Sales Officer – Remote

The project

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) is a disaggregated data collection, analysis, and crisis mapping project. The ACLED team conducts analysis to describe, explore, and test conflict scenarios, and makes both data and analysis open for free use by the public. ACLED material is regularly used to inform journalism, academic research, and public discourse on conflict, and to support the work of practitioners and policymakers. ACLED is the highest quality and most widely used real-time data and analysis source on political violence and protest around the world.

The role

ACLED is recruiting a full-time Sales Officer to assist with ACLED’s commercial account sales and management. In late 2020, ACLED launched a new access model that is intended to ensure the sustainability of our organization through encouraging greater burden-sharing among those who use ACLED data, particularly commercial users. We have continued to refine this system over the past 2 years and are seeking to expand our team to handle a growing number of leads.

Within this context, the candidate would be responsible for identifying new potential clients, explaining ACLED’s new access and data licensing model, and providing basic information on ACLED data and methodology as part of broader client engagement. They will also lead on handling discussions around client’s access needs, developing quotes, and conducting negotiations, as well as support on contracting and managing relationships once accounts are confirmed.

This position is fully remote and can be done from any location with reliable internet service. The start date for this position is July 2022. This position reports to the Senior Programs Manager. This position is open to nationals of any country. For more information, please review the Applicant FAQs. Please submit your salary range for consideration.

The Sales Officer will be part of ACLED’s Operations team and will be supervised by the Senior Program Manager (SPM). The Sales Officer will be responsible for the following tasks:

Sales and Marketing

• Identify new potential clients through inbound requests, outreach, and targeted marketing
• Communicate ACLED’s access model to clients via email and over calls
• Answer client questions directly as well as liaise with other ACLED teams to answer questions
• Pitch ACLED data to new potential clients as needed
• Discuss client’s use cases and determine their access needs
• Provide quotes to new clients based on their access needs and oversee price negotiations
• Follow-up regularly with prospective and existing clients to advance sales discussions and negotiations
• Draft and share of access agreements with clients
• Where relevant, liaise with legal counsel to confirm requested contract amendments
• As needed, support the conducting of market and consumer research

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Support

• Establish, develop and maintain positive client relationships

• Support the Client Relations Officers with tasks related to managing client accounts, including:

  • Filing of clients contracts and other relevant documentation
  • Data entry, management and maintenance of clients’ account and contact information (using Salesforce, Asana, and other tools)
  • Providing the clients with access to ACLED data in ACLED’s Access Portal (in line with their contracts)
  • Providing regular reporting on sales targets

• Where required, liaise with Communications department on relevant communications with clients

• Engage in other ad hoc support around administrative and coordination tasks related to sales, marketing, and CRM

Skills and competencies

ACLED is seeking applicants who have the following skills and experience:

• Excellent customer service skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written
• Ability and confidence to present clearly and concisely to external audiences (pitch)
• Comfort in start-up environment and at ease working within evolving systems and processes (dynamic and flexible)
• Experience with prospecting new clients, sales, and managing contracting especially for data and software products and services;
• Experience developing quotes based on interactions with clients and negotiating (particularly related to data and software products);
• 1-3 years of experience in sales, fundraising and development, and/or outreach work at a non-profit organization or comparable business (preferably focused on peacebuilding, conflict, human rights, and/or global affairs)
• Ability to work remotely with limited supervision;
• Excellent organization and time management skills;
• Good judgment and high attention to detail;
• Experience with Salesforce (essential);
• Familiarity with leading business communication platforms, e.g. Slack (preferred);
• Experience with Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint (essential);
• Minimum bachelor’s degree in a relevant field;
• Fluency in English (essential);
• Fluency in other languages highly desired, particularly French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and Mandarin.