Area Manager - Rural Sales & Ops

Area Manager, Rural Sales and Operations - North India

About Simpa Networks:

Simpa Networks is a venture-backed technology company with a bold mission: to make modern energy simple, affordable, and accessible for everyone. Simpa has introduced a product and business model that will make sustainable energy choices “radically affordable” to the 1.6 billion Base of the Pyramid (BoP) consumers who currently lack access to electricity.

Simpa sells distributed energy solutions on a “Progressive Purchase” basis to underserved consumers in emerging markets. We’ve launched in India where we are focusing initially on transforming the market for solar energy systems. Our customers make a small initial down payment for a high-­quality solar PV system and then pre-pay for the energy service, topping up their systems in small user-­defined increments using a mobile phone. Each payment for energy also adds towards the final purchase price. Once fully paid, the system unlocks permanently and produces energy, free and clear. The innovative pricing model is called Progressive PurchaseTM, and Simpa is live with customers in Karnataka, India.

Our model is built upon our proprietary risk mitigation technology which creates opportunities for market rate and social investors to invest in the expansion of energy access.

Simpa Networks seeks an experienced microfinance or rural sales professional to lead Simpa’s growth across Northern India. Simpa Networks is a fast-paced, mission-driven, payments technology company based in Bangalore, India building a world-class team committed to serving our rural and urban customers with affordable access to clean energy. The Area Manager will be responsible for managing channel partners (solar retailers such as SELCO-India) and Simpa’s growing portfolio of rural North customers who are purchasing solar energy via Simpa’s “pay-as-you-go” pricing scheme.

Responsibilities

- The Area Manager (North) has overall responsibility for the successful channel management of Simpa’s solar retail partners, and the associated portfolio of customers that have purchased solar energy systems on a Progressive Purchase basis.

- The Area Manager will lead channel partner training (branch staff, technicians, sales associates, and recharge agents); communication and marketing of Simpa’s pricing approach and products to potential customers; agent network management; and rural customer service.

- The Area Manager will be responsible for the superior repayment performance of a portfolio of rural North customers who have purchased Simpa’s pay-as-you-go solar energy solutions.

- The Area Manager will be a lead member of the Sales and Operations team at Simpa Networks, reporting to Simpa’s Vice President, Sales and Distribution.

Specific Responsibilities:

Business

- Detailed understanding of Simpa’s metering and revenue management hardware and software, our “pay-as-you-go” pricing approach, and our sales channel partners.

- Overall responsibility for portfolio quality of assigned channel partner branches.

- Overall responsibility for training of staff in new branches to be opened in the designated area.

- Detailed understanding of the designated area of rural operations, including customer occupation, typical repayment patterns, external influences, customer behaviour, characteristics of partner branch personnel etc.,

- Maintain data on available options for financing solar technologies in the designated area.

Field Operations Management

- Hands-on management of the channel partner branch & field operations. This would involve direct interaction and training with channel partner branch managers, technicians and sales staff.

- Hands-on, direct interaction with rural customers - before, during and after the sales process for Simpa-enabled solar home systems.

- Identify and activate new channel partner retail branches to sell Simpa-enabled solar energy systems.

- Organize and execute channel partner trainings for branch managers, technicians and field staff.

- Organize and execute customer rural marketing events and training.

- Hindsight verification of customer approvals and ongoing customer tracking to ensure proper customer selection with a focus on encouraging positive customer repayment patterns and eliminating poor repayment patterns.

- Identify, build and maintain professional and accessible network of recharge agents that will offer Simpa EasyRecharge credit to Simpa’s customer base.

Financial

- Responsible for customer portfolio quality of channel partner branches and individual sales agents.

Time Management

- Time distribution would be: 40% - Field Marketing, Research & Customer Service; 40% - Branch management and training; & 20% - Reporting & interaction with Simpa’s Bangalore Head Office.

People

- Establish and manage relationships with the administrative, operational and accounting support functions at Simpa’s Bangalore Head Office.

- Responsible for recruitment, training, development, performance management, communication, motivation/mentoring & retention of Simpa’s rural sales associates in coordination with Simpa’s Head Office Sales and HR teams.

- Responsible for recruitment, training, development, performance management, communication, motivation & retention of Simpa’s recharge agents in coordination with Simpa’s Head Office Sales and HR teams.

- Ensure direct person to person contact with all staff on a regular basis.

Qualifications:

- Higher University degree in Business, Finance, Banking, Economics, Management, Operations or equivalent work experience,

- Ideal candidates must have at least 4+ years of rural microfinance, banking, or rural sales and marketing experience with a proven track record of exceeding expectations,

- Practical experience with training programs and action-based workshops for front line, technical and sales staff,

- Ability to manage multiple projects within a dynamic environment with a high level of urgency without compromising productivity,

- Ability to build and maintain excellent working relationships across the technical and corporate teams, in order to facilitate feedback and enhance implementation.

- Ability to constantly solicit feedback from field and technical teams and make necessary changes and adjustments.

- Demonstrated leadership, networking and negotiation skills.

- Ability to travel extensively (up to 60%) and work flexible hours.

- Strong proficiency using all Microsoft Applications, GoogleDocs, Gmail.

- Knowledge of renewable energy technologies, solar a plus.

- Experience of working in rural or BOP markets preferred

- Fluency in both English and Kannada required. Hindi is also an asset.

Compensation:

Simpa Networks offers competitive salary and benefits packages commensurate with our funding stage.

Contact:

Please submit your C.V. and cover letter to Simpa Networks (greatjobs@simpanetworks.com) for

consideration (reference “Area Manager - Rural Sales and Operations” in the Subject line of your email).

In your cover letter, please tell us what about Simpa interests you, and how you can contribute to our company’s mission.

*Only short-listed candidates will be contacted to set up an interview. We hope to hear from you!