Head of Business Development – Africa & Indian Ocean

Role overview

The Head of Business Development builds a portfolio of profitable outlets across Africa and the Indian Ocean for our trading company, which benefits from privileged access to refinery supply in the Arabian Gulf. The role sits in Dubai, travels extensively in the region, and works hand in hand with the trading desk and will primary focus to East Africa.

• Reports to: Head of Trading
• Works with: trading, operations and scheduling, shipping, credit and risk, legal, refinery planning
• Products: gasoil / diesel, gasoline, jet / kerosene, fuel oil, LPG and other refinery outputs

Key responsibilities

1. Customer portfolio development

• Grow and diversify the term and spot customer base: national oil companies, state importers, independent distributors and OMCs, mining companies, utilities, airlines and bunker suppliers.
• Own key accounts end to end: relationship, negotiation of term contracts and tenders, renewals, issue resolution.
• Build a qualified pipeline and keep management informed, with clear probability and volume estimates.

1. Profitable outlet development

• Identify and secure the outlets that offer the best margins for the trading book, by product and by country.
• Work with the desk to match supply opportunities with regional demand and capture arbitrage.
• Feed market intelligence (demand, specs, pricing, competition) into the desk's trading and supply decisions.
• Support cargo sizing, routing and logistics choices that reduce freight and demurrage.

1. New market development

• Open new countries and channels in the region, including tenders, storage access and supply partnerships.
• Assess country risk, payment security, regulatory and import frameworks with credit, compliance and legal.
• Explore structured deals: term supply, consignment or throughput agreements, prepayment and offtake structures.

1. Coordination with trading

• Align every offer with the trading desk on pricing, timing and hedging; no commitment without desk sign-off.
• Provide a weekly market read on East Africa and Indian Ocean demand, premiums and arbitrage.
• Ensure smooth handover to operations: contract terms, nominations, laycans, documentation.

1. Representation and travel

• Travel regularly to key markets to meet customers, authorities, port and terminal operators.
• Represent the company at regional energy events and industry forums.
• Ensure full compliance with KYC, sanctions and anti-bribery rules in all dealings.

Geographic scope

The territory covers African coastal and landlocked markets plus the Indian Ocean islands and some other specific regions.

Area

• East Africa – coastal
• East Africa – inland (via coastal ports)
• Indian Ocean
• Other Specific Regions

Countries

• South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Djibouti
• Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Malawi, DRC
• Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Réunion, Maldives
• Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Libya, WAF, India

Key performance indicators

• Volumes placed in the region (kt/month) versus budget, by product
• Gross margin generated per ton and in total versus budget
• Number of new active customers and new countries opened per year
• Share of term contracts in regional sales
• Credit exposure kept within approved limits; zero compliance breaches

Candidate profile

Experience

• A 15–20 years in refined products marketing, origination or trading, with a refinery, retail, NOC, Major or Trading House.
• Proven track record of building a customer base in Africa and/or the Indian Ocean, with an active regional network.
• Hands-on knowledge of term contracts, tenders, GTCs, Incoterms (FOB/CFR/DAP), letters of credit, trade finance.
• Capable of identifying and understanding the full spectrum of risks (price risk, counterparty/country risk, compliance & sanctions risk, HSE risk, logistics & infrastructure risk, product quality risk, forex & convertibility risk, sovereign risk, Working Capital impact, operational and contractual risk, reputational & partner risk, shipping exposure…)
• Solid grasp of refinery economics, product specs, freight, pricing formulas and hedging basics.

Skills

• Strong negotiator, commercially sharp, comfortable working closely with a trading desk.
• Sound judgement on various risks; strict on compliance.
• Autonomous, entrepreneurial, at ease travelling frequently in demanding environments.

Education and languages

• University degree in business, economics, engineering or finance; master's degree a plus.
• Fluent English required; French and Arabic are strong assets.

What we offer

• A senior, visible role with direct access to the trading desk and top management of the company
• Real ownership of a high-growth region and the chance to shape its commercial strategy
• An entrepreneurial environment where new markets and deal structures are encouraged