Business Development Analist

Job Description

This is a high-impact origination and commercial analyst role at the centre of Mainstream's BD function. You will work across the full deal lifecycle - from identifying and qualifying new C&I customers, to supporting commercial proposals, contract negotiations, and financial close.

The role is the BD equivalent of a Sales Development Representative: you are the engine of pipeline generation and commercial execution, working closely with the Head of Business Development and the wider commercial team.

What you will get to do

Opportunities to learn

• How utility-scale renewable energy deals are structured, priced and closed in South Africa's evolving private market
• Tariff and allocation modelling, wheeling structures, and RESA/GPPA contract mechanics
• How to navigate a regulated energy market in active transition (SAWEM, NERSA, NERSA trading rules)
• Commercial negotiation and risk analysis on real, complex deals

Opportunities to take on responsibility

• Own pipeline origination for a defined set of target accounts
• Manage your own deal flow with senior support on key negotiations
• Contribute to CRM tool development and process improvement

Opportunities to grow

• Exposure to senior decision-makers at major South African industrial, mining, and commercial businesses
• Clear path toward a Senior BD or Commercial Manager role as the aggregator platform scales
• Work across multiple deal types: aggregators, LPUs, MPUs, and SPUs

Day-to-day tasks

• Research, qualify and initiate contact with C&I target customers via outreach, conferences, RFPs/RFIs, and referrals
• Prepare tailored introductory materials, conclude NDAs, and manage early-stage customer engagement
• Support needs analysis, project selection, tariff modelling, and proposal preparation
• Maintain CRM pipeline data and prepare reporting on deal pipeline and progress
• Monitor market developments, competitor activity and regulatory changes
• Support internal deal memo preparation and approval workflows

What we require

Education & Experience

• Degree from a reputable university (Commerce, Engineering, Finance, Energy, Law or related discipline)
• 2-5 years of work experience, including at least 1 year in a customer-facing, commercial, or origination role
• Experience in energy, finance, consulting, infrastructure, or a deal-intensive environment is strongly preferred

Skills & Interests

• Communication skills: excellent written and verbal ability - you can explain a complex tariff structure in plain English
• Commercially motivated: you understand that deals drive the business and you want to be at the centre of that
• Analytical: comfortable with numbers, modelling, and making sense of data to support commercial decisions
• Interest in South Africa's energy transition, renewable energy, and the C&I market

What we offer

We offer you the opportunity to work in a dynamic and entrepreneurial organisation, in a growing market in a fast-paced industry. Competitive base salary with a performance-based incentive on deal outcomes. Structured onboarding and commercial training programme. Exposure to a high-calibre team across BD, legal, finance and technical functions. Attendance at industry conferences and client events. Hybrid working model - Cape Town office base. Team-building and culture events in line with Mainstream values