The Role
Lead regional business development and account growth across Southern & Eastern Africa, selling SaaS network performance and analytics solutions. Develop and execute territory and account plans, drive consultative, data-driven sales through the full cycle, build stakeholder relationships across operators, ISPs, and regulators, and create sales enablement materials. Travel extensively (50–70%) to engage clients and partners.
Summary Generated by Built In
The Opportunity:
We are looking to hire a Sales Director for our Southern & Eastern Africa Sub-Region who will play a pivotal role in executing Ookla’s market development growth strategy across the region. This is a senior commercial role, ideal for a dynamic, highly driven professional who thrives on building trusted relationships, expanding revenue streams, and working at the intersection of sales, strategy, and technology.
In this role, you will lead the business development and account growth efforts across the region, identifying new opportunities while deepening engagement with existing clients. You will act as a key representative of Ookla in the region, developing meaningful relationships across the connectivity ecosystem, including telecom operators, ISPs, regulators, and strategic partners.
You will be responsible for delivering business results through data-driven consultative selling, value articulation, and strong execution. In parallel, you will support the company in creating sales enablement assets—such as case studies, pitch materials, and best practices—that showcase how Ookla’s products empower clients to achieve their connectivity goals.
Key Responsibilities:
- Drive revenue growth and market share across the Southern & Eastern Africa sub-region through strategic customer engagement and new business development.
- Develop and execute a comprehensive account and territory plan, with the ability to formulate and implement strategic growth initiatives.
- Create and articulate compelling value propositions that clearly demonstrate the impact of Ookla’s solutions.
- A hands-on sales professional, actively overseeing and contributing to all stages of the sales cycle—from lead generation and solution positioning to proposal development, negotiation, and closure.
- Demonstrated success in selling SaaS-based network performance and analytics solutions, with a strong grasp of business strategy.
- Exhibit strong leadership capabilities, with a proven ability to drive actions, inspire teams, and align stakeholders to achieve commercial goals.
- Possess an established network within the telecommunications ecosystem, including operators, regulators, and strategic partners.
- Fluency in English is required; French proficiency is a strong advantage.
- Highly collaborative and effective as a team player in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
- Willingness and flexibility to travel across Africa (50–70%) as part of client and partner engagement.
Job Qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in enterprise sales, business development, or commercial leadership roles, preferably in the telecom, technology, or network performance sectors.
- Proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets in Africa, with strong understanding of B2B and B2G engagement models.
- Demonstrated ability to sell SaaS-based network intelligence, analytics, or performance solutions.
- Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence internal and external stakeholders across all levels.
- Existing network of relationships in the South-East African telco and connectivity ecosystem.
- Ability to develop and execute comprehensive account plans, territory strategies, and growth roadmaps.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills with fluency in English; French is a strong plus.
- Data-driven and outcome-oriented with a structured approach to pipeline development, forecasting, and reporting.
- Willingness to travel extensively across Africa (50–70% travel expected).
- Team player, entrepreneurial mindset, and a high degree of accountability.
- Background Check Required
About
Ookla® is a global leader in connectivity intelligence, offering unparalleled network insights through the combined expertise of Speedtest®, Downdetector®, RootMetrics®, and Ekahau®. Ookla’s complementary datasets combine crowdsourced and controlled, public and private collection methods, QoS and QoE metrics, and more to unlock correlations and actionable insights — helping organizations optimize networks, enhance digital experiences, and create better connected experiences for end-users.
Our team is a group of people brought together through passion and inspired by possibility. We are looking for team members who love solving problems, are motivated by challenges, and enjoy turning clever ideas into exceptional products. When you work for us, you are using Ookla data and insights to advance our mission of better connectivity for all.
About Ziff Davis
Ziff Davis (NASDAQ: ZD) is a vertically focused digital media and internet company whose portfolio includes leading brands in technology, shopping, gaming and entertainment, connectivity, health, cybersecurity, and martech. Today, Ziff Davis is focused on seven key verticals – Technology, Connectivity, Shopping, Entertainment, Health & Wellness, Cybersecurity and Marketing Technology. Its brands include IGN, Mashable, RetailMeNot, PCMag, Humble Bundle, Spiceworks, Ookla (Speedtest), RootMetrics, Everyday Health, BabyCenter, Moz, iContact and Vipre Security.
Our Benefits
Ookla offers competitive salaries in addition to robust, health and wellness-focused benefits. We are committed to work-life balance with paid time off when you need it.
At Ziff Davis, we remain dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. We offer Employee Resource Groups, company-sponsored events, and regular opportunities for professional growth through educational support, mentorship programs, and career development resources. Our employees are recognized and celebrated through employee engagement programs and recognition awards.
If you're seeking a dynamic and collaborative work environment where you can see the direct impact of your performance and thrive both personally and professionally, then Ookla is the place for you.
Ziff Davis is an Equal Opportunity Employer. At Ziff Davis, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has always been about fairness, equal opportunity, and belonging. DEI enables us to attract and retain the best talent, regardless of background or circumstances, while enabling our thousands of employees worldwide to thrive.
Compensation Range
Ziff Davis provides a range for the base pay. Factors that may be used to determine your actual pay may include your specific job related knowledge, skills, experience, and geographic location. The salary compensation for this role is ZAR2,800,000 - ZAR4,000,000. Individual pay within the compensation range for this business unit specific role is determined based on a variety of factors including experience, scope of the role, capabilities to perform the role, education and training, as well as business and company performance.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of experience in enterprise sales, business development, or commercial leadership roles
- Proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets in Africa
- Demonstrated ability to sell SaaS-based network intelligence, analytics, or performance solutions
- Existing network of relationships in the South-East African telco and connectivity ecosystem (operators, regulators, partners)
- Experience with B2B and B2G engagement models
- Strong leadership presence with ability to influence internal and external stakeholders
- Data-driven, structured approach to pipeline development, forecasting, and reporting
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills; fluency in English
- French proficiency
- Willingness to travel extensively across Africa (50-70%)
- Background check required
- Ability to develop and execute comprehensive account plans, territory strategies, and growth roadmaps
Ziff Davis Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Ziff Davis and has not been reviewed or approved by Ziff Davis.
-
Healthcare Strength — Employer covers a substantial portion of medical costs and offers multiple plan choices with supportive features such as HSA options, low-deductible access points, and telemedicine. Wellbeing resources and mental health support further reinforce the overall healthcare offering.
-
Parental & Family Support — Generous paid parental leave for birth and non-birth parents is complemented by family‑planning support and practical assistance like medical travel and related logistics. Additional caregiving leave and adoption assistance are also described.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — Flexible Time Off in several regions and dedicated Volunteer Time Off indicate a broad approach to rest and community engagement. Company holidays and paid sick time add to overall time‑off flexibility.
Ziff Davis Insights
Am I A Good Fit?
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.
Success! Refresh the page to see how your skills align with this role.
The Company
What We Do
Ziff Davis (Nasdaq: ZD) is a vertically focused digital media and internet company whose portfolio includes leading brands in technology, entertainment, shopping, health, cybersecurity, and martech.
