Innovation & Business Development Manager – Chemicals

Who are we?

SOLEVO is a leading distributor of chemicals and inputs for specific industrial and agricultural segments in Africa. SOLEVO assists African farmers and industries to succeed by providing them with a full range of fertilizers, seeds, crop protection products and industrial chemicals they need with guaranteed quality and good value.

With over 75 years at the frontier of economic growth and transformation across Africa, we deliver critical raw materials and expertise to the continent’s high GDP-contributing life sciences and industrial sectors.

We are looking for an Innovation & Business Development Manager – Chemicals to support the growth and transformation of SOLEVO’s Chemical Business Line at Group level.

This is a strategic role with strong exposure to business development, innovation and commercial excellence. You will work closely with Product Management, Regional Business Managers and Sales teams to drive growth initiatives, develop new segments and elevate SOLEVO as a leading technical partner across the continent.

You will drive Business Development and Innovation for the Chemicals Business Line, contributing to sustainable growth and value creation. You will functionally manage direct sales managers, support product development initiatives, and lead innovation projects across different geographies and market segments.

You will also play a key role in strengthening commercial excellence tools (CRM & PIM) and in positioning SOLEVO as a trusted, value-adding partner for customers in Food, HHPC and CASE / Construction segments.

• Business Development & Growth — Define and drive Business Development and Innovation strategies together with the Business Line Director – Chemicals. Initiate and lead growth projects in close collaboration with Product Management and Regional Business Managers.

• Innovation Leadership — Develop and promote a strong innovation culture within SOLEVO. Build and position the laboratory setup as a key value creation tool for formulation development in FMCG and CASE / Construction segments.

• Lab & Technical Excellence — Build a coherent and high-performing lab team with a shared strategy, leveraging trainings, customer workshops, training days and technical communication to elevate SOLEVO’s technical positioning.

• Product & Segment Development — Support Product Management in achieving growth and development targets by identifying new opportunities, specialty developments and value-driven solutions.

• CRM & PIM Ownership — Act as PIM owner to ensure continuous usage, improvement and alignment with business needs, in collaboration with the Business Intelligence Manager. Drive CRM adoption and effective usage across the organization.

• Data-Driven Commercial Excellence — Extract, analyze and structure commercial data to develop and manage the opportunity pipeline together with RBMs and Product Management, ensuring long-term and sustainable P&L contribution.

• Direct Sales Team Management — Functionally manage direct sales team members and drive the effectiveness of the direct sales desk. Align geographic and segment priorities with Product Management to achieve growth targets.

• Key Account Development — Support the development of global key accounts in Food, HHPC and CASE / Construction segments, working closely with local teams to deliver results in the respective countries.

Must-Have:

• Experience: More than 5 years of experience in sales and marketing within the chemical industry, preferably with exposure to African markets.

• Business Development: Proven experience in new business development and innovation-driven roles.

• Key Accounts: Solid background in developing and managing key accounts and strategic customers.

• Leadership: Experience leading and coordinating remote or cross-functional teams.

• Technical & Business Acumen: Strong technical understanding combined with solid business and value-creation mindset.

• Education: Scientific background; a degree in management or an MBA is a strong plus.

Nice-to-Have:

• Industry Insight: Strong understanding of industry trends within relevant verticals…