Senior Business Development Manager

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