Vice President Commercial

About Pula:
We are an insuretech and data services firm that provides agriculture insurance design and execution services, specializing in index-based insurance and is backed by top-tier VC investors who have invested more than $25 million in the business. Since 2015 we have provided climate insurance to 22 million smallholder farmers, 41% of which were women across 19 markets in Africa and Asia who pay an average of $6.8 per season to insure their crops. So far, we've unlocked over $2.22 billion of capital from local and international insurance markets for climate risks since we started in 2015 and paid out $40.8 million to our client farmers.
Pula is a fast-paced company, constantly adapting to new opportunities and challenges. We are made up of a high-performance, multi-cultural team. We expect our team to value performance, results, and professionalism.
At Pula, our culture is defined by our:
Obsession with results: We are responsible for our future and therefore we get things done!
Ability to connect the Dots: We continuously identify different customer needs & business problems and build solutions that deliver value.
Our Can-do Attitude! We dare to do things differently to make things work.
Ability to have each other’s back: We look out for each other & we share high quality, timely feedback that makes us better.
Duties And Responsibilities:
As a Vice President of Commercial at Pula, you will be instrumental in driving commercial growth and strategic expansion across a large territory. You will lead Commercial Directors to build high-performing teams, innovate in market and product strategy, and optimize Pula’s commercial systems. This role requires a visionary leader who can elevate commercial leadership across the team, inspire outstanding performance, and spearhead projects to improve commercial efficiency and impact.
In this role you will;
1. Develop and Lead a High-Performing Commercial Team (50%)
Leadership Development: Mentor and develop Commercial Directors (CDs) to enhance their commercial leadership skills and competencies, ensuring they can build and lead effective teams.
Performance Management: Oversee team performance to meet and exceed targets, with a focus on closing deals, achieving revenue goals, employee engagement, and progression of team members.
Inspiration and Motivation: Create an empowering culture that motivates teams to strive for excellence, consistently pushing boundaries to drive Pula’s commercial success.
2. Stakeholder and Deal Management (20%)
High-Level Negotiation and Relationship Mastery: Cultivate and maintain relationships with senior stakeholders, ensuring Pula is positioned favorably in key markets.
Strategic Problem-Solving: Provide big-picture guidance, helping teams navigate complex challenges and unblocking issues to drive deal closures.
Market Insight and Assessment: Regularly assess market dynamics and deal progress, identifying core issues and opportunities across regions.
3. Drive Commercial Strategy and Expansion (20%)
Innovative Problem-Solving: Continuously develop new approaches to address market challenges, exploring creative strategies to enhance Pula’s offerings.
Product and Market Innovation: Lead initiatives to introduce new products and expand into new markets, driving growth with innovative solutions.
Large-Scale Market Expansion: Spearhead large-scale market entry and expansion projects, positioning Pula for strategic growth across diverse client types and territories.
4. Build and Optimize Pula Systems (10%)
Commercial Toolkit Implementation: Design and implement systems that embed Pula’s commercial toolkit within all levels of the commercial team.
Performance and Efficiency Optimization: Create systems that enhance performance, ensuring streamlined processes and maximized team efficiency.
Revenue Forecasting and Targeting: Oversee and continuously assess commercial targets, closely monitoring revenue forecasts and the probability of deal closures to support strategic planning.
What makes a successful VP Commercial?
Core Competencies
Proven Commercial Leadership: 10+ years of experience in senior sales or commercial roles, with demonstrated success in leading multi-regional teams and achieving ambitious revenue goals.
Strategic Negotiation and Stakeholder Management: Exceptional negotiation skills with a proven track record of managing and strengthening high-level relationships.
Visionary Strategic Thinking: Ability to view challenges strategically, leveraging creativity and innovation to drive product and market expansion.
Systems and Process Orientation: Skilled in creating, refining, and implementing commercial systems that support long-term scalability and operational excellence.
Revenue Accountability: Strong commercial acumen with a constant focus on achieving large-scale revenue targets and accurately assessing deal probabilities.
Behavioural Attributes
Inspirational Leader: Fosters a high-performance culture where team members are motivated to exceed goals and continuously improve.

Employment type
Full-Time

Work arrangement
No