Junior Development Associate – Field Site Acquisition

About the role

Zeno is seeking a Junior Development Associate to join its Energy Network team in Nairobi. The role focuses on identifying and securing locations for battery‑swap and fast‑charging stations, requiring extensive field work, relationship building with landlords and site hosts, and coordination with senior colleagues.

Key responsibilities

• Scout and canvass assigned zones daily, travelling on foot or by road to generate a steady flow of new site leads.
• Approach landlords, landowners, petrol‑station operators and shop owners in person and by phone to build rapport and reach decision‑makers.
• Conduct early commercial conversations to align on rent, tenure, access and other key terms, escalating complex issues.
• Collect and organise ownership documents, KPLC meter details, identification and contact information for each prospective site.
• Perform basic site surveys covering electrical power availability, visibility, rider access, traffic flow, security and operating hours.
• Log every site, contact and finding the same day in survey forms and pipeline tracking tools.
• Drive leads through to signed lease agreements by coordinating site visits with engineering and legal teams.
• Maintain a high volume of active conversations without losing momentum or detail.

Required profile

• 0–2 years of experience in business development, sales, real‑estate or field research.
• High‑energy approach comfortable with cold calls, walk‑ins and daily site visits.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a genuine enjoyment of face‑to‑face relationship building.
• Resourceful and respectful persistence in negotiating with decision‑makers.
• Organised record‑keeping habit, logging findings the same day.
• Excellent verbal communication in English and Swahili; clear written English for notes.

Required skills

• Excel
• Google Sheets
• Jira (or similar project‑management tool)