Sales Manager

J. Awan & Partners

Job Title: Sales Manager azakaw
Reports To: Group Director, Business Development and Marketing
Direct Reports: BDMs, SDRs, Third-Party Lead Gen (SA)
Location: Portugal, Dubai, or Eastern Europe (GCC-aligned hours)
Type: Full-time
About azakaw
azakaw is a purpose-built RegTech compliance platform for financial institutions, fintechs, and professional services firms. Core modules include Digital KYC/KYB, AML Screening, Transaction Monitoring, and Corporate Compliance. The platform is backed by j. awan & partners and supported by more than 50 compliance specialists.
azakaw is entering its next growth phase, including new markets, accelerated client acquisition, and a scaling commercial team. The commercial function has proven unit economics per BDM and is expanding simultaneously across GCC, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Brazil, and Eastern Europe. Operating markets sit within a two-hour time zone spread. This role exists to lead the sales team through that expansion.
Mission
The Sales Manager owns revenue delivery and pipeline growth across all azakaw markets. Reporting to the Group Director, this role is accountable for turning proven unit economics into predictable, scalable revenue across GCC, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Brazil.
You own the daily engine: pipeline reviews, deal coaching, forecast accuracy, team development, competitive displacement, account expansion, new hire onboarding, and third-party lead generation management. You are not coordinating activity you are accountable for the team s revenue number.
If pipeline coverage is light, you fix it. If a market is underperforming, you identify whether the issue is messaging, targeting, pricing, or effort, and you act. If a BDM is not progressing deals, you coach them until they do or you make a change. This role requires prior experience carrying a quota.
What This Role Is Not
This role does not own marketing, product, or pricing strategy. The Sales Manager runs the engine designed by the Group Director: a distributed, multi-market sales team supported by marketing and third-party lead generation.
Strategic input, GTM planning, and field intelligence are welcomed by the senior leadership team, but the priorities are explicit: run an optimal BD team and deliver revenue.
12 18 Month Mission Outcomes (What Success Looks Like)
Revenue Delivery
The team hits 100% of quarterly revenue targets. Revenue is tracked by BDM, by market, and by deal type (new business versus expansion). By year-end, revenue is diversified across at least three markets, with no single geography carrying the full target.
Pipeline, Forecasting, and CRM Discipline
Every BDM maintains a minimum of 3x pipeline coverage. At least 60% of qualified deals advance one stage per month. Deals stale for 30 days are flagged. Bi-weekly forecasts are within 10% of actual results. HubSpot is updated within 24 hours, with zero deals missing documented next steps.
Team Performance, Coaching, and Marketing Alignment
No BDM remains below 80% of target for two consecutive quarters. SDR call-to-meeting conversion exceeds 3%, and demo show rates remain above 75%. Underperformance is addressed within 30 days. Third-party lead generation is managed to SLA. A structured feedback loop with marketing operates continuously, with lead-quality issues raised within the week not at quarterly reviews.
Competitive Displacement
BDMs consistently win deals against World-Check, Sumsub, ComplyAdvantage, and manual-process incumbents. Win themes are documented per competitor. Displacement playbooks are current and actively used. Win rates on competitive deals are tracked and improve over time.
Customer Expansion and Deal Quality
Expansion revenue from upsells, cross-module sales, and tier upgrades is tracked separately and grows as a percentage of total revenue. BDMs review accounts for expansion within 90 days of go-live. Average deal size is maintained or growing by market, with discounting kept within approved thresholds.
New Market Development
Expansion markets generate qualified pipeline within 90 days of BDM deployment. Win/loss data, regulatory triggers, and ICP nuances are documented per market. Quarterly recommendations are delivered to the Group Director on where to invest, hold, or pull back based on data.
Hiring, Onboarding, and Training
New hires are onboarded using the structured three-week programme, including defined gates, role plays, and a buddy system. Time to first deal reduces with each hire. Onboarding quality is consistent across jurisdictions, and sales materials are continuously refined using live deal feedback.