Position: Country Manager – Botswana (Africa)
Reports To: CEO, Sanghvi Movers Limited (India)
Company: Sanghvi Movers Botswana Proprietary Limited (SMBPL)
Location: Botswana / South Africa
Job Type:
Role Purpose
The Country Manager will serve as the in-country leader for Sanghvi Movers Botswana Limited and spearhead Sanghvi Movers Limited's growth across Africa. The role is responsible for expanding SML's presence within Africa, securing new crane rental and heavy-lifting opportunities across the continent, developing strategic customer relationships, and driving profitable sales of used cranes and equipment.
The incumbent will operate with a high degree of autonomy, building and managing business activities with minimal day-to-day support from India while ensuring alignment with SML's strategic objectives, governance standards, and financial expectations.
Key Responsibilities :
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Business Development & Market Expansion
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Develop and execute SML's Africa growth strategy, identifying and penetrating priority markets across Southern, Eastern, and other selected African regions.
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Build a strong pipeline of crane rental, heavy-lift, and project logistics opportunities across mining, energy, infrastructure, industrial, and EPC sectors.
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Establish and maintain relationships with key decision-makers within EPC contractors, mining companies, project developers, government agencies, and industrial customers.
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Identify emerging market opportunities and develop market-entry strategies to expand SML's footprint across Africa.
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Represent SML in industry forums, customer meetings, trade associations, and strategic business engagements across the continent.
2.Crane Rental & Sales Business Development
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Lead the complete sales lifecycle, including opportunity identification, tender management, commercial negotiations, contract execution, and customer relationship management.
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Drive fleet utilization by identifying suitable rental opportunities for cranes deployed from India and within Africa.
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Develop and execute a strategy for the sale of used cranes and equipment across African markets.
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Build and manage a network of contractors, fleet owners, equipment dealers, traders, and end-users for equipment sales.
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Lead end-to-end used equipment transactions, including asset evaluation, pricing, negotiations, documentation, and collections.
P&L Management
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Own the overall P&L, revenue growth, profitability, cash flow, and operational performance of SMBL.
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Translate Group objectives into AoP targets, actionable country and regional business plans with clear commercial and financial targets.
Operations, Governance & Compliance
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Ensure safe, efficient, and profitable execution of all crane operations and customer commitments.
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Oversee compliance with local corporate, tax, labor, statutory, and HSE regulations.
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Establish strong governance, internal controls, contract management, and risk mitigation practices aligned with India’s business.
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Ensure timely collections, credit control, and prudent management of customerand counterparty risks.
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Drive adoption and integration of the Group’s digital ecosystem across the country operations
Team Building
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Finalise the organisational structure, build the team, and ensure hiring of required positions
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Drive employee development and capability building across the organisation
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Manage performance through structured goal setting, periodic reviews, and accountability frameworks
Mandatory Requirements
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Significant experience working across African markets, particularly Southern Africa (Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique, etc.).
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Proven track record of developing new markets and winning business in Africa.
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Demonstrated P&L ownership and delivery of sustainable revenue and profitability growth.
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Strong understanding of the African business environment, regulatory landscape, and commercial practices.
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Ability to work independently and build businesses with limited organizational support and infrastructure.
Preferred Experience
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12–18 years of professional experience, including 5–7 years in a senior leadership, country management, regional management, or business development role.
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Experience in crane rental, heavy lifting, construction equipment, mining equipment, industrial services, or related sectors.
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Hands-on experience in equipment rental, asset management, and/or used equipment sales.
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Strong exposure to EPC contractors, mining companies, infrastructure projects, and industrial customers across Africa.
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Experience establishing operations or entering new markets within Africa will be highly preferred.
Education
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Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Civil, Industrial, or related discipline) preferred.
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MBA or other postgraduate qualification in Business, Engineering, or related field is advantageous.
Key Competencies
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Strong business development, sales, and negotiation capabilities.
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Ability to structure, negotiate, and close complex B2B contracts and strategic partnerships.
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Experience in tendering, pricing, and commercial risk assessment.
2.Leadership & Influence
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Entrepreneurial mindset with a strong bias for action.
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Proven ability to build businesses, open new markets, and create customer networks from the ground up.
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Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills across customers, government agencies, partners, and internal teams.
3.Personal Attributes
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Self-starter with high ownership and accountability.
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Comfortable operating in remote, dynamic, and resource-constrained environments.
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Resilient, adaptable, and willing to travel extensively across Africa.
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Capable of functioning as an individual contributor while simultaneously building and leading a growing organization.
