Johannesburg: Business Development Consultant (Skills Training) (JHB – Onsite) posted by DataFin Recruitment

ENVIRONMENT:

The primary vision of our client is to enhance the employability of South African Youth by upskilling them with scarce and essential skills. They are seeking a commercially driven Business Development Consultant to accelerate growth across their training, skills development, and academy solutions portfolio. This is a hunter-focused role within the education and skills development space. The primary objective is to secure new corporate clients, training mandates, and funded programme partnerships. They are looking for someone with an entrepreneurial mindset who understands the learning and development landscape, including corporate training, skills programmes, and workforce development frameworks.

DUTIES:

New Business Acquisition (Core Focus)

• Identify and secure new corporate clients requiring training and development solutions
• Prospect within HR, L&D, Transformation, and Executive leadership structures
• Conduct consultative meetings to unpack organisational skills gaps
• Present tailored Academy offerings (learnerships, skills programmes, training interventions, etc.)
• Negotiate commercial terms and close new mandates
• Convert leads into long-term training partnerships
• Develop and implement a strategic sales plan to achieve revenue targets and expand the client base for their learning and development solutions.
• Identify and qualify leads through proactive prospecting, networking, and market research.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of opportunities, tracking progress and activities.

Sector Development & Market Expansion

• Develop a strong pipeline within the education, training, and corporate skills development sectors
• Identify opportunities aligned to B-BBEE skills development and transformation strategies
• Monitor SETA-aligned opportunities and funded programme avenues
• Represent the academy at industry networking events and forums
• Cultivate strong relationships with clients, acting as a trusted advisor and point of contact for ongoing support and account management.
• Provide timely and responsive communication to clients, addressing inquiries, resolving issues, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Conduct regular check-ins and follow-ups to maintain engagement and identify opportunities for upselling or cross-selling additional services.

Revenue & Pipeline Management

• Build and maintain a structured sales pipeline
• Achieve defined revenue and growth targets
• Maintain accurate CRM forecasting and activity tracking
• Deliver consistent monthly and quarterly performance results
• Cultivate strong relationships with clients, acting as a trusted advisor and point of contact for ongoing support and account management.
• Provide timely and responsive communication to clients, addressing inquiries, resolving issues, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Conduct regular check-ins and follow-ups to maintain engagement and identify opportunities for upselling or cross-selling additional services.

REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum Requirements

• 36 years business development experience
• Proven track record with sales in the education, training, skills development, or academy sector
• Experience selling learning solutions, learnerships, or workforce development programmes
• Strong understanding of corporate training environments
• Demonstrated ability to secure new revenue streams
• Proficiency in Microsoft products
• CRM proficiency
• Bachelor degree in Business, Marketing, Entrepreneurship (or other related degree)

Advantageous Experience

• Knowledge of SETA frameworks and funded programmes
• Exposure to B-BBEE skills development initiatives
• Experience engaging HR and L&D decision-makers

ATTRIBUTES:

• Entrepreneurial and opportunity-driven
• Hunter mentality with strong prospecting ability
• Commercially astute and target-focused
• Resilient and self-motivated
• Strong consultative selling capability
• Confident presenter with executive-level engagement skills