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Commercial Operations Manager
Pula Advisors
Operations
Nairobi, Kenya
Posted on Nov 14, 2024
About Pula
We are an insuretech firm that provides agriculture insurance design and execution services, specialising in index based insurance and are backed by top tier VC investors who have invested more than $25 million in the business. Since 2015 we have provided climate insurance to 15.4 million smallholder farmers, 41% of which were women across 19 markets in Africa and Asia who pay an average of $6.8 per season to insure their crops. So far we've unlocked over $2.22 billion of capital from local and international insurance markets for climate risks since we started in 2015 and paid out $40.8 million to our client farmers.
Pula is a fast-paced space, constantly adapting to new opportunities and challenges and we are made up of a high-performance, multi-cultural team. We expect our team to value performance, results and professionalism.
At Pula, our values are:
- Obsessed with results: We are responsible for our future and therefore we get things done!
- Connect the Dots: We continuously identify different customer needs & business problems and build solutions that deliver value.
- Have a Can do Attitude! We dare to do things differently to make things work.
- We have each others’ back: We look out for each other & we share high quality, timely feedback that makes us better.
According to the UN’s InterGovernmental Panel for Climate Change more than 3.3 billion people globally live in hotspots with high vulnerability to climate change and are now already feeling the impact of climate change through increased temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall.
Insurance is a tool for vulnerable households in these affected regions to adapt to the effects that climate change is already having today on these households. It is a tool that enables for compensation payment for losses and damages that these households had no part in causing. Insurance compensation enables these households to make adjustments to their day to day livelihoods and practices and therefore allows for an equitable and just transition.
At Pula, we are building the systems that enable farmers worldwide to access insurance, using technology to insure this previously uninsured worldwide. We work in over 17 countries across Africa and Asia, and by 2021, have facilitated crop insurance cover to over 6 million farmers, 30% of which are women, across Kenya, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, Zambia, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi. We are a for profit, and have raised over $10 million from leading venture and institutional investors as well as developed philanthropic relationships with private foundations and bilateral donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and German Insure Resilience Solutions Fund that have accelerated investments in our target markets.
Pula is proudly fast paced, constantly learning from the challenges we face and overcome. We are proudly culturally diverse but united in our ambition of continuous high-performance. By challenging ourselves we believe that we can overcome the hard problems we love solving.
At Pula, our culture is defined by our:
1.Obsessed with results: We are responsible for our future and therefore we get things done!
2. Ability to connect the Dots: We continuously identify different customer needs & business problems and build solutions that deliver value.
3. Our Can do Attitude! We dare to do things differently to make things work.
4. Ability to have each others’ back: We look out for each other & we share high quality, timely feedback that makes us better.
What will you be doing
As a Commercial Operations Manager at Pula, you’ll be at the core of our commercial engine, ensuring that our teams operate smoothly and effectively across multiple markets. You will enable Commercial Managers to focus on what they do best by building and refining the systems, processes, and support they need to succeed. If you're organized, solutions-driven, and excited by the idea of making a meaningful impact in agricultural insurance, this role offers a unique opportunity to contribute directly to Pula’s mission of supporting smallholder farmers around the world.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Pipeline and CRM Management: Ensure accuracy and completeness of the sales pipeline, working closely with Commercial Managers to keep forecasts reliable and client information current.
- Commercial Performance Tracking: Track and analyze commercial performance, creating monthly insights and reports to guide decision-making and strategy.
- Commercial Systems Development and Management: Support the Commercial Leadership team in refining systems such as commissions, activity tracking, and the CRM. Ensure that SOPs are consistently followed and that the CRM becomes a reliable resource for the team.
- Client-Facing Document Preparation: Take charge of proposal writing by preparing, reviewing, and ensuring quality control for concept notes, proposals, and tender responses in partnership with Commercial Managers and Associates. Coordinate the development of sales and marketing materials, from brochures to presentations, that support the team in reaching clients with professionalism and clarity.
- Logistics and Travel Coordination: Handle all logistics for the commercial team’s travel, ensuring arrangements are well-coordinated, on budget, and executed smoothly.
