Business Development Executive

The Business Development Executive will drive the growth of OKOA’s B2B rescue and maintenance services by spearheading the acquisition of new customers and institutional partners across East Africa. This role combines hands-on sales execution with strategic leadership in product positioning. The ideal candidate is both a relationship-builder and a storyteller—someone who can identify market opportunities, communicate the value proposition effectively, and close high-impact deals.

They will own the sales pipeline from prospecting through to closing, develop compelling sales materials, and represent OKOA at meetings with prospective partners. Additionally, the Lead will shape OKOA’s market positioning strategy—ensuring the company is positioned with clarity, credibility, and consistency across all external-facing touchpoints.

This position reports directly to the CEO and will play a central role in achieving the company’s ambitious growth target.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Customer Pipeline Development & Lead Generation

   • Identify, prioritize, and engage with B2B client segments (e.g. fleet operators, logistics firms, saccos, FMCG fleets…etc.)

   • Use targeted outreach methods (calls, email, referrals, network intros) to build a high-quality lead pipeline.

   • Track all opportunities in CRM; ensure quick turnaround from lead to first meeting.

2. Sales Process Execution & Closing

   • Lead the end-to-end sales cycle: from initial contact to needs assessment, proposal, negotiation, and deal close.

   • Execute on custom proposals, SLAs, and MOUs using internal templates.

   • Set and track KPIs like pipeline conversion rate, deal velocity (e.g. <21 days to close), and referral-driven growth.

3. Sales Positioning Development

   • Create and continually refine sales decks, one-pagers, case studies, and product FAQs.

   • Work closely with the Customer Success teams to ensure consistency across all client-facing material.

   • Refine key messaging, positioning, and storytelling frameworks

   • Maintain a database of up-to-date sales documents and templates.

4. Partnership Development

   • Work with the CEO to identify and develop strategic ecosystem partners (e.g., OEMs, Insurance companies).

   • Identify and position OKOA to target key distribution channels, such as regional B2B platforms, widening OKOA’s reach.

5. Sales Intelligence

   • Set up mechanisms to gather and synthesize feedback from lost/won deals and prospective clients.

   • Share intelligence with Management, Customer Success and Ops teams to improve product-market fit.

   • Ensure all insights are translated into sales strategies and material updates.

6. Performance Monitoring & Reporting

   • Prepare weekly and monthly dashboards to report on sales performance, bottlenecks, and new opportunities.

   • Monitor OKRs such as customer acquisition targets, referral rates, NPS, and sales pipeline health.

Qualifications & Skills

Experience: 3+ years of experience in B2B business development in East Africa, ideally in logistics, mobility, or shipping.

Required Skills:

• Exceptional Communication and Relationship-Building Skills.

• Strong strategic thinking skills with an ability to analyze market trends and anticipate industry shifts to guide business strategy.

• Strong storytelling and proposal-writing skills.

• Ability to take informed data-driven decisions.