Sustainability Business Development Manager-Ballito

Placement Pros Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Placement Pros Recruitment seeks a Sustainability | Business Development Manager in Johannesburg to lead our client's sustainability strategy and drive new producer member acquisition across EPR sectors, with a focus on the Electrical & Electronic Equipment domain.

Translate sustainability and regulatory concepts into clear stakeholder messaging, build strategic relationships with government departments and industry bodies, and steer thought leadership, reporting and compliance across programmes

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level or higher degree in Sustainability, Environmental Management, or related field.
• Postgraduate qualification in sustainability, circular economy or related strategy fields is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a targeted business development strategy to grow producer membership across EPR sectors, with emphasis on Electrical & Electronic Equipment producers.
• Identify, approach and secure new producer members from manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and brand owners.
• Build, manage and progress a strong pipeline of prospective members.
• Conduct EPR presentations to prospective members.
• Clearly communicate value proposition, compliance support, sustainability impact and member benefits.
• Onboard and retain producer members, ensuring a professional onboarding experience.
• Engage referrals from existing members and sector stakeholders to grow the network.
• Meet annual targets for new member acquisition, conversion, revenue growth and retention.
• Maintain accurate records of prospects, engagements and market intelligence.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Business development

Stakeholder engagement

Public speaking

Sustainability strategy

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Relevant degree in Sustainability or related field

Postgraduate qualification in sustainability or circular economy

Job description

Introduction

The role combines two critical business needs: new member acquisition and commercial growth; and secondly, to lead our clients sustainability agenda, impact narrative, EPR compliance positioning and stakeholder influence within the circular economy ecosystem.

The Sustainability | Business Development Manager is responsible for leading our clients sustainability agenda while driving new producer member acquisition, member growth and strategic sector development. The role is responsible for shaping and maintaining our clients sustainability and impact narrative, ensuring regulatory excellence, translating sustainability and EPR concepts into clear stakeholder messaging, and positioning our client as a credible and trusted Producer Responsibility Organisation. The role carries a strong commercial mandate: to identify, engage, convert, onboard and retain producer members across all applicable sectors, with particular emphasis on strong Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector experience and relationships.

Duties & Responsibilities

1. Business Development & New Member Acquisition

• Develop and implement a targeted business development strategy to grow our clientsproducer membership across all relevant EPR sectors, with a strong focus on Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector Producers.
• Identify, approach and secure new producer members, including manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, brand owners and other obligated producers.
• Build, manage and actively progress a strong pipeline of prospective members.
• Conduct professional EPR, presentations to prospective members.
• Clearly communicate our clients value proposition, compliance support, sustainability impact and member benefits.
• Convert prospects into signed producer members and ensure a professional onboarding experience.
• Request and manage referrals from existing members, sector stakeholders.
• Achieve agreed annual targets for new member acquisition, conversion rates, revenue growth and retention.
• Maintain accurate records of prospects, engagements, follow-ups, conversion outcomes and market intelligence.

2. Sustainability Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and maintain our clients sustainability strategy, positioning and impact narrative aligned to EPR regulations, circular economy principles and national environmental goals.
• Translate regulatory, environmental and sustainability requirements into clear strategic focus areas for the organisation.
• Advise Executive Management on sustainability trends, emerging risks, opportunities and best practice within the EPR and circular economy landscape.
• Identify opportunities to improve recycling rates, waste diversion, collection efficiency and material recovery across our clients initiatives.
• Champion sustainability thinking internally and embed sustainability considerations across programmes, projects, partnerships and member engagements.
• Ensure our clients sustainability messaging is credible, consistent, accurate and aligned with regulatory and organisational objectives.

3. ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT Sector Strength & Cross-Sector Growth

• Bring strong practical experience, credibility and relationships within the Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector sector.
• Use knowledge of Electrical and Electronic Equipment producers, manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and industry stakeholders to strengthen our clients market position.
• Deepen our clients existing presence in the Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector through targeted relationship-building, member growth and strategic engagement.
• Identify and pursue producer member opportunities across all sectors covered by our clients EPR scope.
• Monitor Electrical and Electronic Equipment Sector and broader EPR sector trends, commercial developments, regulatory changes and producer challenges.

4. Public Representation, Thought Leadership & Advocacy

• Act as a key sustainability spokesperson for our client at conferences, summits, workshops, panel discussions, industry forums and stakeholder engagements.
• Deliver high-quality presentations, keynote talks and expert commentary on EPR, circular economy systems, sustainability impacts, producer compliance, informal sector integration and job creation.
• Position our client as a trusted voice in national sustainability, EPR and circular economy discussions.
• Contribute thought pieces, articles, opinion editorials, member updates and public-facing sustainability content in collaboration with PR and Marketing.
• Support approved media engagements and interviews as a subject-matter expert with appropriate governance oversight.

