Business Development Manager
Own partnership and enterprise pipeline for Luso8 Cloud and the lab’s consultation practice across Southern and East Africa. Turn research and product credibility into signed partners, pilots, and revenue.
Location
Lilongwe, Malawi (regional travel expected)
Type
Full-time · Mid-Senior
Compensation
Competitive + equity
Responsibilities
- 01Source, negotiate, and close partnership and enterprise deals for Luso8 Cloud and Voxtra-adjacent consultation engagements.
- 02Build and manage a pipeline across target regional blocs (SADC, COMESA, EAC) and priority verticals (finance, logistics, telecom).
- 03Represent Rexplore at regional trade, ICT, and startup events (including exactly the kind of expo presence documented on this site).
- 04Work directly with research and engineering to scope what a partner actually needs before a deal is signed.
- 05Own CRM hygiene and forecasting for the partnerships pipeline (HubSpot/Salesforce-equivalent, syncing with Luso8’s own CRM category).
- 06Report pipeline, conversion, and partner health directly to the founder and division leads.
Requirements
- 01Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Computer Science, or a related field; MBA is a plus, not required.
- 024-7 years in business development, partnerships, or enterprise sales, ideally in AI, SaaS, or enterprise software.
- 03Track record of sourcing and closing partnership or enterprise deals from first contact to signature.
- 04Working fluency with CRM tooling (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, or similar).
- 05Strong understanding of the African tech and startup ecosystem, or demonstrated ability to ramp quickly on it.
- 06Excellent negotiation, written, and verbal communication skills across cultures and time zones.
- 07Willingness to travel regionally for partner meetings and industry events.
- 08Comfortable operating with significant autonomy in a small, research-driven company.
Benefits
- 01Own the partnerships function from day one, direct access to founder and division leads.
- 02Sell a product with real research and engineering credibility behind it, not just a deck.
- 03Potential equity stake of up to 2-5%, based on role, seniority, and impact (standard 4-year vesting, 1-year cliff).
- 04Competitive salary plus performance-linked incentives on closed pipeline.
- 05Travel budget for regional partner and industry engagement.
- 06Collaborative, low-meeting environment; the lab optimizes for output over process.
Application process
- 01Email careers@rexplore.ai with subject "Business Development Manager - [Your Name]".
- 02Attach: CV and a short summary of deals or partnerships you’ve personally sourced and closed.
- 03A short note (3-5 sentences) on a market or partner you’d prioritize first and why.
- 04Round 1: conversation with the founder on pipeline and market strategy.
- 05Round 2: case discussion on a real (anonymized) partnership scenario.
- 06Final discussion about scope, targets, start date, and offer.
Ready to apply?
We respond within two weeks. If you do not see a role that fits, send a fellowship inquiry, we hire ahead of named openings.