Head Of Business Development & Partnerships

Job Purpose

• This role is responsible for raising assets under management (AUM) by developing relationships with HNWIs, family offices, institutional investors, pension funds, cooperatives, foundations, Islamic organisations, corporate treasuries, professional associations, community networks and diaspora investment groups.

Key Responsibilities

Capital Raising:

• Drive capital fundraising initiatives to increase Company's AUM and to meet SEC-capital requirements
• Personally source and close HNI investors (Nigeria-based and diaspora) in the near term
• Build relationship-led acquisition channels appropriate to this market - referral networks, diaspora associations, alumni/community networks

Business Development Strategy & Team Leadership:

• Design Company's overall business development strategy: target segments (HNI, diaspora, institutional), targets, quotas, and go-to-market motion across products (Murabahah/Mudarabah financing, real estate, stocks, commercial papers, and upcoming fund products).
• Hire, onboard, and lead a sales team as headcount is approved - starting lean, scaling with proven pipeline conversion.
• Set individual and team targets; own forecasting and pipeline accuracy for the sales function.
• Build the sales playbook (pitch, objection handling, onboarding flow, CRM discipline) from scratch.

Institutional & Partnership Development:

• Identify and cultivate institutional relationships including: pension fund administrators (PFAs), family offices, and takaful operators for Sharah-compliant products.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships that expand distribution: bank partnerships, corporate partnerships, diaspora organizations, and institutional distribution channels.
• Lead RFP responses, due diligence processes, and investment committee presentations for institutional prospects.
• Own partnership pipeline value as a standalone growth metric, separate from direct sales.

Sales Operations & Reporting:

• Build and own the sales CRM/pipeline infrastructure from day one.
• Report weekly/monthly on sales and partnership pipeline, conversion rates, and capital raised against target to the CEO and Board.
• Own investor acquisition cost (CAC) and retention/reinvestment rate as core metrics, working with Marketing on channel efficiency.

Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Partner with Product/Design on what converts and retains investors (dashboards, reporting, onboarding UX).
• Partner with CIO/Portfolio Manager to ensure sales commitments match product capacity and fund strategy.
• Represent the Company at industry, Islamic finance, and investment forums to build market presence.

KPIs

• Net New AUM
• Capital raise for meeting SEC regulatory requirements
• Institutional clients acquired
• Strategic partnerships signed
• Partnership-generated AUM
• Pipeline conversion
• Revenue generated
• Market presence

Requirements

• Candidates should possess a Bachelor's or Master's Degree
• 8+ years in sales, business development, or private banking/wealth management, with at least 2 - 3 years leading or building a sales team.
• Demonstrated track record of personally sourcing and closing capital or high-value deals, ideally with exposure to Islamic/ethical finance.
• Existing network within Nigerian HNI, diaspora wealth, or institutional allocator circles is a strong advantage.
• Working understanding of Sharah-compliant finance structures, or demonstrated ability to learn and represent them credibly.
• Comfortable building a function from zero - team, process, tooling - in a small, scaling company.