The Business Development Lead will lead Paystack's Business Development and Account Management function in South Africa, focusing on enterprise growth. This senior leadership role involves setting commercial strategy, building and managing a high-performing team, driving executive-level customer relationships, and ensuring Paystack is positioned as a strategic partner to South African enterprises.
What You'll Do
- Lead the SA BD & Account Management function
- Define the strategy, operating model, and targets for winning, growing, and retaining South Africa’s most important customers
- Translate company strategy into clear, actionable priorities and metrics for your team
- Hire, develop, and manage BD and Account Management managers and their teams
- Set expectations, coach through complex deals, and create a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous learning
- Devise annual plans with clear segment, territory, and vertical focus
- Maintain an accurate pipeline and forecast multiple quarters ahead, consistently hitting targets
- Earn trusted-advisor status with customers and leadership
- Support managers on high-stakes opportunities: multi-product, multi-stakeholder, and multi-year deals
- Help teams manage the sales cycle artfully, understanding which levers to pull to move deals forward while protecting Paystack’s long-term interests
- Build and maintain relationships with C-level executives (CFO, CTO, COO, CEO) at key accounts
- Understand their business drivers deeply, shape mutually beneficial deal structures, and ensure Paystack is seen as a strategic partner
- Maintain strong product and technical fluency (APIs, integrations, payments architecture) and ensure your team does the same
- Use product and technical knowledge to articulate customer requirements internally and to co-create solutions with Product and Engineering
- Frequently lead cross-functional groups (Product, Engineering, Risk, Support, Legal, Finance) through difficult decisions and trade-offs to unlock customer value
- Uphold Paystack’s risk and compliance standards
- Use Paystack’s goals and values to guide decisions and communicate the “why” behind them
- Help your org do the same, and motivate teams to deliver against our mission to accelerate commerce across Africa
What We're Looking For
- 10+ years in enterprise business development, sales, or strategic account management
- At least 4+ years leading managers and teams in high-growth B2B environments (fintech, payments, SaaS, or financial services strongly preferred)
- Proven track record of owning a regional or segment P&L or revenue target and consistently meeting or exceeding aggressive goals
- Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise deals and account strategies in South Africa
- Comfortable operating at C-suite level
- Strong understanding of South Africa’s payments and digital commerce landscape, or the ability to ramp quickly on local market dynamics, regulation, and competitive environment
- High technical and product fluency - able to understand APIs, integrations, and payments architecture
- Ability to translate between business and technical stakeholders
- Evidence of building scalable sales systems: territory design, quota setting, forecasting, CRM discipline, and sales playbooks
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to frame trade-offs and decisions clearly for both internal and external audiences
- Deep alignment with Paystack’s mission and values
- Track record of leading teams in a way that reflects those values in day-to-day decisions
Nice to Have
- Direct experience with payment gateways, merchant acquiring, or developer-focused fintech products
- Existing senior-level relationships across South African enterprises in Paystack-relevant verticals
- Familiarity with modern sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDIC, Challenger) and revenue operations best practices
Technical Stack
- APIs
- Integrations
- Payments architecture
Team & Environment
- Multiple teams under BD and Account Management
- Hierarchical structure with managers and individual contributors reporting to BD and Account Management managers, who report to the Business Development Lead
Benefits & Compensation
- High impact: Shape the strategy, team, and playbook that defines how Paystack wins the South African enterprise market
- Leadership scope: Lead managers and teams across BD and Account Management, with significant influence on product and go-to-market decisions
- Strong backing: Operate with the agility of a growth-stage African fintech and the resources and network of Stripe
- Growth and learning: Work alongside top-tier colleagues across Africa and globally, with meaningful opportunities for regional and global leadership
- Competitive total rewards: Market-leading base compensation, performance-based variable pay, equity, and comprehensive benefits
Work Mode
- Local-country role based in South Africa
Paystack is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status under applicable law.
