Background

Lemonade Payments is revolutionizing the fintech space with innovative solutions that empower businesses to scale globally. We are a passionate team dedicated to building secure, scalable, and efficient systems. Join us as we shape the future of payments and help businesses thrive in a fast-paced digital economy.

Financial technology is a high-growth industry as change and innovation continue to disrupt the status-quo and prompt major transformation. Lemonade is at a particularly interesting time in our own growth as we look to leverage our successfully established market position and expand operations in pursuit of strategic new business opportunities. We value intellectual curiosity, proactive ownership, and collaboration with colleagues, and we empower you to meaningfully contribute from day one and accelerate your professional development.

In just under 2 years, our growing team has introduced a steady cadence of innovation within the online & offline payments landscape, such as automated recurring payments, the ability for customers to pay directly from their wallets to multiple payment channels, automated security and notifications, and much more.

Position Summary

The Business Development Manager will play a pivotal role in driving Lemonade’s growth by identifying, securing, and managing strategic partnerships with leading Merchants, Retailers, and Distributors. This role demands a strategic thinker with deep industry knowledge, a robust network, and a proven track record in closing high-value deals. We’re seeking a self-starter with a proven ability to thrive in high-growth, dynamic environments. You should have experience navigating ambiguity, solving complex problems with minimal oversight, and successfully scaling a sales team. Excellent communication skills and a strong understanding of customer needs are key to this role. This full-time role is based in-country and reports directly to the CEO.

Key responsibilities

• Business Strategy: Develop and implement a comprehensive business development strategy that aligns with the company’s long-term goals and positions Lemonade as a leader in the fintech and payment space.
• Strategic Deal-Making: Identify and pursue opportunities to establish strategic partnerships with the country’s Merchants, Retailers, and Distributors, focusing on deals that drive significant revenue and strategic value for Lemonade.
• Market Intelligence: Stay abreast of trends in the markets and Fintech sectors to identify and capitalize on emerging opportunities for partnership and innovation.
• Relationship Building: Cultivate and manage relationships with key decision-makers also to serve as the primary point of contact for all strategic discussions.
• Negotiation & Contract Management: Lead the end-to-end deal process, from initial contact through negotiation, contract drafting, and execution, ensuring favorable terms and alignment with company objectives.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams, including product development, marketing, finance, and legal, to ensure the seamless execution of strategic deals and integration of partner solutions.
• Recruit, train, and lead a motivated sales team for Lemonade in Kenya
• Target ownership: Source, sell, and close your own deals while achieving both individual and team sales goals
• Provide coaching and mentorship to the team to enhance consultative, solution-oriented sales skills
• Data analysis: Leverage data to drive decisions and deliver results

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or sales within the financial services industry, specifically focused on Fintech and Payments as a channel. A proven track record of closing large-scale, high-impact deals; B2B and B2C
• 3+ years of people management is an added advantage.
• Exceptional negotiation and strategic thinking skills.
• Strong relationship management, retention, and networking abilities.
• Deep understanding of the payment ecosystem, including key players, trends, and challenges.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• An analytical mindset with the ability to assess the financial and strategic impact of potential deals.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Ability to hire, train, coach, and evaluate for high-performance
• Presentation: Ability to communicate and demonstrate technical concepts and foster relationships with prospective customers
• Experience in payments/financial services is an added advantage
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Sales and Marketing, or a related field.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive business development strategy that aligns with the company’s long-term goals and positions Lemonade as a leader in the fintech and payment space.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to establish strategic partnerships with the country’s Merchants, Retailers, and Distributors, focusing on deals that drive significant revenue and strategic value for Lemonade.
• Stay abreast of trends in the markets and Fintech sectors to identify and capitalize on emerging opportunities for partnership and innovation.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with key decision-makers also to serve as the primary point of contact for all strategic discussions.
• Lead the end-to-end deal process, from initial contact through negotiation, contract drafting, and execution, ensuring favorable terms and alignment with company objectives.
• Work closely with internal teams, including product development, marketing, finance, and legal, to ensure the seamless execution of strategic deals and integration of partner solutions.
• Recruit, train, and lead a motivated sales team for Lemonade in Kenya
• Source, sell, and close your own deals while achieving both individual and team sales goals
• Provide coaching and mentorship to the team to enhance consultative, solution-oriented sales skills
• Leverage data to drive decisions and deliver results

• Exceptional negotiation and strategic thinking skills.
• Strong relationship management, retention, and networking abilities.
• Deep understanding of the payment ecosystem, including key players, trends, and challenges.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• An analytical mindset with the ability to assess the financial and strategic impact of potential deals.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Ability to hire, train, coach, and evaluate for high-performance
• Ability to communicate and demonstrate technical concepts and foster relationships with prospective customers

• 7+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or sales within the financial services industry, specifically focused on Fintech and Payments as a channel. A proven track record of closing large-scale, high-impact deals; B2B and B2C
• 3+ years of people management is an added advantage.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Sales and Marketing, or a related field.
• Experience in payments/financial services is an added advantage