Business Development Lead

Global Career Company; France; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive bonuses

Benefits

Job summary

AFRICA TRADE ENGINE (ATE) seeks a Business Development Lead to drive enterprise growth across Europe and Africa, reporting to the Executive Leadership. Based in the UK or continental Europe with travel to regional HOs and key markets, you will originate deals, shape opportunities, and close high-value mandates with global brands.

You will engage with CXO-level stakeholders, orchestrate negotiations, and coordinate cross-border expansion plans while maintaining robust CRM and pipeline discipline.

Qualifications

• Proven track record closing multi-country mandates or category expansions.
• Comfortable operating at Board/CXO level and navigating matrixed global structures.
• Principle-level negotiation and stakeholder orchestration.
• Pipelinediscipline (prioritisation, stage hygiene, forecasting).
• Cultural fluency with Western corporate stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise origination and executive selling to global HOs and category leadership; align on Africa entry/expansion theses; lead executive briefings and market immersions.
• Define scope (countries, channels, categories), exclusivity posture, launch phasing, activation intent, and performance review cadence.
• Run principle-level negotiations to secure mandates; finalise a clear commercial intent and mutual action plan; hand over for documentation and execution.
• Systematically scout, assess strategic fit, and prepare concise investment/rights notes for leadership decisions.
• Maintain account maps, stakeholder strategies, pursuit plans, and rigorous CRM hygiene; provide crisp executive updates.

Skills

Enterprise sales

Executive selling

Negotiation

Strategic planning

Job description

• Company - If confidential, choose 'Confidential' AFRICA TRADE ENGINE (ATE)
• Work Experience 10+ years
• City -
• Province Paris
• Country France
• Postal Code -

Job Description

Business Development Lead, reporting to the ATE Executive Leadership, to be based in either the UK, or continental Europe, with travel toEuropean HOs and ATE's priority African markets. Suitable candidates will have ademonstrable record of success and extensive experience of working with major internationalorganisations which have significant penetration across the African continent.

L eadenterprise business development to win high-value brand mandates with globalmultinationals and onboard a pipeline of emerging brands that can mature intorights, licensing, or acquisition opportunities. Own origination, executivealignment, commercial framing, and closing; ensure a clean

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• EnterpriseOrigination & ExecutiveSelling: BuildseniorrelationshipsatglobalHOsandcategory leadership; align onAfricaentry/expansiontheses; leadexecutive briefings and market immersions.
• Opportunity Shaping (Commercial Principles): Define scope (countries, channels, categories),exclusivity posture, launch phasing, activation intent, and performance review cadence.
• Negotiation & Closing: Run principle-level negotiations to secure mandates;finalise a clear commercial intent and mutual action plan; hand over fordocumentation and execution.
• Emerging Brands Sourcing & Curation: Systematicallyscout, assess strategic fit, and prepareconciseinvestment/rights notesforleadershipdecisions.
• AccountStrategy & Governance: Maintain account maps, stakeholder strategies, pursuit plans, and rigorous CRM hygiene; provide crisp executiveupdates.

Requirements

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The keyskills, experience and personalityrequirements provided inthe jobspecification are outlinedbelow.

Background

• Proventrackrecordclosingmulti-countrymandatesorcategoryexpansionswith European-headquarteredmultinationals
• Comfortable operating at Board/CXOlevel and navigating matrixed global/regional/local structures.
• Principle-levelnegotiationandstakeholder orchestration
• Pipelinediscipline(prioritisation,stagehygiene, forecasting)
• CulturalfluencywithWesterncorporatestakeholders(European/US HOs).

Languages

ExcellentbusinessEnglish;proficiency1namaJorEuropeanlanguage(e.g.,French, German, Spanish, Italian) is a plus.

Operating Style

• Writes concise,outcome-orientedbriefs;setsclearnext actions
• Highintegrity,soundjudgement,andstrongfollow- through
• Energeticprospectorcomfortablewithambiguityand pace.

TBC.Competitive + performance-basedbonuses + benefits