- Commercial Team Administrative Management: Act as the first line of approval for commercial expenses, implementing cost-saving initiatives and keeping budgets on track.
- Event Management: Lead the organization of client events, workshops, and internal activities, ensuring each event aligns with Pula’s strategic goals and leaves a positive impression.
- Team Onboarding and Training: Facilitate the onboarding of new team members and organize ongoing learning sessions to strengthen team knowledge and capability.
- Commercial Knowledge Management: Develop and oversee a database of company knowledge to enhance communication and efficiency across the commercial team.
- Team Leadership: Manage and coach a team of two Commercial Operations Associates, inspiring them to grow and excel in their roles, and driving the team’s OKRs to success.
What Makes a Successful Pula Commercial Operations Manager?
Qualifications
- University degree with First Class or Upper Second honors.
- Experience in sales operations and project management, preferably with a background in proposal development, tenders, and event organization.
- Proficiency with CRM tools, and experience in supporting commercial or sales teams in a corporate setting.
Core Competencies
- Project Management: Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage complex, multi-faceted projects effectively.
- Analytical Skills: Adept at tracking, analyzing, and leveraging data to provide insights on commercial performance.
- Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills for clear, effective documentation and stakeholder engagement.
- Tech Savviness: Proficient in digital tools, especially CRMs, to enhance team performance and streamline operations.
- Planning and Coordination: Skilful in managing logistics and coordinating multiple activities, adapting easily to fast-paced changes.
Behavioral Attributes
- Proactive and Solutions-Oriented: A forward-thinker who anticipates and resolves issues creatively.
- Detail-Oriented: Ensures accuracy and high standards across all deliverables.
- Independent and Reliable: Operates autonomously with strong ownership of responsibilities.
- Customer-Focused: Demonstrates a professional attitude, supporting both internal teams and external clients.
- Relationship Builder: Builds solid, trusting relationships with stakeholders, thinking ahead to meet their needs.
- Fast Learner: Quickly absorbs new information, adapting to changing circumstances and challenges confidently.
What Pula will bring to the table
- Growth potential: At Pula, we are building the systems that enable farmers worldwide to access insurance, using technology to insure this previously uninsured worldwide. We work in over 19 countries across Africa and Asia, and by 2023, have facilitated crop insurance cover to over 5 million farmers, 40% of which are women. We are a for profit, and have raised over $25 million from leading venture and institutional investors as well as developed philanthropic relationships with private foundations and bilateral donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and German Insure Resilience Solutions Fund that have accelerated investments in our target markets.
- Market Leader: Not only is the opportunity massive, but Pula is by far the market leader in it’s category with 11m farmers insured as of 2023.
- Solid: Pula has been funded by leading venture capital investors (Omidyar Network, ACCION, MercyCorps) and global philanthropic institutions (MasterCard Foundation, CGAP/World Bank as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). Pula closed an oversubscribed $20m series B funding despite the economic downturn.
- Respected: Winner of the Singapore FinTech Festival 2019, Winner of The InsureTech of the Award, Africa. Featured on TED talks, The New York Times, The Economist.
- Impact and creation: This is a high-impact role, that offers a unique opportunity to bring the company to the next level, whilst developing new strategies, approaches and ideas.
- Leadership: The founders & CEO foster a culture of transparency, respect, high performance, pragmatism, execution and personal development.
- Purpose: It is rare to find a professional opportunity that offers accelerated professional development and a life purpose. Pula is going through a second phase of accelerated growth that will naturally provide professional development, whilst contributing to the financial stability of small farmers in the emerging markets.
- Remuneration: Competitive base salary accordingly with seniority and experience, commission on closed sales and an employee share option plan that offers an attractive equity upside.
To learn more about Pula you can visit
TED Talk: Crop Insurance, an Idea Worth Seeding
New York Times: He Grew up on a Farm. Now, He Helps Protect Them
The Economist: The Poor, Who Most Need Insurance, Are Least Likely to Have It
How to apply
Fill out the form below, and upload a resume in English.
Pula’s mission is to provide farmer resilience. To achieve this, we put our small holder farmers that use our services and the employees that provide them at the heart of everything we do. For that purpose, Pula was created to be an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.