The Senior Business Development Manager leads bilateral sales to large corporate clients in South Africa, with a core focus on client engagement and the negotiation and closing of Corporate PPAs (CPPAs) and Generation PPAs (GPPAs), within Mainstream’s existing business development process.
Key responsibilities:
Account and Relationship Management
- Manage long‑term customer relationships, including contracted energy partnerships.
- Oversee onboarding processes for clients.
- Foster positive relationships across internal departments to ensure seamless customer service delivery.
Business Development and Sales
- Lead the end-to-end negotiation and closing of bilateral CPPAs and GPPAs with large corporate offtakers, from commercial term sheet through to final contract execution.
- Manage and progress opportunities through Mainstream’s existing business development process and CRM (Salesforce), ensuring accurate and up-to-date pipeline reporting as each deal advances.
- Sell renewable energy solutions (wind, solar, hybrid systems, battery storage) to large enterprises.
- Engage directly with senior executives (CEOs, CFOs, CTOs) to pitch tailored offerings.
- Identify new business opportunities, strategic partnerships, and sales channels.
- Analyse customer requirements and collaborate with the commercial team to design solutions that meet technical and financial needs.
- Prepare proposals, quotes, contracts, and presentations that clearly articulate value propositions.
- Provide clients with technical, regulatory, and financial information to support decision‑making.
- Monitor competitor activity and market trends to ensure Mainstream remains ahead in product and service offerings.
- Travel regularly to client sites for meetings, presentations, and relationship building.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Build and maintain strong relationships with private offtakers.
- Represent Mainstream in industry forums and stakeholder consultations.
Internal Team Support
- Collaborate with the wider commercial team on private RFP responses and bidding processes.
- Share market insights and customer feedback to inform product development and strategic planning.
- Contribute to a culture of innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement within the commercial team.
Marketing and Brand Awareness
- Strengthen Mainstream’s brand presence in the renewable energy sector.
- Represent the company at trade shows, conferences, and industry events to build visibility and credibility.
Requirements for the role:
- Bachelor’s degree in business management, engineering, or law (LLB), with relevant commercial, sales or contract negotiation experience.
- Minimum 7–8 years’ sales or business development experience within large industrial or corporate organisations, with a proven track record of negotiating and closing complex, high-value contracts.
- Understanding of energy stakeholders (Eskom, IPPs, Offtakers) advantageous, but not essential for candidates with a strong large-corporate/industrial sales background
- Proven experience negotiating and closing large, complex commercial contracts with corporate clients; experience with Corporate PPAs (CPPAs), Generation PPAs (GPPAs) or the energy sector is advantageous but not essential, as training will be provided.
- Strong commercial and contractual negotiation skills, with the ability to structure deals around pricing, decision-maker dynamics, lead times, and BEE requirements
- Comfortable managing a sales pipeline and reporting through a CRM system (e.g. Salesforce)
- Open to travel and one-on-one client negotiations
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Energetic, Self-starter and problem solver;
- Motivated to succeed, comfortable being challenged and growing as an individual
- Lateral thinker, continuously improving the business model
- Collaborative team player
- Existing client network within large industrial or corporate sectors
- Strong MS Office skillset (Excel, PowerPoint and Word) essential
What we offer
We offer you the opportunity to work in an innovative and entrepreneurial organisation, to be part of a diverse workplace with regards to gender, age and cultural background in the most exciting industry in the world today.
Career development
- Individual training budget
- Career progression
- Leadership development
Shared financial success
- A competitive, industry benchmarked and cost-of-living linked salary, reviewed annually
- Performance bonus
- Salary contribution to your pension fund and private medical cover
Work/life balance
- Hybrid, flexible working arrangement
- Generous annual leave, plus a community or charity workday each year
- Paid maternity, parental, adoptive and bereavement leave
- Parental transitioning coaching
- Structured onboarding programme with team building and culture events in line with Mainstream values
True diversity & inclusion
- Equal opportunity targets
- You can be you, whatever your gender, colour or sexual orientation
Care for health & wellbeing
- Life cover
- Free Employee Assistance Program for you and your family
