Head of Business Development

This is a remote position.

Head of Business Development

Overview of the Role

The Head of Business Development will lead the company’s growth strategy across African government markets, with a strong focus on transport-sector software solutions. This role is responsible for building and executing the business development strategy, leading and mentoring the regional sales/business development team, driving high-value government partnerships, and ensuring the company consistently meets ambitious revenue and pipeline targets.

The Head of Business Development will work closely with the CEO, Product, Marketing, and Delivery teams to align go-to-market execution with government procurement realities, customer needs, and long-term strategic opportunities.

This is a senior, highly visible role and requires frequent travel to countries the company is actively targeting, including travel for government engagements, stakeholder meetings, project launches, and strategic partnership development.

Key Competencies

• Proven senior experience in B2G sales and business development, preferably in software solutions
  
• Strong understanding of the Transport sector and government digital transformation needs in Africa
  
• Strong leadership and team development capability (coaching, performance management, target setting)
  
• Expert-level negotiation skills, particularly for government procurement and long-cycle deals
  
• Strategic pipeline-building and forecasting capability
  
• Strong stakeholder management skills with senior government decision-makers
  
• Ability to create and execute regional go-to-market strategies
  
• Strong communication, presentation, and proposal-writing skills
  
• Strong understanding of CRM systems and sales analytics
  
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently across Africa to targeted government markets, often on short notice
  

Roles and Responsibilities

Strategy & Growth Leadership

• Own and execute the business development strategy for government clients across Africa
  
• Identify new market opportunities, partnerships, and revenue streams within the Transport sector
  
• Monitor government policy shifts, competitor activity, and sector trends to shape strategy
  
• Define and continuously refine target-market segmentation, key accounts, and territory plans
  

Revenue & Pipeline Ownership

• Take accountability for overall revenue targets, pipeline growth, and conversion rates
  
• Oversee the full sales cycle for strategic opportunities (from early engagement to closure)
  
• Ensure a consistent flow of qualified leads and opportunities through structured pipeline management
  
• Drive disciplined forecasting, reporting, and sales performance reviews
  

Team Leadership & Enablement

• Lead, coach, and develop the Regional Sales Executives / Business Development Representatives
  
• Build sales processes and performance systems that improve conversion and execution quality
  
• Support the team in complex negotiations, high-level meetings, and government relationship building
  
• Recruit, onboard, and manage business development team growth as the company scales
  

Government Relationship & Partnership Development

• Build and maintain strong executive relationships with senior stakeholders in ministries, agencies, and transport authorities
  
• Lead engagement with government procurement bodies and support tender / RFP responses
  
• Represent the company at high-level meetings, conferences, and strategic forums
  
• Build partnerships with key ecosystem players (implementation partners, donor-funded programs, consultants, etc.)
  

Internal Collaboration & Delivery Alignment

• Work closely with Marketing to guide campaigns, messaging, and sales collateral
  
• Work closely with Product and Delivery teams to ensure solutions match government needs and procurement realities
  
• Ensure smooth handover from sales to delivery and support post-sale relationship management
  
• Support customer success initiatives where strategic retention and expansion opportunities exist
  

Educational / Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field (MBA is a plus)
  
• Minimum 8–12 years experience in business development/sales, including leadership experience
  
• Proven track record of winning B2G deals, preferably in software/technology
  
• Strong familiarity with government procurement processes and regulations in African markets
  
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, long-cycle enterprise or government deals
  
• Strong existing network across African government and transport stakeholders is highly desirable
  
• Strong CRM and reporting proficiency (e.g., HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho, etc.)
  

Additional Attributes

• High ownership mindset and ability to work independently
  
• Strong business judgment and commercial decision-making ability
  
• Professional credibility with senior government officials
  
• Comfortable in fast-moving environments with evolving priorities
  
• Strong ethical approach and ability to manage compliance-sensitive environments
  
• Comfortable with frequent regional travel, including multi-country travel to support government sales cycles and relationship-building
  

Success Measures (KPIs)

• Revenue achievement vs target
  
• Pipeline value, quality, and conversion rates
  
• Number of strategic government relationships built and maintained
  
• Tender/RFP win rate
  
• Team performance and growth
  
• Customer retention and expansion outcomes (where applicable)