Area Sales Manager - Machinery (Nigeria)

About the role

Food People is looking for a commercially driven Area Sales Manager to join a leading food processing equipment manufacturer and support business development in Nigeria. The successful candidate will identify new commercial opportunities, build strong relationships with food manufacturers and drive sustainable business growth. The role suits someone with an engineering background, strong commercial capability and proven experience in the Nigerian market.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and implement commercial plans to grow business and strengthen market presence across Nigeria.
• Identify and pursue new business with food manufacturers and industrial customers.
• Build and maintain relationships with key decision-makers and customers.
• Manage the full sales process: prospecting, customer engagement, proposals, negotiations and closing.
• Understand customer manufacturing needs and recommend suitable machinery, equipment and technical solutions.
• Build and maintain a sales pipeline and monitor competitors and market trends.
• Collaborate with internal technical and engineering teams and provide regular commercial updates and pipeline reports.
• Travel within Nigeria to develop business and strengthen customer relationships.

Required profile

• Formal engineering education.
• Proven commercial experience and strong knowledge of the Nigerian market.
• Professional experience in machinery, packaging or FMCG manufacturing.
• Business development capability, including identifying opportunities, building relationships and handling negotiations.
• Strong technical understanding of manufacturing processes and industrial products.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills; able to work independently.
• Preferably has sold food processing machinery, production lines or related equipment and has existing relationships with food manufacturers and industrial customers in Nigeria.