Business Development Specialist (South Africa)
Fresher Jobs Hub
Available Locations:
Johannesburg, Gauteng
Job Description
Job Summary
Fresher Jobs Hub is looking for an ambitious, commercially savvy Business Development Specialist to accelerate our growth across South Africa. You will own the full business development cycle — from market mapping, prospecting, and consultative selling to deal negotiation and post‑sale handover — while shaping our go‑to‑market playbook for the region. This is a high-impact role suited to a self-starter who thrives on building pipelines from scratch, hitting aggressive revenue targets, and nurturing long-term client relationships in the HR/EdTech/recruitment services ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities
- Pipeline Generation & Qualification: Identify, research, and segment high-potential prospects (start-ups, SMEs, enterprises, universities, skills academies) and qualify them through discovery calls and needs assessments.
- End-to-End Sales Ownership: Manage the entire sales cycle — outreach, product demos, proposal creation, pricing/contract negotiation, and closing.
- Market Intelligence: Track industry trends, competitors, and regulatory changes within South Africa’s talent, staffing, and upskilling markets to inform positioning and solution design.
- Account Expansion: Collaborate with Customer Success to drive renewals, upsells, and cross-sells; maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers.
- Reporting & Forecasting: Maintain accurate CRM hygiene (HubSpot/Salesforce or equivalent), deliver weekly pipeline, activity, and revenue forecasts, and monitor leading indicators (SQLs, win rate, ACV).
- Partnership Development: Build strategic partnerships with training institutes, placement cells, accelerators, and industry bodies to expand channel reach.
- Revenue & KPI Ownership: Consistently meet or exceed quarterly targets (revenue, meetings booked, conversion rates, average deal size).
- Proposal & Collateral Creation: Work with Marketing to craft compelling case studies, pitch decks, and outreach campaigns tailored to sector and buyer persona.
- Event & Webinar Participation: Represent Fresher Jobs Hub at virtual/physical events, webinars, and community forums to generate brand awareness and leads.
- Process Improvement: Contribute to sales playbooks, objection-handling libraries, and qualification frameworks (BANT/MEDDIC/SPICED).
Required Skills and Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, HR, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
- 2–5 years of proven success in B2B sales or business development, ideally in HR Tech, EdTech, SaaS, recruitment, staffing, or professional services.
- Demonstrated ability to consistently hit or exceed quotas in a fast-paced, metrics-driven environment.
- Strong proficiency with CRM tools (HubSpot, Salesforce), LinkedIn Sales Navigator, email automation, and sales intelligence platforms.
- Excellent consultative selling, negotiation, and storytelling skills with C-level and senior stakeholders.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English; additional South African languages are a plus.
- Solid financial and commercial acumen — confident with pricing models, gross margin, CAC/LTV, and ROI narratives.
- Comfortable with outbound prospecting (cold calls, cold emails, LinkedIn outreach) and multi-threaded deal management.
Experience
- Mandatory: 2–5 years in a target-carrying BD/Sales role.
- Preferred: Experience selling to HR leaders, L&D teams, career services, or operations heads; familiarity with subscription, retainer, or performance-based pricing models.
- Proven track record of building a book of business from zero, shortening sales cycles, and increasing ACV.
- Experience working with cross-functional teams (Marketing, Product, Ops, CS) to deliver client value.
Working Hours
- Standard South African business hours (approximately 08:30–17:30 SAST, Monday to Friday) with flexibility for client meetings across time zones when necessary.
- Occasional evening or weekend availability for events, webinars, or peak campaigns (with time-off in lieu).
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Market Knowledge: Understanding of South Africa’s graduate employability landscape, skills gaps, and recruitment ecosystem.
- Sales Methodologies: Familiarity with BANT, SPIN, MEDDIC, or similar frameworks.
- Data-Driven Mindset: Ability to interpret dashboards, conversion funnels, and forecast models to make informed decisions.
- Process Discipline: Meticulous with documentation, follow-ups, and CRM hygiene.
- Growth Mindset: Coachable, curious, and proactive in experimenting with new outreach tactics and messaging.
- Collaboration: Able to influence without authority and work seamlessly with remote teams.
- Resilience & Ownership: Comfortable with ambiguity, rapid iteration, and accountability for outcomes.
Benefits
- Competitive base salary + uncapped performance incentives/commission.
- Medical aid contribution and/or health & wellness stipend (location dependent).
- Remote-first flexibility with coworking allowance where applicable.
- Monthly data/Wi‑Fi stipend and home-office support.
- Generous annual leave and paid time off for learning/certifications.
- Rapid career progression opportunities in a scaling, impact-driven organisation.
- Access to continuous learning resources, sales enablement tools, and mentorship.
Why Join
- Make measurable impact on employability and youth careers across South Africa.
- Join a high-growth, mission-led organisation where your results are visible and rewarded.
- Autonomy + support: Own your market while collaborating with an experienced leadership team.
- Clear, data-backed targets, playbooks, and enablement to help you win.
- A culture that celebrates curiosity, speed, transparency, and performance.
How to Apply
- Send your CV and a concise cover letter (max 400 words) outlining your most relevant deals closed, average deal size, quota attainment (%), and industries served.
- Include links to your LinkedIn profile and any sales portfolios/case studies if available.
- Use the subject line: “Business Development Specialist – South Africa | [Your Name]”.
- Email your application to careers@fresherjobshub.com (or apply via our careers portal, if applicable).
- Shortlisted candidates will undergo a three-step process: recruiter screen → business case/pitch simulation → leadership interview.