- We are looking for an experienced Sales Manager - Public Sector to lead and grow our government and public institution business. You will own the full sales cycle, from spotting opportunities early and building relationships with key decision-makers to leading business opportunities or tender responses and closing multi-year contracts. You will need a strong grasp of public procurement processes and a proven record of selling complex IT services and solutions into the public sector.
Business Development & Sales Strategy
- Develop and execute a public sector sales strategy aligned with company growth targets and government technology priorities.
- Identify, qualify, and pursue new opportunities across national, regional, and local government entities as well as other public institutions.
- Build and maintain a healthy sales pipeline, with accurate forecasting and regular reporting to leadership.
- Meet or exceed quarterly and annual revenue, bookings, and margin targets.
- Monitor procurement portals, tender notices, and framework agreements to catch opportunities early.
- Lead bid/no-bid decisions and coordinate responses to RFIs, RFPs, EOIs, and tenders.
- Work with technical, delivery, legal, and finance teams to prepare compliant, competitive, high-quality proposals.
- Ensure full compliance with public procurement laws, regulations, and ethical standards.
Stakeholder & Account Management
- Build trusted relationships with senior government officials, CIOs, ICT directors, procurement officers, and other key stakeholders.
- Manage and expand existing public sector accounts, finding upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
- Understand clients' policy goals, budget cycles, and digital agendas, and position solutions to support them.
- Represent the company at government forums, industry events, conferences, and trade associations.
Partnerships & Collaboration
- Develop strategic partnerships with technology vendors (e.g., Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, SAP, Cisco), system integrators, and local partners to strengthen bids.
- Work closely with solution architects and pre-sales consultants to shape solutions that meet client requirements.
- Share market intelligence and client feedback with marketing and service delivery teams.
Contract Negotiation & Closing
- Lead commercial negotiations, pricing strategy, and contract finalization within approved guidelines.
- Ensure smooth handover to delivery teams and stay involved to keep clients satisfied and win repeat business.
Qualifications & ExperienceRequired
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Information Technology, Computer Science, Marketing, or a related field.
- 7+ years of B2B sales experience in IT services, consulting, or technology solutions, with at least 4 years selling to the public sector.
- Proven track record of winning and closing large, complex public sector contracts.
- Solid knowledge of public procurement laws, tendering processes, and government budgeting cycles.
- An established network of relationships within government ministries, agencies, or public institutions.
- Good understanding of IT solutions such as cloud, cybersecurity, ERP, digital government platforms, data analytics, and managed services.
- Excellent proposal writing, presentation, and negotiation skills.
- MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification.
- Professional certifications in sales, procurement, or project management (e.g., CIPS, PMP, PRINCE2).
- Experience with donor-funded or development partner projects (e.g., World Bank, AfDB, USAID, EU).
- Familiarity with CRM tools such as Salesforce, HubSpot, or Microsoft Dynamics.
- Experience with public-private partnership (PPP) models.
- Strategic thinking with a results-driven mindset
- Strong relationship-building and influencing skills at senior levels
- High integrity and commitment to ethical business practices
- Ability to handle long, complex sales cycles with patience and persistence
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Team player who works well across departments
Key Performance Indicators
- Revenue and bookings against target
- Pipeline value and conversion rate
- Tender win rate
- New accounts acquired and growth in existing accounts
- Client satisfaction and retention