Sales Representative East Africa

Job Requirements

Location: Kenya or Tanzania | Remote

About the Role

Ready to turn market opportunities into business growth?

At LANXESS, we are looking for a commercially driven Sales Representative to help expand our Material Protection Products (MPP) business across East Africa, with a particular focus on Kenya and Tanzania.

This is an opportunity for an experienced speciality chemicals professional who understands the regional market, enjoys developing new business, and can turn technical solutions into long-term customer partnerships.

You will work with a diverse portfolio of speciality biocides and preservatives used in Home & Personal Care, Paints & Coatings, Industrial Preservation, Water Treatment, Food & Beverage and other industrial applications.

Your mission will be to identify new business opportunities, strengthen existing customer relationships and expand our market presence through effective distributor partnerships. Working closely with regional and global colleagues, you will help translate market potential into practical growth strategies and commercial results.

This remote, customer-facing role is based in Kenya or Tanzania and requires regular engagement with customers, distributors, and industry stakeholders across the assigned territory.

What You'll Be Doing

- Drive business growth: Identify and develop new sales opportunities with multinational companies, regional manufacturers and distribution partners across industrial and consumer markets.
- Shape market development: Collaborate with the Sales Leader to develop and execute country growth strategies, turning market insights into commercial opportunities.
- Build lasting customer partnerships: Develop and manage relationships with key customers, distributors and strategic industry stakeholders.
- Grow existing business: Strengthen customer accounts through product qualification, pricing management, contract negotiations and opportunities to expand the product portfolio.
- Develop distribution channels: Manage distributor relationships, drive performance and identify opportunities to improve market coverage and penetration.
- Deliver technical and commercial solutions: Coordinate with technical and regulatory teams to support customers and distributors, lead commercial projects and facilitate new product introductions and customer qualification.
- Support regulatory and market access activities: Work with Regulatory Affairs and local partners on product registrations, import requirements and relevant compliance matters.
- Stay ahead of market developments: Monitor competitor activities, industry trends, regulatory changes and distribution strategies to identify emerging opportunities and commercial risks.
- Represent LANXESS in the market: Build relationships with industry associations, consultants, relevant authorities and other stakeholders, and participate in technical conferences, trade exhibitions and industry forums.
- Manage opportunities and forecasts: Maintain accurate customer visit reports, sales pipelines, and market intelligence in CRM systems, and support demand forecasting and integrated business planning (IBP).

Work Experience

We are looking for someone who combines a solid technical foundation with commercial curiosity, market knowledge and the drive to turn opportunities into results.

What you'll bring:

- A Bachelor's or master’s degree in chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Chemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology or a related scientific discipline.
- At least 3 years of professional experience in sales, 3 years in the chemical industry and 3 years in business development. These areas of experience may overlap.
- Proven experience in technical sales, business development or account management within the chemical industry.
- Strong understanding of speciality chemicals, their industrial applications, and value-added solution selling.
- Demonstrated experience developing or managing distributor networks, building customer relationships and identifying new business opportunities.
- Good knowledge of East African markets, particularly Kenya and Tanzania, including customer dynamics and distribution channels.
- Strong communication, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to work independently and collaborate effectively with regional and global teams.
- Fluency in English. Knowledge of relevant local languages is an advantage.

Experience that would give you an advantage:

Commercial experience in one or more of the following markets is highly valued: industrial biocides and preservatives, Home & Personal Care ingredients, Paints & Coatings, Water Treatment, cleaning and hygiene chemicals, coatings additives or speciality chemicals used in Food & Beverage applications.

Experience supporting product qualifications, new product introductions or regulatory and market access activities would also be beneficial.

Location and work authorisation: Applicants must already reside in Kenya or Tanzania and have the legal right to live and work in their country of residence without requiring new employer sponsorship.

Benefits

At LANXESS, you will have the opportunity to contribute directly to the growth of our Material Protection Products business in East Africa, working with an international organisation and a diverse portfolio of speciality chemical solutions.

What makes this opportunity interesting?

- Make a visible impact: Play an active role in developing new markets, building customer partnerships and growing our regional business.
- Work across diverse industries: Gain exposure to different customers, applications and markets, from Home & Personal Care and Paints & Coatings to Industrial Preservation, Water Treatment and Food & Beverage.
- Enjoy autonomy and flexibility: Work remotely from Kenya or Tanzania, with the independence to manage customer relationships and develop commercial opportunities across your territory.
- Collaborate internationally: Work with regional and global commercial, technical and regulatory colleagues, combining local market knowledge with international expertise.
- Take on a growth-focused assignment: Join through an external agency on an initial one-year fixed-term contract, with the possibility of extension up to a total of two years.