Business Development Associate

Position: Business Development Associate 

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Role type: Full-Time

Reporting to: Senior Project Manager

About SunCulture

Founded in 2012, SunCulture's vision is to build a world where people take control of their environment in rewarding and sustainable ways. SunCulture achieves this by developing and commercializing life-changing technology that solves the biggest daily challenges for the world's 570 million smallholder farming households. The company is the largest distributor of solar water pumps/solar irrigation for smallholder farmers in Africa and was recognized by Fast Company as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies in 2021. SunCulture has grown significantly over the last five years, now employing over 400 people globally

About Maarifa

Maarifa is a SunCulture initiative that focuses on a commercially viable, scalable data platform for outgrowers with integrated credit scoring and Peer-2-Peer engagement. The platform aims to solve the problem of a lack of reliable, fair, and accessible market connections for smallholder farmers. Maarifa promotes Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2) by providing farmers with market access and reducing post-harvest losses, and Social Entrepreneurship (SDG 8) by enabling smallholder farmers to improve their economic stability and become agricultural entrepreneurs.

About the Role

The Business Development Associate  for Maarifa will be responsible for creating, building, and nurturing relationships with outgrowers. This role is essential for driving the growth of the Maarifa platform by securing partnerships and ensuring the product is developed with direct input from the farmers it serves. The ideal candidate is a relationship-driven individual with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partnership Development: Create and execute a strategy to identify, engage, and secure partnerships with outgrowers. This includes creating outgrower lead lists and drafting talking points for presentations.

• Relationship Management: Build and sustain strong, long-term relationships with outgrowers. Serve as the main point of contact, ensuring their needs and feedback are communicated effectively to the internal team.

• Communication and Collaboration: Act as a crucial link between outgrowers and the internal product and technical teams. Diligently communicate outgrower input and feedback to ensure the platform is developed to meet their needs.

• Presentation and Negotiation: Conduct presentations to potential outgrowers, effectively conveying the value of the Maarifa platform. Negotiate and close partnership agreements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Agronomy, Agricultural business,  Business Information Technology, or a closely related technical or business field.

• Proven experience in a business development, account management, or sales role, with a strong focus on building and maintaining client relationships.

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust and rapport with a diverse range of stakeholders.

• A proactive and diligent approach to relationship-building and follow-up.

• Experience in market research and creating sales strategies is a plus.

• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.

• Proficiency in using CRM software for lead tracking and stakeholder engagement.

Interested?

Please apply online via this job portal. We respond to all candidates; however, only shortlisted candidates will be interviewed.

Please Note:

SunCulture is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.