity to design change in the world and join an innovative team of people passionate about Africa, design and conservation.

Days of work are Monday through Friday. Some weekend work at events is to be expected. Work requires flexibility and adaptability. Travel by car or plane may be required for attending events.

Start date – August 2022

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Tribal Textiles is a social business started in 1991, based in Mfuwe, South Luangwa, a remote region of Zambia.

With a mission to create a sustainable impact through grassroots development, Tribal Textiles creates ethical home décor handcrafted by artisans employed within the local community. Our hand painted textiles draw inspiration from Africa’s vibrant heritage, blending traditional techniques with contemporary composition and bold colours.

From sourcing to production, each piece is thoughtfully designed and made by hand with respect for the environment. We strive to minimize our environmental impact by sourcing locally, using sustainable materials, and repurposing waste.

Tribal Textiles contributes to holistic economic development by going beyond fair wages, providing artisans with the support and resources they need to thrive. Community is at the core of everything we do, which is why we reinvest 5% of each purchase in local community and conservation initiatives.

THE POSITION

The Sales & Marketing Manager reports to the Managing Director and works hand in hand with all other departments (production, retail, accounts).

Key responsibilities include the following:

STRATEGY, PROCESS & ANALYTICS

•       Develop and implement the overall sales strategy (B2B / B2C) in support of the company strategy and financial objectives, via consultation with the Managing Director.

•       Foresee future market and product opportunities to drive overall business changes and growth (locally & internationally, on both B2B and B2C channels).

•       Assess current sales and marketing methodologies and team structure to propose/implement necessary adjustments in order to optimize performance and to facilitate further growth.

•       Prepare monthly and annual sales & marketing reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data to increase engagement and conversions.

•       Control & replenish online shop stock as needed (both for B2C and B2B market).

WHOLESALE

•       Improve sales performance for existing wholesale and export clients:

•       encouraging them to use our new online wholesale platform to place orders of stocks readily available,

•       working with them to build orders for specific requests and bespoke orders,

•       and up-selling whenever possible.

•       Be a point of contact with local lodges, encouraging good relations and use of Tribal Textiles & artisan made home décor products (for décor and in curio shops if relevant).

•       Increase market share by new customer expansion, following up on all new leads, advising on best selection of products to suit their market and best ways to place order according to their needs.

•       Ensure that all export and wholesale orders are produced to the required specifications.

•       Oversee the timely and efficient delivery of all orders to export and wholesale clients, working with shipping agents, courier companies and transporters, ensuring that all orders are dispatched with the correct paperwork.

•       Following up on invoicing, payments and client statements for all wholesale and export clients, including consignments.

•       Keep up to date our wholesale client database and email list (with existing clients, leads and targets).

•       Overview wholesale and export orders going to the Luangwa Artisan Collective (a collective of artisans promoted by Tribal Textiles, doing beautiful woven and wood home décor products – on catalogue or bespoke). 

DIRECT TO CONSUMER SALE

•       Manage Tribal Textiles’ online store, selling Tribal products direct to consumers around the world.

•       Oversee with Export Assistant the timely and efficient delivery of all orders to online shop clients, working with DHL to keep up to date with export requirements and ensuring that all orders are dispatched with the correct paperwork.

•       Encourage customer feedbacks and testimonials.

MARKETING & COMMUNICATION

•       Develop and implement brand marketing strategy, content calendar and overall brand’s online presence to promote the online store and generate new leads.

•       Develop regular content for email campaigns (B2B / B2C) using Omnisend to increase presence of mind and wallet share on existing customers and transform non clients into buyers.

•       Keep our B2C email list up to date on Omnisend.

•       Merchandise the existing product catalogue on our online shop and add new collections when needed.

•       Overview & update our product catalogues on partner’s online platforms (Powered by People for B2B for example).

•       Participate in organisation and planning of products photoshoots.

•       Produce and continually update a variety of print marketing material including promotional flyers and documents; company profile, press releases, client price lists, fact sheets etc.

•       Create engaging social media content including text, imagery, and videos as per the content calendar (on platforms Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest mostly). Develop our presence on Pinterest.

•       Manage and monitor social media accounts engagement, direct messages, and replies.

•       Ideally, develop, implement and monitor online ads (FB, Google Ads) – possibly in partnership with external agency.

•       Improve social media metrics and KPI.

•       Cultivate influencer collaborations through personal outreach and ideally develop an affiliate program.

•       Deal with all marketing & PR enquiries and maintain a database of contacts.

•       Develop outreach via comprehensive and engaging blog posts.

•       Support, plan, execute and represent Tribal Textiles at tradeshows and pop-up events with enthusiasm as needed.

MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP

•       Provide day-to-day leadership and management to the Sales and Marketing Department that enables it to achieve its targets while driving a personalized and authentic customer-first approach for the company.

•       Provide inspirational leadership that engages all parts of the organization in a dynamic pursuit of the mission, vision, and strategic objectives of the business.

•       Build a results-driven culture of accountability and transparency.

THE PERSON

•       You are passionate about Tribal Textiles’ mission and possess sincere enthusiasm for creating social impact in the world.

•       You have a strong data and analytics orientation, with relevant experience leveraging data to drive strategy and operational decisions.

•       You possess excellent verbal and written communication skills.

•       You have a keen eye for design and detail.

•       You are a social person that enjoys building positive relationships with people both in person and digitally.

•       You are self-motivated and take initiative to develop solutions to grow the business.

•       You are proficient with social media tools.

•       Strong team spirit and work ethic.

•       Flexibility and resilience.

•       Independence and a sense of adventure (we are based in the African bush)

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

•       You have at least 5 years of experience in sales, marketing and social media.

•       You have a bachelor's degree qualification, ideally in Marketing and/or Communications

•       Proven experience in driving sales & growth, ideally in a small company.

•       Experience with Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and video editing software and analytics platforms such as Google Analytics, Instagram Insights, etc (preferred).

•       Working knowledge of SEO and online ads such as Facebook / Google (preferred).

•       Experience of working/living in Africa (preferred)