Business Development Manager – Merchant & Distribution

Location: Dar es Salaam
Employment Type: Full-Time
Company: SmartFoundry

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About SmartFoundry

SmartFoundry is the venture studio of Smart Africa Group, focused on developing and scaling innovative African technology businesses.

Its portfolio includes:

• AdFlow
• Wakaly
• SokoLink
• Other digital commerce and marketing solutions

The company works to create scalable business platforms that address real challenges across African markets.

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Position Overview

The Business Development Manager – Merchant & Distribution is responsible for building, managing, and expanding a high-performing ecosystem of:

• Merchants
• Distributors
• Wholesalers
• Retail partners
• Channel partners

The role serves as the key commercial link between SokoLink, merchants, distributors, field teams, and operational stakeholders.

The successful candidate will drive:

• Merchant acquisition
• Distribution network expansion
• Revenue growth
• Market penetration
• Route-to-market execution

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Key Responsibilities

1. Merchant Acquisition & Growth

Merchant Recruitment

• Develop and execute merchant acquisition strategies.
• Identify and recruit merchants across target sectors and locations.
• Maintain a strong merchant prospect pipeline.

Merchant Assessment

Evaluate prospective merchants based on:

• Business profile
• Product suitability
• Revenue potential
• Commercial viability

Merchant Onboarding

• Lead merchant presentations and sales pitches.
• Conduct negotiations.
• Complete onboarding processes.
• Ensure KYC and compliance requirements are met.

Merchant Activation

• Support merchants to become active and transacting.
• Improve merchant retention and engagement.
• Maintain an updated merchant database.

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2. Distribution Network Development

Partner Acquisition

Identify and onboard:

• Distributors
• Wholesalers
• Aggregators
• Channel partners

Market Expansion

• Build territory-based distribution structures.
• Expand coverage into key regions and trade corridors.
• Strengthen route-to-market capabilities.

Partner Performance Management

• Monitor distributor productivity.
• Track contribution to sales growth.
• Evaluate partner performance against targets.

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3. Sales & Business Development

Lead Generation

• Generate merchant and distributor leads.
• Build relationships with:
  • Business owners
  • Procurement teams
  • Retailers
  • Trade associations

Commercial Development

• Prepare commercial proposals.
• Develop partnership recommendations.
• Support conversion from prospect to active customer.

Revenue Growth

Increase:

• Order frequency
• Average basket size
• Merchant lifetime value
• Overall revenue performance

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4. Account Management

Merchant Relationship Management

• Act as the primary point of contact for key merchants.
• Build long-term commercial relationships.
• Provide support and business development guidance.

Retention & Growth

• Monitor merchant performance.
• Reduce customer churn.
• Support renewals and reactivations.
• Expand existing accounts.

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5. Route-to-Market Strategy

Market Coverage

• Design and implement route-to-market plans.
• Identify underserved territories.
• Prioritize expansion opportunities.

Operational Collaboration

Work closely with:

• Field teams
• Operations teams
• Distribution partners

To improve:

• Merchant coverage
• Market penetration
• Distribution efficiency

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Required Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in:

• Business Administration
• Marketing
• Commerce
• Sales
• Economics
• Supply Chain Management
• Retail Management
• Related field

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Experience Requirements

Minimum Experience

• 5–7 years of relevant experience.

Preferred Backgrounds

• Business Development
• Merchant Acquisition
• Distribution Management
• Trade Development
• Channel Sales
• FMCG Sales
• B2B Commerce

Strong Advantage

Experience with:

• Multi-region expansion
• Route-to-market strategies
• Distribution network building
• African retail and SME markets

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Required Skills & Competencies

Commercial Skills

• Merchant acquisition and onboarding
• Sales pipeline management
• Account management
• Territory development
• Revenue generation
• Commercial negotiation

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Distribution & Trade Skills

• Distribution network development
• Channel partner management
• Route-to-market planning
• Trade relationship management
• Retail and wholesale operations

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Technical Skills

• CRM systems
• Merchant database management
• Reporting and analytics
• Performance monitoring
• Sales forecasting

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Leadership & Relationship Skills

• Stakeholder engagement
• Negotiation
• Communication
• Relationship building
• Problem-solving
• Strategic thinking

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Ideal Candidate Profile

This role is ideal for professionals who have successfully built and managed merchant or distribution networks.

Strong candidates will possess:

✔ 5–7 years of business development experience

✔ Proven merchant acquisition success

✔ Distribution and channel management expertise

✔ Experience working with SMEs, retailers, and wholesalers

✔ Strong commercial and negotiation skills

✔ Ability to expand operations across multiple regions

✔ Strong knowledge of FMCG, B2B commerce, or digital commerce ecosystems

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Suitable Career Backgrounds

Candidates from the following roles are likely to be highly competitive:

• Business Development Manager
• Territory Sales Manager
• Regional Sales Manager
• Channel Development Manager
• Trade Marketing Manager
• Distribution Manager
• Key Account Manager
• Merchant Acquisition Manager
• SME Relationship Manager
• FMCG Sales Manager

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Success Measures

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Increase the number of active merchants.
• Expand distributor and channel partner networks.
• Grow transaction volumes and order frequency.
• Improve merchant retention rates.
• Open new territories and trade corridors.
• Drive revenue growth and market penetration.
• Build a scalable and sustainable route-to-market model.

This role is particularly attractive for experienced commercial professionals who enjoy sales leadership, market expansion, distribution management, and building business ecosystems across African markets.

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