Business Development

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Africa.

📋 Description

• Take charge of SDF's business development efforts in Africa — setting priorities, distributing resources across five key markets (Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia), and tailoring the strategy to meet local market needs and expectations.

• Oversee in-market execution in all five hub markets, including organized annual visits to each hub that encompass a comprehensive engagement program: conference participation, proprietary ecosystem meetups, high-level builder roundtables, partnerships with incubators and accelerators, strategic meetings with institutions, and introductions to policy and regulatory bodies.

• Establish and finalize high-value partnerships with fintech firms, payment platforms, wallets, ramps, and developer teams utilizing Stellar, driving potential partner companies towards successful Stellar integration and sustained network activity.

• Develop and oversee SDF's institutional partnerships across the continent — including major telecommunications companies (MTN, Airtel Africa, Vodacom), leading banks (Access Bank, Equity Bank, Standard Bank, GTBank, KCB Group), and development finance institutions — identifying and nurturing partnership opportunities that enhance volume at an infrastructure scale.

• Foster relationships with Africa's top incubators and accelerators — such as iceaddis, iHub, Mowblox, LoftyInc, Tony Elumelu Foundation, and 88mph — to create a consistent pipeline of builders and elevate Stellar's visibility among early-stage founders making infrastructure choices.

• Act as the internal advocate and representative for the African market within SDF — converting on-the-ground insights into strategic guidance, influencing product priorities, and ensuring the wider organization comprehends the region's intricacies, opportunities, and challenges.

• Serve as SDF's main relationship manager for Africa-based ecosystem partners throughout their journey — from initial engagement to integration and growth — facilitating connections within the Stellar ecosystem that expedite partner success.

• Establish and uphold a rigorous pipeline management system using HubSpot and Airtable, ensuring that integration status, relationship health, and strategic context are accurately documented and accessible to the broader team.

• Lead post-visit content creation in collaboration with the marketing team — including trip reports, videos, blog posts, and social media content — to enhance SDF's presence and narrative across African markets.

• Represent SDF at prominent regional conferences and events, and take ownership of the planning and execution of SDF's own events on the continent, including builder roundtables and ecosystem meetups in each hub city.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree (mandatory), Master’s Degree or MBA (preferred)

• 8+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, or ecosystem engagement, with significant time spent at senior levels within or closely connected to African markets

• Extensive, senior-level relationships across the African fintech, payments, blockchain, and institutional sectors — including builders, accelerators, banks, telcos, and regulatory stakeholders.

• Background in blockchain, digital assets, stablecoins, or tokenization.

• Knowledge of cross-border payments, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and financial inclusion.

• Proven experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder partnership negotiations and closing deals that require both internal alignment and external relationship management.

• Familiarity with regulatory landscapes in African markets

• Outstanding communication skills for diverse audiences — with the ability to distill a complex technical value proposition into an engaging narrative

• Fluency in English; proficiency in French or Swahili is highly advantageous given our presence in Francophone West Africa and East Africa.

• Residing in Africa, with a willingness and capability to travel extensively across the continent and occasionally internationally.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive health, dental & vision coverage with most plans fully covered for the employee and any dependents

• Flexible time off plus 15 company holidays, including a company-wide holiday break

• Generous paid parental leave for all parents, along with paid pregnancy disability leave for birthing parents

• Gym reimbursement of $80 per month

• Life & Accidental Death and Dismemberment (up to $50K)

• Short & Long term disability coverage

• 401K plan with a 4% company match

• Health & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

• Commuter benefits with a $250/month employer contribution

• Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contribution

• Family building benefits through Kindbody

• Wellbeing benefits including One Medical, Rightway, and Headspace

• Learning & Development budget of $1,500 per year

• Daily lunch and snacks provided in the office

• Company retreats