Vice President Business Development at Lulalend

OVERALL PURPOSE

• The purpose of this role is to help Lula find its next wave of growth, whether through new partners, products, or markets. We have spent the last 11 years helping SMEs in South Africa solve their cash flow problems.
• This role is about finding that next frontier of growth to continue scaling Lula at the 100% year-on-year growth rates it’s used to.

Responsibilities will include:

Opportunity Identification & Prioritisation

• Continuously scan for new markets, segments, and partnership opportunities
• Build and maintain a clear pipeline of opportunities (not just deals, but ideas)
• Develop hypotheses on where growth will come from and pressure-test them
• Size opportunities (market, revenue potential, complexity) and prioritise ruthlessly

Partner Sourcing & Deal Execution

• Identify, approach, and engage high-potential partners
• Lead end-to-end deal process: outreach → pitching → negotiation → close
• Structure commercial terms that drive meaningful revenue (not just logos)
• Work through legal, risk, and product constraints to get deals over the line

New Initiatives (Markets / Products / Channels)

• Lead discovery and early-stage validation of new growth bets
• Run pilots and MVP launches with partners or internally
• Translate ambiguous ideas into concrete execution plans
• Kill weak ideas quickly; double down on what shows traction

Partner & Channel Performance Management

• Own performance of key partnerships and channels
• Track metrics (volume, revenue, CAC, conversion, etc.) and identify gaps
• Work with partners to optimise performance—not just maintain relationships
• Intervene quickly when something underperforms

Cross-functional Leadership

• Work closely with product, credit, risk, and operations to launch and scale initiatives
• Act as the bridge between external opportunity and internal execution
• Push internal teams when needed—don’t accept slow or vague responses
• Ensure deals actually get implemented and don’t stall post-signature

Commercial & Strategic Input

• Contribute to overall growth strategy and planning cycles
• Build business cases for new initiatives and present to leadership
• Provide regular insight on market trends, competitor moves, and partner landscape
• Challenge existing assumptions and surface new angles

Reporting & Accountability

• Own a clear set of growth / revenue targets
• Report on pipeline, deal progress, and performance of initiatives
• Maintain a tight feedback loop between strategy and results
• Be accountable for outcomes, not activity

THE COMPETENCIES WE’RE AFTER

• Commercial judgment
• Structured problem solving
• Deal-making ability
• Execution bias
• Partner management
• Communication
• Data fluency

THE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WE’RE LOOKING FOR

5+ years in:

• Business development / partnerships
• Strategy / consulting
• Venture / startup growth roles
• Product roles with commercial ownership

Proven track record

• Launching new initiatives (markets, products, channels)
• Closing and scaling partnerships
• Owning a revenue or growth metric

Industry exposure

• SME lending / fintech / financial services
• Or adjacent ecosystems (payments, marketplaces, platforms)