Business Development Executive – Africa

About the role

The Business Development Executive will drive GeoPoll’s commercial research revenue across Africa. Working closely with the VP of Client Development and the research and technical teams, the role focuses on identifying new opportunities, supporting proposal development, managing a portfolio of accounts, and leveraging AI tools to improve sales workflows.

Key responsibilities

• Identify, qualify and pursue new business opportunities with commercial research clients across Africa.
• Build and maintain a robust pipeline in Salesforce, keeping records and forecasts up to date.
• Support proposals, expressions of interest and capability statements by collaborating with research and technical teams on methodology, fieldwork and budgeting.
• Attend client briefing meetings and translate discussions into clear internal briefs for proposal development.
• Represent GeoPoll at client meetings, industry events and conferences to increase visibility and generate leads.
• Develop and grow a client network across the region, acting as a trusted point of contact for active accounts.
• Identify upsell and cross‑sell opportunities within existing accounts and translate them into new project scopes.
• Coordinate closely with research and technical teams to align client expectations with delivery.
• Apply AI‑supported approaches to accelerate proposal creation and enhance account management.

Required profile

• Self‑motivated business development professional with a proven track record in sales or client acquisition.
• Experience in the research, data or development sector is an advantage.
• Strong understanding of the African market and ability to build relationships across diverse cultures.
• Excellent communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage a pipeline, forecast revenue and work collaboratively with cross‑functional teams.

Required skills

• Salesforce (CRM)