Business Head

Business: MEP, Solar & Substations – Uganda/Rwanda Role: Business Head Reporting to: MD Role Overview: The Business Head plays a pivotal leadership role, overseeing day-to-day operations, driving business growth, ensuring profitability, managing cash flows, and providing strategic direction to our company. Collaborating closely with the Managing Director (MD), this position embodies an entrepreneurial spirit, necessitating overall accountability and responsibility for running the business as if it were their own. The Business Head demonstrates strong leadership skills, strategic thinking, and operational expertise to enhance business performance and drive growth. Additionally, they foster a culture of excellence and profitability within the organization, serve as a liaison between owners and staff, and ensure alignment with company practices, policies, and the social and business environment in Kenya. Key Responsibilities: ▪ Business Targets and KPIs: o Prepare, demonstrate and agree with the management, an Annual Business Plan comprising of growth, orders, revenues, profitability, cash flow, working capital management etc and achieve the same consistently year on year. o Prepare and agree with the management the Key Result Areas and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) keeping in mind the ABP. Develop and align KRAs/KPIs for all teams/employees based on the signed off KRAs and KPIs. ▪ Strategic Business Growth: o Develop, execute, and assess top business strategies aligned with short-term and long-term growth objectives. o Oversee all operations and business activities to ensure desired results and consistency with overall strategy and business plans. o Strategize the type, value, customers, payment terms, capabilities, margins etc while acquiring orders so that the orders are in line with the overall business plans. ▪ Operational Excellence: o Design an efficient operational structure that provides role clarity, responsibilities, and accountability. o Encourage the team by having transparent performance evaluation system and appropriate compensation at all levels which will cover salaries at intake, annual performance-based increments and promotions based on consistent long-term performance. o Annual increments shall be split in to fixed and variable components as per the company HR policy o Enhance self-perform operations to ensure independence and effectiveness without constant guidance. o Develop and practice a tender estimation and costing module to ensure that all costs are covered and orders are booked with accurate costs and margins keeping in mind the ABP commitments to the company. o Prepare a budget plan for each project and get the same approved by MD. These budgets will become the targets for the team. o Ensure a proper budgeting system for each component of costs for the projects and monitor and take steps to ensure that the execution happens within the budgets. Ensure that all such budgets are transferred in to ERP system for effective monitoring of the costs and taking corrective steps. o Ensure that all project reviews are done basis the ERP data and MIS reports ▪ Vendor Management: o Develop a vendor base for sourcing various MEP materials, both domestically and internationally. o Leverage on the vendor base available to MPSL, Kenya ▪ Project Performance: o Ensure projects perform within agreed schedules as per contracts. o Evaluate contract variations and secure customer approvals promptly. o Ensure that proper quality and safety are practiced at all project operations o Ensure that a project progress schedule is prepared and followed by the team o Based on the project schedule, a billing and collection plan for the project shall be prepared which will ensure a lower capital deployed. While preparing the project schedule and material delivery schedule, cash flow requirement shall be kept in mind so that the cash in vs cash out scenario is carefully studied so that the capital deployed in the job is low. Reporting and Financial Governance: o Regularly report to the MD on business performance, strategic initiatives, financial aspects, and division operations. o Oversee budgeting, reporting, and financial strategies aligned with company goals. ▪ Organizational Leadership: o Inspire alignment with company goals and values. o Foster excellence, collaboration, and innovation within a culture of continuous learning and growth. ▪ Talent Management: o Lead all company departments. o Recruit, develop, and retain staff aligned with strategic goals. o Provide mentorship, clear direction, and conflict resolution. ▪ Risk Management and Compliance: o Identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks through strategic planning. o Foster a culture of adherence to regulations and industry standards. ▪ Marketing and Business Development: o Actively participate in business development efforts. o Maintain relationships with industry associations, key clients, design partners, and subcontractors. o Stay informed about market trends and industry developments. ▪ Financial Leadership and Cash Flow Management: o Provide accurate financial analysis of budgets, reports, and trends. o Optimize banking relationships and strategic financial partnerships. o Develop a robust cash flow projection and reporting mechanism. ▪ Resource Allocation and Process Improvement: o Allocate resources efficiently across projects. o Drive process improvements to streamline operations and reduce costs. ▪ Qualifications: o Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering from a reputed university. o MBA in Operations Management. Who is the Right Candidate The ideal candidate for this role possesses the following qualifications and attributes: • Age: 45 – 50 years. • Experience Profile: o First 4 years: Worked at project sites, gaining valuable project knowledge. o Next 4 years: Worked as a team member in BD/Marketing/Estimation/Sales teams within EPC companies. o Other Years: Gained management experience in roles such as Sales, Estimation and Tendering Head, Project P&L Management, Profitability, Project Budgeting/Cost Control, Procurement, and Contracts Management. • Excellent BD/Sales capabilities in MEP Projects and conversion of orders with great success rates. • Strong Financial and Business Acumen with a strategic bend of mind. • Experience in Sales, Estimation, and Tendering: Specifically related to MEP projects in areas such as Commercial buildings, Residential buildings, Mass housing, and multi-story low-cost housing projects. • Stable Career: Demonstrates consistency with fewer job changes. • Expertise in FIDIC Contracts: Excellent knowledge, Practical application and overall management of FIDIC contracts. • Excellent Written and Oral Communication Skills. • Excellent people skills with ability to connect with customers/consultants/other stake holders. • Conversant with ERP Software. • Multitasking and Team Player: Ability to handle various functions and tasks efficiently. • Well-Versed in QA/QC/EHS Norms and Procedures. • Self-Driven, Analytical, Energetic, Proactive, and Committed to Timely Task