Business Development Officer - Hair & Beauty Hub

Job Summary

• The role goes beyond sales and customer acquisition.
• The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing the company's presence in Nigeria, building a network of hairstylists and beauty professionals, securing partnerships with hair extension manufacturers and suppliers, driving adoption of the booking app, and growing revenue across the different business segments

Job Description

• The Business Development Officer will be responsible for driving the establishment, market penetration, growth, and commercial success of the company's Hair and Beauty Hub in Nigeria.
• The company operates an established hair and beauty business in Canada and intends to replicate and expand its business model into the Nigerian market through a technology-enabled beauty platform.
• The platform will provide shared salon spaces where independent hairstylists and beauty professionals can serve their customers without the financial burden of setting up their own salons. It will also allow customers to discover, select, and book preferred hairstylists and beauticians through the company's mobile application, either at the hub or through home-service arrangements.
• The Business Development Officer will lead market expansion initiatives, recruit and onboard beauty professionals, establish strategic partnerships with hair extension and beauty product manufacturers, drive customer acquisition, and develop sustainable revenue streams across the business.
• The ideal candidate must have strong commercial awareness, excellent networking and negotiation skills, and a good understanding of the Nigerian beauty, haircare, and personal care industry.

Responsibilities

Business Development and Market Expansion:

• Develop and implement business development strategies to establish and grow the company's presence in Nigeria.
• Conduct market research to identify business opportunities, industry trends, customer needs, competitors, and potential market challenges.
• Identify and develop new revenue opportunities across the company's shared salon, beauty services, product sales, and digital booking platform.
• Develop strategies for market entry, customer acquisition, business expansion, and revenue growth.
• Identify suitable locations and opportunities for establishing additional hair and beauty hubs.
• Build relationships with relevant industry stakeholders, associations, beauty communities, and potential business partners.
• Develop and execute strategies to achieve the company's commercial and growth targets.

Hairstylist and Beauty Professional Acquisition:

• Identify, recruit, and onboard independent hairstylists, wig makers, makeup artists, nail technicians, beauticians, and other beauty professionals onto the platform.
• Develop a network of qualified and reliable beauty professionals who will utilise the hub and offer services through the company's booking application.
• Establish attractive engagement models that encourage independent stylists to use the hub instead of investing in their own salon facilities.
• Develop strategies to attract experienced and emerging beauty professionals to the platform.
• Ensure that onboarded professionals understand the company's operating procedures, service standards, pricing structure, booking processes, and payment arrangements.
• Monitor the activity and engagement levels of registered beauty professionals to ensure consistent utilisation of the platform.

Strategic Partnerships and Commercial Negotiations:

• Identify and establish partnerships with hair extension manufacturers, wig manufacturers, weave-on suppliers, haircare brands, and other relevant beauty product companies.
• Negotiate favourable commercial agreements, pricing arrangements, supply contracts, and distribution partnerships.
• Explore opportunities for the company to serve as a sales and distribution channel for hair extension and beauty product manufacturers.
• Establish relationships with beauty schools, vocational training centres, influencers, salons, and other organisations that can support business growth.
• Identify opportunities for corporate partnerships, sponsorships, brand collaborations, and promotional arrangements.
• Maintain existing partnerships and continuously identify opportunities to improve their commercial value.

Digital Platform and Customer Acquisition:

• Drive awareness, adoption, and utilisation of the company's mobile application among customers and beauty professionals.
• Develop strategies to attract customers to register, browse available stylists, book appointments, and make payments through the application.
• Work closely with the technology team to communicate market feedback, customer expectations, and platform improvement opportunities.
• Develop referral, loyalty, promotional, and customer retention programmes.
• Identify and engage social media influencers, beauty content creators, and relevant online communities to promote the platform.
• Monitor app registrations, active users, bookings, completed appointments, and customer retention.
• Ensure that the platform delivers a seamless experience for both customers and service providers.

Revenue Generation and Commercial Growth:

• Develop strategies to generate revenue from shared salon space utilisation, service bookings, home-service arrangements, product sales, and strategic partnerships.
• Drive the acquisition of hairstylists and customers to increase bookings and utilisation of the hub.
• Identify opportunities to increase average transaction value through complementary beauty services and product offerings.
• Monitor the commercial performance of the different business segments and recommend strategies for improved profitability.
• Develop pricing and promotional recommendations in line with market conditions and the company's revenue objectives.
• Identify opportunities to increase repeat bookings and customer spending.

Hub Operations and Business Coordination:

• Work closely with the Operations Team to ensure that the hub is adequately equipped and positioned to attract beauty professionals and customers.
• Collaborate with the store/inventory team to ensure the availability of hair extensions, weave-ons, beauty products, and other salon essentials.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding of hairstylists, beauticians, store personnel, and other relevant service providers.
• Work with the operations team to establish service standards and procedures for professionals using the shared salon facilities.
• Monitor hub utilisation, service delivery, customer feedback, and operational challenges.
• Identify operational gaps that could affect customer experience or revenue generation and recommend appropriate solutions.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting:

• Prepare and submit periodic business development reports covering customer acquisition, stylist onboarding, partnerships, revenue performance, and market expansion activities.
• Monitor business development targets and take corrective actions where performance falls below expectations.
• Maintain an updated database of potential customers, registered professionals, suppliers, manufacturers, and business partners.
• Provide management with market intelligence, competitor analysis, and recommendations for business improvement.
• Track the return on investment of marketing campaigns, promotional activities, and partnership initiatives.

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or HND in Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, Entrepreneurship, Economics, or any related discipline.
• Professional certification in Sales, Marketing, Business Development, or Business Management will be an added advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 - 5 years' experience in business development, sales, partnerships, or commercial management.
• Experience in the beauty, haircare, cosmetics, fashion, wellness, or personal care industry is highly desirable.
• Demonstrable experience in acquiring customers, developing strategic partnerships, and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Experience launching a new business, entering a new market, or scaling an existing business will be an advantage.
• Experience working with digital platforms, mobile applications, or marketplace business models is desirable.

Required Skills and Competencies:

• Strong business development and commercial strategy skills.
• Excellent negotiation, networking, and relationship management abilities.
• Strong sales and customer acquisition capabilities.
• Good understanding of the Nigerian beauty and personal care industry.
• Ability to identify market opportunities and develop profitable business models.
• Strong financial and commercial awareness.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Digital marketing and social media awareness.
• Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and deliver results with minimal supervision.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and business reporting tools.
• Someone with strong experience in FMCG distribution, marketplace development, e-commerce, beauty product distribution, or retail partnerships could also be a very good fit.
• Ability to build a commercial ecosystem from the ground up.
• Start-up and market-entry experience is a major advantage.