Business Unit Lead – Electric Cooking (Restaurants & Institutions)

About the role

Burn is building a pan‑African Commercial Electric Business Unit that provides electric cooking solutions to restaurants and institutions. The Business Unit Lead will own the full P&L, define strategy, shape product‑market fit and scale revenue across multiple markets.

Key responsibilities

• Own the BU P&L – set revenue targets, margins, budgets and unit economics across all markets.
• Develop and execute a pan‑African go‑to‑market strategy, prioritising markets by grid reliability, tariffs and demand.
• Define the commercial model – direct sales, financing/leasing, carbon‑financed subsidies and channel partnerships.
• Build and manage a pipeline of institutional clients such as restaurant chains, hotels, schools, hospitals and government feeding programmes.
• Lead high‑value negotiations, close flagship anchor accounts and establish partnerships with utilities, DFIs and financiers.
• Act as the voice of commercial customers, feeding field insights into product and engineering teams and overseeing pilots.
• Recruit, lead and develop a high‑performing pan‑African commercial team and set KPIs, reporting rhythms and forecasting discipline.
• Collaborate with the carbon team to structure carbon revenue streams and embed MRV requirements.

Required profile

• 8+ years of commercial leadership experience, including at least 3 years in B2B sales, key account management or business‑unit leadership.
• Proven track record building or scaling a business line, product category or market entry – preferably in energy, appliances, FMCG/HORECA, food‑service equipment or e‑mobility.
• Experience selling to institutions and the hospitality sector (restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, government) is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated P&L ownership with strong commercial and financial acumen (pricing, unit economics, financing models).
• Multi‑country Africa experience with cultural agility to operate across diverse markets.
• Understanding of electric cooking, energy access, carbon finance or utility partnerships is a strong advantage.
• Exceptional negotiation, communication and stakeholder‑management skills up to C‑suite and government level.
• Willingness to travel extensively (up to 50%) and fluency in English; French, Swahili or Portuguese an advantage.