Organization: Purple Elephant Ventures
Location: Arusha, Tanzania (with travel)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Application Email: HR@purpleelephant.ventures
Purple Elephant Ventures, a dynamic and innovative company operating in the East African tourism sector, is expanding its presence in Tanzania. The company is looking for a Commercial Lead to join their team in Arusha. This is a unique opportunity to be the first commercial hire in Tanzania and play a pivotal role in shaping the company’s growth in a high-potential market.
About the Role
As the Commercial Lead, you will be responsible for establishing and growing Purple Elephant Ventures’ operations in Tanzania. This role offers full autonomy with the support of the CEO and a proven commercial playbook from Kenya. The ideal candidate will oversee the entire sales cycle and ensure successful client onboarding and account management.
Key Responsibilities:
- Identify, prospect, and close tour operator subscriptions across Tanzania’s tourism regions.
- Manage the full sales cycle from outreach, discovery, negotiation, to closing deals.
- Meet and exceed monthly and quarterly subscription targets, while providing market insights on competitors and operator needs.
- Onboard new clients, serve as the main point of contact, and monitor account health to ensure retention and reduce churn.
- Recruit and engage independent guides to maintain high-quality supply on the platform.
- Build relationships with stakeholders across Tanzania’s tourism ecosystem, including associations, tourism boards, and complementary partners.
- Represent Purple Elephant Ventures at industry events and provide client feedback to the product team.
- Contribute to the localisation of sales materials for the Tanzanian market.
Requirements
- 3–5 years of experience in sales, business development, or commercial roles with direct revenue responsibility.
- Experience in the safari travel industry (operator, agency, travel-tech, or related fields).
- Ability to independently manage a sales pipeline from prospecting to closing.
- B2B SaaS or subscription sales experience is preferred.
- Fluent in English and Swahili (both written and spoken).
- Familiarity with CRM tools and sales reporting.
- Willingness to travel within Tanzania and occasionally to Kenya.
- Coachable, receptive to feedback, and adaptable to a startup environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Established network of Tanzanian tour operators or stakeholders in the safari industry.
- Previous experience as an early commercial hire or in a startup setting.
- Based in or deeply familiar with Arusha and Tanzania’s Northern Circuit.
What Purple Elephant Ventures Offers
- Competitive base salary plus performance-based variable compensation.
- Opportunity to shape market entry strategy in a growing geography.
- Direct access to company leadership and influence on commercial strategy.
- Professional development within a growing East African technology company.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should send their applications to HR@purpleelephant.ventures. This is a remarkable opportunity for a driven sales professional to take ownership of Tanzania’s commercial operations and contribute to the growth of an innovative company in the tourism and travel-tech sector.
