Country Manager - Citel

About the role Rubicon Industrial Automation is looking for a Country Manager to own the Citel surge protection portfolio across South Africa and the wider SADC region. This is a business development mandate: build brand presence, open new market segments and gain market share from established surge protection brands. It is not an order-taking or account-maintenance role. Surge protection is sold on specification and technical credibility, with a long design-to-installation cycle. You will create demand at design stage, build a channel capable of carrying volume, and convert both into sustained revenue growth. The position is a joint appointment between Rubicon Industrial Automation and Citel SAS. You are employed by Rubicon Group on a South African contract of employment and represent Citel across the territory. You will report to the Managing Director: Industrial Automation at Rubicon, with a functional reporting line to the Area Manager Southern Africa and SADC at Citel SAS in France. About Citel Citel is a French manufacturer established in 1937 that specialises exclusively in surge protective devices (SPDs). It is unusual in the market in that it manufactures both component-level protection, including gas discharge tubes for printed circuit board applications, and the complete devices built around them. The range spans AC power, DC power, photovoltaic, data and telecommunications, and RF coaxial networks, and is certified to IEC 61643-11, IEC 61643-31 and UL 1449 fifth editi on. Why this market Southern Africa has one of the highest lightning ground flash densities in the world, yet surge protection remains widely under-specified in local installations. That gap is the opportunity. Demand is driven by rooftop and utility-scale solar photovoltaic, battery energy storage, data centres, telecommunications infrastructure, water and wastewater treatment, mining and minerals processing, rail and transport infrastructure, utilities and municipal LED street lighting. What you will do • Develop and execute an annual territory plan for the Citel range across South Africa and SADC, with quarterly targets by market segment and channel. • Grow revenue, gross margin and market share year on year, and maintain an accurate, well-forecast pipeline in the Rubicon CRM. • Get Citel specified at design stage by consulting engineers, EPC contractors, system integrators and end-user engineering departments. • Conduct site risk assessments and surge protection audits, and translate findings into coordinated protection solutions across AC power, DC power, photovoltaic and data circuits. • Prepare technical proposals, tender responses and compliance schedules referencing the applicable SANS and IEC requirements. • Deliver technical training and product presentations to engineers, contractors, panel builders and the Rubicon sales teams. • Build and manage the route to market across panel builders, electrical contractors, system…