Job Description

The Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships is responsible for defining and implementing the business development strategy.

They must in particular:

• Identify and win new markets in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa, and internationally;
• Diversify revenue sources, particularly toward the private sector;
• Develop relationships with major public and private clients/principals;
• Strengthen relationships with donors and multilateral institutions;
• Develop strategic partnerships with engineering firms, consultancies, companies, and investors;
• Identify, qualify, and secure high-potential business opportunities;
• Structure responses to complex tenders and consultations;
• Contribute to the financial and institutional structuring of major projects;
• Establish an effective, structured, and sustainable sales/commercial framework;
• Directly contribute to revenue growth and improved profitability of operations.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Definition and management of the commercial strategy

• Define, in coordination with Senior Management, the business development strategy.
• Identify priority market segments and growth drivers.
• Develop a diversification strategy toward private and international markets.
• Define commercial objectives, performance indicators, and action plans.
• Establish an organization and commercial processes suited to the company’s ambitions.
• Build a structured approach to managing the commercial pipeline and opportunities.
• Set up strategic and competitive monitoring of the engineering, infrastructure, and consulting markets.

B. Development of new markets

The role holder must be a true “market maker,” able to actively pursue opportunities and turn institutional and business relationships into contracts. As such, they must:

• Actively prospect new markets;
• Identify major infrastructure and development projects;
• Anticipate upcoming tenders and projects in the pipeline;
• Develop relationships with major clients/principals;
• Identify the needs of private companies and investors;
• Develop markets in Côte d’Ivoire and the sub-region;
• Identify opportunities with donors and multilateral institutions;
• Develop the portfolio of key accounts and strategic partners.

C. Development of the private market

A major priority of the role will be to strengthen the company’s presence in the private market. The Director must in particular:

• Identify high-potential private sectors;
• Develop relationships with major groups, developers, investors, and companies;
• Propose new service offerings tailored to private-sector needs;
• Develop a key-account approach;
• Turn client needs into business opportunities;
• Negotiate and secure high-value contracts.

D. Relations with public and institutional markets

The role requires an excellent understanding of the Ivorian public procurement ecosystem. The role holder must:

• Master public procurement mechanisms in Côte d’Ivoire;
• Understand institutional decision-making channels;
• Develop and maintain relationships with major public clients/principals;
• Anticipate public investment projects and programs;
• Identify market and partnership opportunities;
• Contribute to the company’s positioning strategy on major public projects.

E. Donors and project financing

The role holder must develop a strong capacity to work with donors, financial institutions, and development partners. They must in particular:

• Develop relationships with international and regional financial institutions;
• Identify projects that are, or could be, funded by donors;
• Understand infrastructure financing mechanisms;
• Identify opportunities linked to donor-funded programs;
• Contribute to the financial structuring of projects;
• Structure partnerships enabling BNETD to access new markets;
• Develop relationships with banks, investment funds, and development finance institutions.

F. Tenders and complex sales

The role holder will be involved in managing complex business opportunities, from identification through to contract signature. As such:

• Oversee the qualification of tenders;
• Define response strategies;
• Coordinate technical, commercial, financial, and legal teams;
• Identify partners needed to put together bids;
• Structure consortia and partnerships;
• Contribute to building technical and financial proposals;
• Negotiate with clients and partners;
• Follow through to contract conclusion.

G. Development of strategic partnerships

• Identify complementary engineering firms and consultancies.
• Develop alliances with national and international companies.
• Identify technical and financial partners.
• Build consortia to respond to major tenders.
• Develop partnerships with international players seeking access to the Ivorian or regional market.
• Represent the company with strategic partners.

H. Transformation and structuring of the sales function

The role has a strong transformation dimension. The role holder must:

• Diagnose the existing sales organization;
• Design an end-to-end structured sales framework;
• Implement prospecting, qualification, follow-up, and conversion processes for opportunities;
• Develop a sales culture within the organization;
• Structure sales management/steering tools;
• Set up a pipeline reporting and monitoring system;
• Professionalize key-account management;
• Develop sales methods suited to complex intellectual services.

Profile sought

Education

Minimum 5-year post-secondary degree (Bac+5), ideally in one of the following fields:

• Engineering;
• Civil Engineering;
• Public Works;
• Building and Infrastructure;
• Economics;
• Finance;
• Business / Business Development;
• Management;
• Business School.

Professional Experience

The candidate must have proven experience in Management, Business Development, Commercial Development, Key Accounts, Partnerships, or Business Development roles.

Technical Skills

Business development

• Commercial strategy and business development;
• Key account prospecting;
• Complex sales and sales of intellectual services;
• Account management;
• Negotiation of complex contracts;
• Commercial pipeline management;
• Go-to-market strategy;
• Development of new markets.

Engineering and infrastructure

• Good understanding of engineering professions;
• Knowledge of consulting/engineering firms;
• Good understanding of infrastructure projects;
• Knowledge of the construction, public works, and development sectors;
• Ability to understand and add value to complex technical proposals.

Public procurement

• Good knowledge of the public procurement environment in Côte d’Ivoire;
• Understanding of institutional decision-making channels;
• Mastery of tender/bidding mechanisms;
• Ability to identify and anticipate public-sector opportunities.

Finance and project financing

• Good understanding of financing mechanisms;
• Knowledge of donors;
• Understanding of infrastructure financing;
• Ability to contribute to the financial structuring of projects;
• Knowledge of financial and multilateral institutions.

International development

• Knowledge of West African markets;
• Ability to develop international partnerships;
• Experience with regional or international projects;
• Network among public, private, and institutional stakeholders.