About Koa
Koa Germany GmbH is part of a Swiss-Ghanaian Scale-Up in its growth phase, disrupting the cocoa value chain in West Africa. Koa is the first and so-far only company in the world processing the fresh cocoa fruit in cooperation with smallholders in rural Ghana. Through Koa’s activities, the farmers increase their income significantly and upcycle an additional 40% of the cocoa pulp. As a B Corp™, we believe in creating positive change, one upcycled cocoa fruit at a time. From farmers to the planet, we’re here to make a difference that matters, where it matters most. Because caring is cool, and making the world a better place is even cooler.
The cocoa fruit is the chocolate industry's hidden gem and we are on a mission to uncover it’s juicy secrets. We’re all about making food and drinks so tasty, you’ll want to share it with your grandma (and she’ll probably ask for seconds). Whether it's the best ice cream, a refreshing soda, or a scrumptious snack, we believe taste buds are meant to dance with joy. And we’re sure the cocoa fruit will make them go wild! In recent years, we have established a robust value chain and, by opening the world`s largest cocoa fruit processing factory in Ghana, we laid the foundations for growth. Now it is all about spreading the word taste, creating exciting product concepts which will leave people grinning from ear to ear – like love at the first taste.
Are you up for the Koa-coaster? It's a ride of courageous passion, where every twist and turn gets us closer to greatness. Buckle up, embrace the adventure, and apply to make the magic happen. As soon as possible, we are looking for a:
Sales Support Associate
100% in Cologne, Germany
Your Mission
As Sales Support Associate, you will play a critical role in accelerating the commercial success of Koa. Working closely with the Sales team, along with a broader set of internal stakeholders, you will contribute to every stage of the sales cycle. This position is a perfect starting point for your career in any commercial field, given that you will have the chance to contribute to the entire customer journey—starting from undertaking customer research and preparing sales documentation, through supporting the negotiation and contracting process, until finally providing after-sales support to our customers. Throughout the process, you will utilise your customer centric instincts to ensure that we continuously meet the needs of our beloved existing and future customers. In this position, the Sales Support Associate will be the interface of Sales, R&D, Marketing, Quality, and Operations.
Your key responsibilities will be:
Pipeline Identification and Development which includes:
- Researching and identifying potential customer prospects based on agreed criteria and market segments while contributing to tracking and analysing the pipeline funnel.
- Conduct in-depth customer research to understand their product portfolio and innovation needs, and how Koa can best support them to achieve their product innovation ambitions.
- Contribute to developing and sharing sales documentation, such as pitch decks, research, analyses, and synthesised relevant trend reports.
Negotiation and Contracting Support which includes:
- Work with the Sales team members to collate, prepare, and share relevant contracting templates and negotiation documents, including support with ongoing communication with customers relating to finalising contracting and order templates.
- With Quality and Operations, support the process of registering Koa as recognised suppliers, with major customers.
Customer Account Management which includes:
- Provide ongoing support to our growing customer base.
- Support in the internal communication with Operations, Quality, R&D, and Marketing to ensure timely and accurate sharing of information and provision of services to existing and prospective customers.
- Follow up on payment status with customers to limit overdue payments.
Fulfilment Management which includes:
- Ensure efficient and accurate delivery of our customer orders through cooperation with our internal and external stakeholders.
- Liaise with our customers and the responsible internal account managers in case of deviations from a given plan.
- Collaborate closely with other teams/departments to solve any additional requirements from the customer and to improve current internal fulfilment related processes.
- Prepare/analyse current fulfilment performance and report results to management.
Your Profile
- You’re highly structured and detail-oriented individual that is energised by working with people to deliver successful commercial projects
- You work collaboratively with others, while maintaining an overview of deadlines and critical deliverables to ensure that everyone stays on track to meet customer expectations
- You have a Bachelor’s or Master's degree or equivalent in areas such as Business Administration, Economics, Logistics Management, or a related field
- You have at least 2 years of experience in supporting sales teams to deliver commercial success
- You are self-driven, motivated, persistent, and resilient with an ambitious get $%@& done mindset
- You are willing to travel and possess a valid driver’s licence
- You manage all modern IT tools with ease and get excited about using the latest tech development
- You are based in the greater Cologne Area or willing to relocate and have a valid residence permit in Germany or are in possession of a citizenship which is part of the Schengen Agreement
- You are fluent in German and English, any other European language is a plus
Your Workplace and Team
You will be part of our newly established German team, but closely connected to the already existing Swiss & Ghanaian colleagues. Together, we’re all about taking epic risks in the pursuit of success. When it comes to finding solutions, we don’t just go with the flow: we make waves. If there’s a tasty way to do it, you bet we’ll find it. Shared laughs and smiles are our cocoa fruit jam, because making a positive impact doesn’t have to be all work and no play. We come together as a community where creating goodness and fun are always on the agenda. As a Research & Development Manager you will get a high degree of autonomy and freedom. You will be expected to proactively shape the growth of a young and meaningful venture, take on responsibility and enjoy working outside of your comfort zone. A diversified job profile is waiting for you in an international environment. Our German Office will be located in Cologne and we already have a headquarters in the heart of Zurich. In Ghana, our team operates two production sites with thousands of farmers. While spread across the world, we are all just a video call away.
Position
Employment Level: 100%
Starting date: September 2024 (or upon agreement)
Travel: Up to 25%
Interested?
Application Deadline: 15.07.2024
Send your application to: careers.ch@koa-impact.com
What to send? CV and motivation video
What's a motivation video? Please provide us a quick 2–3-minute video in which you answer the
following three questions. Please don’t bother with any fancy editing.
a) why are you interested in working with Koa?
b) how do you understand the advertised position?
c) why are you interested in this position and that you are the right person for it?
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will do our best to answer them as fast as possible. At Koa, we value diversity and therefore welcome all applications – regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion or belief, disability, age, sexual orientation, and identity.