The company opened its first manufacturing facility in Mombasa, Kenya, in 1962, rapidly widening its reach to include further countries in East Africa, and then Southern Africa. In 2003, all operating companies were reversed into the current holding company called Safal Investments Mauritius Limited and conduct its business across Africa as the Safal Grou...

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Head of Marketing

Job Type

Full Time

Qualification

BA/BSc/HND , MBA/MSc/MA

Experience

10 years

Location

Nairobi

Job Field

Sales / Marketing / Retail / Business Development

Key responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Marketing Excellence

• Lead the development of the company’s marketing strategy in line with the overall business objectives and market opportunities.
• Deliver measurable results by creating and executing annual marketing plans, commercial programs, brand initiatives, and customer value propositions.
• Use market insight, competitive intelligence, customer segmentation, and data analytics to guide strategic choices.
• Champion the adoption of emerging technologies (AI, automation, predictive analytics) to drive efficiency, targeting accuracy, and marketing ROI.

Product Portfolio Leadership

• Lead the development, management, and implementation of the company’s product portfolio strategy.
• Ensure portfolio decisions are based on deep customer insights, lifecycle analysis, competitive benchmarks, and profitability assessments.
• Develop brand plans for new and existing products and guide cross-functional alignment on product innovation, upgrades, discontinuations, and launches.
• Ensure go‑to‑market plans for all products are robust, customer-centred, and commercially impactful.

Media Investment Management

• Lead development of annual and long‑term media strategies aligned with Business objectives and guide portfolio‑level media planning across all brands.
• Monitor media trends, consumer behaviour, and competitive activity.
• Manage Advertising/media agency relationship, including performance and remuneration and ensure excellence in media planning, buying and reporting.
• Lead campaign measurement: brand lift, sales lift, digital performance, and Marketing Mix Modelling.

Trade Marketing & Channel Development

• Drive the design and implementation of trade marketing strategies to enhance product visibility, availability, and market penetration.
• Enhance performance monitoring for trade marketing initiatives to ensure that they deliver measurable commercial impact.
• Drive the Retail Showrooms expansion and roll-out across various locations in line with the business strategy.
• Drive marketing activity across owned and third-party showrooms in partnership with the Distribution and Retail team

Partner Engagement and Development

• Influencers
• Oversee artisan training platforms, loyalty programs, and capability-building initiatives for installers, masons, applicators, and related trades.
• Strengthen loyalty, advocacy, and skill development among artisan communities.
• Ensure influencer programs support brand reputation and product quality at the point of application.
• Professionals
• Direct professional engagement programs targeting architects, engineers, QSs, and contractors.
• Lead implementation of CPD programs, technical seminars, and professional partnerships.
• Position the company as the preferred technical advisor in the Building Solutions industry.

Digital & Technology‑Enabled Marketing

• Oversee all digital marketing activities, including performance marketing, SEO/GEO/SEM, social media, CRM, and content management.
• Ensure digital channels deliver measurable customer engagement and conversion.
• Champion AI‑based marketing solutions for segmentation, content generation, experimentation, and campaign optimization.

Industry Events & Exhibitions

• Lead the planning, prioritization, and execution of the company’s participation in key industry events, exhibitions, trade fairs, and conferences.
• Ensure events are strategically selected and aligned with brand objectives and commercial priorities.
• Oversee event concepts, booth design, content development, and cross-functional coordination to maximize visibility, leads, and ROI.

Talent Development & Organizational Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing marketing team with strong capabilities across brand, digital, trade, and technical engagement.
• Establish a robust succession pipeline for critical roles.
• Drive a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Cross-functional Collaboration & Brand Alignment

• Collaborate closely with Corporate Affairs and Safal MRM Foundation teams to ensure synchronized brand-building and social impact programs.
• Maintain consistency in brand messaging, communication, and customer experience across all touchpoints.
• Provide strategic support and tools to subsidiaries to ensure alignment and effectiveness of marketing activities.

Market Research, Insights & Customer Feedback (incl. NPS)

• Lead the management of industry research, competitive intelligence, market mapping, and customer insights programs.
• Oversee the design, execution, and analysis of customer feedback mechanisms, including Net Promoter Score (NPS), satisfaction surveys, and product performance evaluations.
• Ensure insights are translated into actionable strategies for product improvements, customer experience enhancements, and commercial opportunities.

Budgeting, Reporting & Performance Management

• Lead the development and management of the annual marketing budget, ensuring prudent allocation to strategic priorities.
• Provide monthly marketing performance reports to the CEO, including ROI tracking, key insights, successes, and corrective actions where needed.
• Prepare and deliver other periodic reports and strategic updates to the Board and the Group Management Team.
• Ensure strong governance, financial discipline, and measurable KPI tracking across all marketing activities.

Group Alignment & Governance

• Ensure full adherence to Group Marketing guidelines, brand standards, and reporting expectations.
• Represent the company in Group Marketing forums and adopt best practices.
• Support subsidiaries and regional markets with guidance, templates, and shared frameworks.

Requirements

Qualifications required:

• Degree in Marketing, Business, Engineering, Architecture, or related field.
• Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred.
• Relevant professional certifications (CIM - Post-Graduate Level) would be an added advantage.

