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