Business Development Executive (Join our talent pipeline)

Job Title: Business Development Executive (BDE)

Location: Nairobi (frequent travel to field sites and buyer hubs)

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

A short note from me (Taita — Founder & CEO)

I started Synnefa because I wanted a practical answer to a problem most farmers know too well: good harvests that lose value because there was no way to dry, store, and sell them at the right price. Our Smart Solar Dryers, FarmShield™ sensors and FarmCloud™ software fix the technical part — we dry faster and prove quality. What we now need is someone who can turn those technical wins into signed deals and real revenue.

If you join us, you won’t be writing abstract strategies. You’ll find buyers, run a disciplined pipeline, and close deals that put our dryers on cooperative sites and processor floors. You’ll work directly with me, the field teams, agronomy, and engineering. I want a real closer — someone with field instinct, commercial discipline, and a bias for getting deals over the line.

We're building a pipeline of exceptional Business Development Executives who want to be part of Synnefa's growth story — whether the timing works out immediately or down the line. If this role speaks to you, we want to know you exist. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and we'll reach out as the right opportunities open up.

Why this role matters

Our dryers halve drying time and improve quality. That’s only half the job. The other half is commercial: someone has to put the product in front of the right institutional buyers, structure the offer, and close. This role is that engine. If you do it well, farmer incomes rise, our cooperatives and processors win, and Synnefa’s commercial base becomes self-sustaining.

Role Summary

We are seeking a driven Business Development Executive (BDE) to lead outbound sales and partnership development for enterprise and institutional clients. You will sell integrated B2B solutions that combine hardware, software, and data-driven services — Smart Solar Dryers, FarmShield IoT, and the FarmCloud platform. In your first six months, you will focus primarily on cooperatives and mid-tier agro-processors, expanding to NGO programmes, county governments, and other institutional buyers thereafter.

Key Responsibilities

1. New Business Development

• Identify, engage, and close new B2B customers — with a primary first-6-month focus on cooperatives and mid-tier processors, expanding to NGOs, county governments, and other institutional buyers
• Manage the full sales cycle from prospecting to close
• Conduct discovery sessions, product demos, and solution presentations
• Develop account-penetration and territory strategies

2. Pipeline & CRM Ownership

• Own and maintain an active, well-documented CRM pipeline
• Track deal stages, next actions, and forecast accuracy
• Provide structured weekly pipeline updates
• Ensure disciplined follow-up and conversion tracking

3. Solution Selling

• Translate customer needs into tailored technical-commercial proposals
• Work with technical, agronomy, and engineering teams to align solutions to client requirements
• Support pricing, proposals, and negotiation processes

4. Market Engagement

• Build relationships with key institutional and enterprise decision-makers
• Represent Synnefa in client meetings, demos, and field visits
• Capture market feedback to inform product and commercial strategy

Sales Handover & Customer Success Transition

After closing a deal, the BDE supports a structured handover to Customer Success:

• Attend late-stage demos where required to support closure
• Conduct a formal CRM-based handover to Customer Success
• Document all commitments, expectations, and deal context
• Support onboarding alignment between the client and the Customer Success team
• Flag upsell, renewal, rent-to-own compliance, and risk indicators early
• Ensure a smooth transition from sales to implementation and adoption

Scope, Travel & Working Rhythm

• Geographic scope: Kenya-focused role, based in Nairobi. Regional (Uganda/Ghana) opportunities may be supported case-by-case but are not the primary mandate.
• Field travel: Roughly 40–60% of time in the field — cooperative sites, processor facilities, and client premises — with the balance on pipeline management and proposals.
• Reporting cadence: A weekly 30-minute pipeline review and a monthly deal debrief with the CEO. This cadence is a core part of the role.

Performance Expectations

• Active pipeline generation from Month 1
• First meaningful closed revenue within 60–120 days (aligned with institutional B2B cycle timelines)
• Consistent month-on-month growth in closed-and-collected revenue against targets agreed at offer stage
• Strong CRM discipline and consistent deal progression
• Demonstrated ability to close institutional or enterprise B2B deals

What We’re Looking For

• Education: A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. Technical and engineering backgrounds — Mechanical, Civil, Mechatronics, Electrical, Biosystems Engineering, or Renewable Energy — are welcome and an advantage given our product, as are business, commerce, or agribusiness backgrounds paired with a strong commercial record.
• Added advantage: Skills in solar energy installation, and proficiency in AutoCAD and SolidWorks.
• Closing record (required): A proven track record of closing deals — not just generating leads (be ready to walk us through your three largest closed deals: size, cycle length, and how you got to signature). This is the one non-negotiable.
• 2–4 years’ experience in B2B technical sales or business development
• Experience with institutional, NGO, cooperative, or enterprise clients preferred; agritech, hardware, or capital-equipment exposure a strong plus
• Strong consultative selling and negotiation skills
• High ownership, discipline, and an execution mindset
• Comfortable operating in structured, target-driven environments with significant field time
• We are AI-first! You must be comfortable using AI tools — we use Claude and Gemini, and provide premium account access to supercharge your role.

Competencies & How You Will Operate

• Closing focus: you move deals to signature, not just to interest.
• Discipline: tidy pipelines, accurate forecasts, honest deal stages.
• Communication: short, factual updates and buyer summaries. No fluff.
• Systems thinking: you work with Product, Agronomy and Customer Success so the sale holds after close.

What Success Looks Like

• A predictable, well-managed pipeline
• Consistent conversion of qualified leads into closed-and-collected revenue
• Strong collaboration with technical and Customer Success teams
• A growing, measurable contribution to commercial revenue

What We Offer

• Monthly Cash Meal Benefit and Annual Health Cover with AAR Insurance.
• An informal, fun work culture with no hierarchy or bureaucracy — just colleagues laser-focused on moving our mission forward.
• A chance to put climate-smart hardware on real farms and processor floors — genuine impact work.
• A small, driven team working with IoT and a marketplace platform. You’ll have influence and ownership.

How to Apply

If this sounds like you, send your CV and a one-page note describing one recent deal you closed — what you did, what happened, and what you learned. Include two referees. Apply via our careers page: https://synnefa.breezy.hr

Equal Employment Opportunity

Synnefa is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply, and we strive to make all employment decisions based on merit, potential, and company needs.

Disclaimer

We want to give everyone a fair shot at joining us, so we encourage all applicants to use our synnefa.breezy.hr applicant tracking system (ATS) to apply for any openings at Synnefa and to avoid contacting Synnefa employees or management about the opening.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in maintaining a fair and orderly recruitment process.