Head of Business Development, Oil and Gas

Overview

This leadership position focuses on driving commercial expansion within the downstream petroleum sector by securing significant supply agreements, forging strategic alliances, and increasing the company's footprint among government, military, and major commercial customers. The incumbent will transform industry insights and contacts into a consistent series of profitable deals.

Responsibilities

• Identify and cultivate new business opportunities in downstream petroleum supply, storage, and distribution, targeting government, military, and major commercial buyers.
• Lead contract negotiations, prepare tender documents, and manage commercial bids with agencies, regulators, military organizations, depot operators, and private clients.
• Establish and nurture relationships with regulatory bodies, international and national oil companies, trading entities, and logistics providers.
• Formulate and implement strategies to expand market share for petroleum products such as petrol (PMS), diesel (AGO), dual-purpose kerosene (DPK), and aviation fuel (ATK).
• Keep abreast of pricing trends, regulatory changes, and local content stipulations to proactively capitalize on new opportunities.
• Collaborate with operations, finance, and legal departments to ensure all transactions comply with HSE standards, legal requirements, and corporate governance.
• Prepare commercial proposals, conduct feasibility analyses, and develop investment cases for senior management evaluation.
• Monitor and report on pipeline development, revenue, and profit margins against set targets to leadership regularly.

Qualifications and Experience

• Possess a bachelor's degree in Engineering, Petroleum Economics, Business Administration, Energy Management or related disciplines.
• Have at least 10 to 12 years of relevant experience in business development or commercial roles within the Nigerian oil and gas industry, specifically in the downstream segment.
• Proven record of securing large contracts and adeptness in managing tenders and bids.
• Thorough understanding of the Nigerian downstream regulatory landscape, petroleum trading, logistics, and depot operations.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English, with strong skills in proposal drafting and presentations.
• Well-established network involving regulators, military, international and national oil companies, and trading partners.
• Experience handling depot, storage, or infrastructure-related transactions.
• Competency in Microsoft Office applications and customer relationship management tools.

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinking combined with commercial insight
• Advanced negotiation skills
• Ability to maintain senior stakeholder and government relations
• Financial and deal structuring expertise
• Deep understanding of market and regulatory environments
• Effective executive-level communication

Key Performance Indicators

• Achieving or exceeding annual revenue and margin goals across the downstream portfolio.
• Consistently securing high-value supply and off-take contracts, particularly with government and military entities.
• Maintaining a robust pipeline of credible business opportunities with a strong success rate in tenders and bids.
• Establishing enduring partnerships and repeat business relationships.
• Proactively managing regulatory and pricing shifts to safeguard margins and ensure compliance.