Service Manager

Job Description

Portfolio Scope:

• Commercial security and enterprise access-control solutions, with particular focus on Lenel and the broader SAS portfolio.
• Hospitality access and locking solutions, with particular focus on Onity and relevant connected guest and property security applications.
• Video surveillance, intrusion detection, perimeter protection, and complementary security devices, software and integrations.
• Integrated security platforms, lifecycle services, modernization and connected-building use cases that expand SAS penetration across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Key Responsibilities

Growth & demand creation

• Own SAS growth across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, delivering annual revenue, gross-margin, pipeline and forecast objectives while increasing market share in commercial security, Lenel and Onity.
• Build senior relationships with consultants, specifiers and end users; create demand, influence specifications early and translate customer security and operational needs into qualified SAS opportunities.
• Lead country, account and vertical plans, whitespace analysis, installed-base conversion, cross-sell, upgrades and competitive displacement programs with the explicit objective of gaining SAS market share.
• Develop opportunity strategies for major pursuits, including stakeholder mapping, value propositions, win themes, commercial positioning, and close plans.

Channel & strategic account management:

• Strengthen and expand the partner network across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, acting as the primary business contact for priority integrators, distributors and selected strategic accounts.
• Develop joint annual business plans with priority partners covering market coverage, Lenel and Onity capability, enablement, certifications, demand generation, pipeline creation and quarterly business reviews.
• Increase partner productivity and geographic coverage through recruitment where needed, pipeline reviews, training, demonstrations, joint consultant and end-user engagement, and targeted market-development campaigns.
• Use market intelligence and partner performance data to identify coverage gaps and recommend partner expansion, rationalization or capability investment by country and vertical.

Solution selling & customer influence:

• Develop sustained relationships with security leaders, facility and IT stakeholders, consultants, engineers, developers, hotel operators, procurement teams and major end users across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Influence consultant specifications and end-user solution architectures at an early stage, positioning integrated SAS solutions and driving preference for Lenel, Onity and the wider commercial security portfolio.
• Coordinate technical discovery, demonstrations, proof-of-concept activity, solution design, proposal development, and executive presentations.
• Negotiate pricing and contractual terms within company policy, protecting value, profitability, compliance, and execution quality.

Operating rhythm & cross-functional leadership:

• Maintain accurate CRM account plans, opportunities, activities, close dates, risks, and next actions; lead routine pipeline and forecast reviews.
• Provide a detailed demand signal to supply-chain and demand-planning teams, highlighting large projects, schedule changes, and exceptional demand.
• Bring structured Voice of Customer and competitive intelligence to offering management and engineering, including integration needs, product feedback, and prioritized NPI requests.
• Coordinate with marketing, presales, customer success, service, legal, finance, and operations to remove obstacles and deliver a consistent customer experience.
• Represent the SAS business at customer events, industry associations, trade shows, partner meetings, and training sessions.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent relevant commercial and industry experience.
• Minimum five years of sales, account management, business development, or channel-management experience in security, building technologies, or a related technical industry.
• Demonstrated record of achieving revenue and profitability targets through complex, multi-stakeholder solution sales.
• Working proficiency with CRM, forecasting, presentation, spreadsheet, and standard productivity tools.
• Valid driver's license and willingness to travel up to 50%, domestically and internationally, as business needs require.

Preferred Experience & Capabilities:

• Strong commercial-security experience, ideally including enterprise access control and hospitality locking solutions; familiarity with Lenel and Onity is highly valued.
• Understanding of enterprise security architectures, system integration, networking fundamentals, cybersecurity considerations, and open protocols or APIs.
• Demonstrated ability to build influential relationships with consultants, specifiers, end users, system integrators, distributors, contractors and technology partners across diverse African markets.
• Ability to create value-based proposals, business cases, executive presentations, and clear technical-commercial narratives.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and stakeholder-management skills across cultures and organizational levels.
• Ability to lead through influence in a matrixed environment and maintain accountability across long, complex sales cycles.
• Knowledge of relevant codes, standards, data-privacy expectations, and future industry mandates within the assigned market.

Leadership Behaviors:

• Customer-first: begins with the customer's security, operational, and business outcomes.
• Growth-minded: seeks whitespace, challenges assumptions, and converts insight into action.
• Commercially disciplined: balances growth, margin, risk, forecast integrity, and execution quality.
• Collaborative: aligns partners and internal teams around a clear pursuit and account strategy.
• Accountable: follows through on commitments, escalates early, and communicates with transparency.