Experience required:

• 10+ years of progressive marketing leadership in Building Materials, Construction, FMCG, B2B, or related sectors.
• Proven experience in product portfolio management and go‑to‑market execution.
• Demonstrated success in market insights, industry research, customer analytics, and NPS management.
• Strong background in digital marketing, marketing technology, and AI-driven solutions.
• Experience managing substantial budgets and reporting at executive and Board levels. Track record of building and leading high-performing teams

Leadership and Behavioural Competencies:

• Strategic thinking & business acumen.
• Strong commercial orientation.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication.
• Innovation-driven mindset with strong digital fluency.
• High collaboration and cross-functional leadership.Strong analytical, reporting, and execution discipline.

Personal Attributes:

• Results-oriented, customer-centric, and commercially savvy.
• High integrity, humility, and resilience.
• Agile thinker with a strong appetite for innovation and technology.
• Passion for product excellenc

• Lead the development of the company’s marketing strategy in line with the overall business objectives and market opportunities.
• Deliver measurable results by creating and executing annual marketing plans, commercial programs, brand initiatives, and customer value propositions.
• Use market insight, competitive intelligence, customer segmentation, and data analytics to guide strategic choices.
• Champion the adoption of emerging technologies (AI, automation, predictive analytics) to drive efficiency, targeting accuracy, and marketing ROI.
• Lead the development, management, and implementation of the company’s product portfolio strategy.
• Ensure portfolio decisions are based on deep customer insights, lifecycle analysis, competitive benchmarks, and profitability assessments.
• Develop brand plans for new and existing products and guide cross-functional alignment on product innovation, upgrades, discontinuations, and launches.
• Ensure go‑to‑market plans for all products are robust, customer-centred, and commercially impactful.
• Lead development of annual and long‑term media strategies aligned with Business objectives and guide portfolio‑level media planning across all brands.
• Monitor media trends, consumer behaviour, and competitive activity.
• Manage Advertising/media agency relationship, including performance and remuneration and ensure excellence in media planning, buying and reporting.
• Lead campaign measurement: brand lift, sales lift, digital performance, and Marketing Mix Modelling.
• Drive the design and implementation of trade marketing strategies to enhance product visibility, availability, and market penetration.
• Enhance performance monitoring for trade marketing initiatives to ensure that they deliver measurable commercial impact.
• Drive the Retail Showrooms expansion and roll-out across various locations in line with the business strategy.
• Drive marketing activity across owned and third-party showrooms in partnership with the Distribution and Retail team
• Oversee artisan training platforms, loyalty programs, and capability-building initiatives for installers, masons, applicators, and related trades.
• Strengthen loyalty, advocacy, and skill development among artisan communities.
• Ensure influencer programs support brand reputation and product quality at the point of application.
• Direct professional engagement programs targeting architects, engineers, QSs, and contractors.
• Lead implementation of CPD programs, technical seminars, and professional partnerships.
• Position the company as the preferred technical advisor in the Building Solutions industry.
• Oversee all digital marketing activities, including performance marketing, SEO/GEO/SEM, social media, CRM, and content management.
• Ensure digital channels deliver measurable customer engagement and conversion.
• Champion AI‑based marketing solutions for segmentation, content generation, experimentation, and campaign optimization.
• Lead the planning, prioritization, and execution of the company’s participation in key industry events, exhibitions, trade fairs, and conferences.
• Ensure events are strategically selected and aligned with brand objectives and commercial priorities.
• Oversee event concepts, booth design, content development, and cross-functional coordination to maximize visibility, leads, and ROI.
• Build and lead a high-performing marketing team with strong capabilities across brand, digital, trade, and technical engagement.
• Establish a robust succession pipeline for critical roles.
• Drive a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate closely with Corporate Affairs and Safal MRM Foundation teams to ensure synchronized brand-building and social impact programs.
• Maintain consistency in brand messaging, communication, and customer experience across all touchpoints.
• Provide strategic support and tools to subsidiaries to ensure alignment and effectiveness of marketing activities.
• Lead the management of industry research, competitive intelligence, market mapping, and customer insights programs.
• Oversee the design, execution, and analysis of customer feedback mechanisms, including Net Promoter Score (NPS), satisfaction surveys, and product performance evaluations.
• Ensure insights are translated into actionable strategies for product improvements, customer experience enhancements, and commercial opportunities.
• Lead the development and management of the annual marketing budget, ensuring prudent allocation to strategic priorities.
• Provide monthly marketing performance reports to the CEO, including ROI tracking, key insights, successes, and corrective actions where needed.
• Prepare and deliver other periodic reports and strategic updates to the Board and the Group Management Team.
• Ensure strong governance, financial discipline, and measurable KPI tracking across all marketing activities.
• Ensure full adherence to Group Marketing guidelines, brand standards, and reporting expectations.
• Represent the company in Group Marketing forums and adopt best practices.
• Support subsidiaries and regional markets with guidance, templates, and shared frameworks.

• Strategic thinking & business acumen
• Strong commercial orientation
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication
• Innovation-driven mindset with strong digital fluency
• High collaboration and cross-functional leadership
• Strong analytical, reporting, and execution discipline
• Digital marketing
• Marketing technology
• AI-driven solutions
• Product portfolio management
• Go-to-market execution
• Market insights
• Industry research
• Customer analytics
• NPS management

• Degree in Marketing, Business, Engineering, Architecture, or related field.
• Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred.
• Relevant professional certifications (CIM - Post-Graduate Level) would be an added advantage.