Vacancies at SunCulture Kenya Ltd

About the role

The Business Development Manager (BD Manager) at SunCulture Kenya plays a crucial role in identifying and cultivating strategic partnerships to achieve the company's commercial goals. This involves identifying, screening, and closing B2B sales opportunities. The BD Manager will manage key stakeholders and oversee the implementation of activities with commercial partners. Additionally, the role requires the BD Manager to effectively represent SunCulture externally while building internal capacity to ensure an excellent customer experience. This necessitates strong collaboration, leadership, and capacity development within the Sales and Operations teams to successfully execute business development initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Partnership Development 

• Identify and establish meaningful and impactful partnerships through research and analysis and onboard new partners.

Stakeholder and Partner Management

• Build a high-profile network with NGOs, MFIs, banks, government entities, out-growers, and complementary product providers such as well diggers, input providers and marketers.
• Draft and negotiate contract terms, manage partnerships through effective communication and oversee the execution of all B2B projects, ensuring they are implemented within set timelines and budgetary allocations while delivering high-quality service.
• In conjunction with the leadership team facilitate the development of concept notes and grant proposals following through to the contractual stage and execution.

Strategic Leadership

• Collaborate with the leadership team to set and execute the Business Development strategy with a focus on sales expansion, market penetration and company positioning
• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize business development opportunities, designing partnership structures, managing risks, and maximizing sales potential.
• Conduct market research, stay updated on industry trends, competitor activities, and regulatory changes that may impact partnership strategies
• Delegate duties effectively, manage time efficiently, and obtain buy-in from the Sales & Operations teams to deliver through them.

Team Development

• Collaborate with the other members of the leadership team to set departmental KPIs, ensuring team alignment and ownership
• Recruit, onboard and manage Business Development Associates and Sales Representatives
• Develop departmental budgets and ensure adherence to allocated resources.
• Monitor costs, sales, revenue, portfolio performance and other relevant data for departmental decision-making.

Does this sound like you?

• Minimum of 5 years of experience developing and managing strategic partnerships in B2B preferably within the renewable energy and/or agriculture industry.
• Bachelor's Degree in Economics, Business, Finance, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience working in cross-functional teams.
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to convert data into actionable insights.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effective presentations.
• Persuasive communicator with strong business acumen.
• Independent thinker with problem-solving skills in a fast-paced dynamic environment.
• Expert in work prioritization, time management, and handling pressure.
• Ability to work autonomously, handle multiple projects simultaneously, and step in on other projects as required.

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Key Responsibilities

• Identify new Kenya partnership opportunities through research and analysis, onboard new partners and manage the relationship 
• Partnerships prioritization to ensure partnerships that drive up sales are given full attention, information is communicated on time and to the right people in order to achieve efficiency.
• Responsible for all BD partnership projects to ensure projects are delivered on-time, within the scope and achieve the defined targets
• Perform risk management in order to identify the risks and challenges for each project, and escalate to management risks that are a threat to the business.
• Represent SunCulture in partnership negotiations and all relevant platforms that will create more visibility of SunCulture to our partners.
• Prepare and submit monthly, quarterly & annual reports to relevant external parties for the different partnerships within the organization. Monitor expenditure against budgets to ensure internal & external parties alignment
• In conjunction with the Business Development Manager ensure submission of winning concept notes/grant proposals and assist in following through to the contractual stage 
• Maintain communication with both internal and external stakeholders on grant management and communicate any changes 

Relationship Management

• Collaborate with the other members of the management team and establish effective working relationships with relevant stakeholders.
• Establish, maintain, and manage the relationship with the project partners, relevant departments within SunCulture, third parties, and other stakeholders.
• Work with key contact persons for partner pilots and integrations. Meeting with the partners periodically to take detailed project briefs and clarify specific requirements of each project and make follow-ups on their projects.

Requirements

• Knowledge of different businesses models of various agricultural partners i.e - Off takers, Input providers, etc and know their concepts, practices, and procedures
• A wide degree of creativity and taking ownership of your work
• Excellent client-facing and internal communication skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Solid organizational skills including attention to detail and multitasking skills
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Google shared folders
• Bachelor's Degree in business administration, project management, business management, public relations, or any other appropriate field of study.
• At least 4 years experience in business development/sales/partnership management in Kenya
• Excellent problem-solving ability
• Able to work in a dynamic environment, comfortable with ambiguity and able to plan, be organized, and adhere to strict deadlines