Senior Business Development Associate

The Senior Business Development Associate is the cornerstone of YDE responsible for identifying new commercial and industrial business opportunities to generate revenue, improve profitability and help the business grow. S/he will bring forth the best solar and energy efficiency solutions by identifying sales leads, pitch services to new clients and maintain a good working relationship with new contacts.

This role involves proactively cold calling, attending networking events and taking stands at conferences and responding to incoming leads. The goal is to drive sustainable financial growth through boosting sales and forging strong relationships with clients. The job involves careful strategic planning and positioning in the market, and enhancing the operation of the business, position and reputation in the region. The role is closely working with Risk, Legal, Finance, and Technical teams.

The Senior Business Development Associate will have the following main functions: 

1. Support in building our pipeline

2. Build solid relationships with potential and existing clients 

3. Be involved in technical conversations between the sales team and the customer 

KRA 1: Execute prospecting and generate leads

• Cold calling prospective customers to unlock new project opportunities.

• Contribute to the market strategy on how to approach the client together with the Sales team BD Manager and Country Director).

• Conduct market research and identify key commercial and industrial customers for distributed solar leasing and energy efficiency systems within the KSA market to maintain a healthy pipeline and ensure business continuity.

• Submit a monthly report and market update to YDE management and aim at closing deals.

KRA 2: Closing deals

• Arrange business development meetings with prospective clients.

• Assess the site with support of technical team and then prepare an offer: draft the proposal and present, know the competition, build the advantage, offer revisions, contribute to negotiations with support from the country director and the legal team.

• Have knowledge of business products and value proposition.

• Contribute to negotiations and deliver presentations to the energy partners.

• Attend weekly sales meetings and identify and map business strengths and customer needs.

• Submit a full package to the Risk department to fetch the IC approval, and once the IC approves, close the deal/sign the agreement and transfer to the PM team; Monitor until COD – the plant generates energy.

Key Result Area 3: Continuous Improvement

• Participate in industry forums and conferences to keep track of industry trends.

• Report on successes and areas needing improvements.

• Develop in-depth knowledge about business development practices, marketing activities, prospective clients and industry trends.

Essential:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Development, Economics, or Marketing.
- 5+ years of experience in technical sales.
- Proficiency in MS Office.

Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and/or a Master’s degree in Business Administration.
- Experience working in a multinational, multi-segment environment with matrix reporting.
- Previous experience in the solar industry.
- Proficient in Arabic and English.

Functional Competencies:
- Excellent sales and negotiation skills; articulate and self-motivated.
- Strong tenacity and drive to seek new business and achieve or exceed targets.
- Competitive, sociable, extroverted, and passionate about renewable energy.
- Analytical ability for interpreting sales figures and writing reports.
- Strong multitasking and workload-prioritisation skills.
- Flexible and adaptable to a fast-paced, constantly evolving environment.
- Organisational skills and strategic planning capabilities.
- Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with confidence speaking to large audiences.
- Ability to operate effectively as both a tactical and strategic thinker.
- Awareness of cultural differences and varying legal and regulatory environments.