5. Stakeholder & Policy Engagement

• Engage strategically with government departments, DFFE and related entities, industry bodies, producer members, corporate partners, academic institutions, research partners, civil society and value-chain stakeholders.
• Participate in relevant policy discussions, consultations, working groups and sector forums relating to EPR, sustainability and circular economy matters.
• Build long-term relationships that enhance our clients credibility, trust, influence and member growth opportunities.
• Support our clients positioning in national and sectoral sustainability conversations.
• Facilitate collaboration between producers, service providers and internal teams to support practical EPR implementation and sustainability outcomes.

6. Impact Measurement, Reporting, Compliance & Data Management

• Lead or support the collection, validation, analysis and interpretation of sustainability and environmental data across the organisation.
• Track and report on key performance indicators, including recycling rates, waste volumes, waste diversion, material recovery and broader environmental and social impact metrics.
• Ensure sustainability-related data is accurate, credible, well-articulated and audit-ready.
• Oversee or support the preparation of required regulatory reports, including DFFE submissions, ensuring alignment with EPR regulations and environmental compliance expectations.
• Support audits, verification processes and compliance reviews by ensuring sustainability information and evidence are properly prepared and defensible.
• Contribute to regulatory submissions, non-technical DFFE narratives, member-facing impact summaries, annual reports, presentations and public-facing materials.

7. Sustainability Programme & Project Management

• Lead sustainability, recycling and circular economy initiatives from concept to implementation.
• Manage projects aimed at strengthening collection, sorting, reuse, recycling, recovery systems and environmental performance.
• Monitor project performance, timelines, budgets, outputs and risks.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities across sustainability programmes and EPR activities.
• Support pilot initiatives, awareness campaigns, technical training, stakeholder workshops and sector-specific sustainability interventions.

8. Education, Awareness & Member Support

• Develop sustainability awareness programmes for members, producers, partners and stakeholders.
• Support communication campaigns that promote recycling, responsible consumption, EPR compliance and circular economy principles.

9. Internal Collaboration & Cross-Cutting Support

• Work closely with Operations to align sustainability strategy with practical implementation and compliance realities.
• Collaborate with Social Development to integrate social impact, informal sector inclusion, job creation and SMME development into our clients sustainability narrative.
• Support PR and Marketing with accurate sustainability messaging, campaigns, presentations, content and events.
• Work with Legal, Governance, Compliance and Finance to ensure accuracy, risk management, reporting integrity and regulatory alignment.
• Support internal teams with sustainability input for proposals, member engagements, presentations, reports and partnerships.
• Participate in internal working groups, strategy discussions and cross-functional planning sessions as required.

Desired Experience & Qualification

Essential Qualifications

• Relevant degree or equivalent qualification in Sustainability, Environmental Management, Environmental Science, Engineering, Waste Management, Circular Economy, Business, Commerce or a related field.
• A postgraduate qualification in sustainability, environmental management, business strategy, circular economy or a related field would be advantageous.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 7-10 years’ relevant experience in business development, sustainability, environmental policy, circular economy, member/client acquisition, stakeholder engagement or related fields.
• Strong and demonstrable experience within the Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector sector.
• Proven track record in business-to-business sales, producer/member acquisition, account management and strategic stakeholder engagement.
• Experience representing an organisation publicly at conferences, forums, panels, workshops or stakeholder engagements.
• Experience in waste management, recycling, circular economy, environmental management or regulatory compliance is strongly preferred.
• Existing relationships or exposure to manufacturers, importers, retailers, distributors, brand owners, industry bodies or value-chain stakeholders within the Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector industry would be highly advantageous.
• Knowledge & Technical Competence
  • South African EPR Regulations and producer compliance obligations.
  • Circular economy principles, sustainability strategy and environmental management practices.
  • Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector sector dynamics, producer categories and valuechain stakeholders.
  • Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment sector (Electrical and Electronic Equipment), recycling, recovery, waste diversion and responsible end-of-life management.
  • Sustainability impact measurement, reporting narratives and data integrity requirements.
  • Stakeholder management, policy engagement, business development strategy and relationship-based selling.

Key Competencies & Attributes

• Strong commercial acumen and business development capability.
• Strategic sustainability leadership with practical grounding.
• Excellent communication, presentation and public speaking ability.
• Credibility with senior stakeholders, technical audiences and industry representatives.
• Ability to translate complexity into clear, engaging and defensible messaging.
• Strong relationship-building, influencing, negotiation and closing skills.
• High attention to detail, especially in compliance, reporting, data and member onboarding.
• Professional judgement, integrity and governance awareness.
• Self-driven, target-orientated and comfortable working independently.

Other Requirements

• Valid driver’s licence.
• Willingness to travel to member sites, conferences, audits, stakeholder engagements and industry events as required.
• Non-smoker.
• Professional conduct and responsible lifestyle expected, including sober habits.
• Comfortable working in a dynamic and evolving regulatory environment.

Package & Remuneration

Competetive salary, based on experience and qualifications