Marketing And Business Development Manager

inABLE is an organization dedicated to promoting disability inclusion, notably through its flagship event, the Inclusive Africa Conference (IAC).

The Marketing and Business Development Manager will be responsible for driving the growth and sustainability of the Inclusive Africa Conference (IAC). This involves overseeing its market presence, expanding its audience, increasing revenue, and forging strategic partnerships across Africa and internationally. The role focuses on identifying and converting commercial opportunities, securing sponsorships and exhibitors, entering new markets, and building sustainable revenue streams, all while boosting registrations and enhancing the IAC brand annually.

1. Lead the annual marketing and audience-growth strategy for the Inclusive Africa Conference (IAC), targeting delegates, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, media, and partners.
2. Build, lead, and mentor the IAC marketing and business development team, and manage external agencies, consultants, and suppliers.
3. Manage brand positioning, messaging, and campaigns across various channels including web, email, social media, paid media, public relations, and partner networks.
4. Drive conference registrations and expand IAC's reach through targeted campaigns and networks across Africa.
5. Oversee the creation of accessible campaign, delegate, media, sponsorship, and exhibitor materials.
6. Coordinate marketing, media relations, and partner visibility efforts before, during, and after the event.
7. Utilize CRM and campaign analytics to monitor performance, manage audience data, and improve return on investment.
8. Develop and execute IAC’s business development strategy, revenue plan, and annual sales targets.
9. Identify new markets, customer segments, and commercial opportunities for delegates, sponsors, exhibitors, and partners.
10. Build and convert a qualified sales pipeline across corporate, government, development, and philanthropic sectors.
11. Secure sponsorship, exhibitor, delegate, co-funding, and in-kind revenue to meet agreed targets.
12. Develop commercial packages, proposals, pitch decks, and activation plans, leading negotiations and closing deals.
13. Manage accounts from prospecting and contracting through delivery, reporting, renewal, and upselling.
14. Maintain CRM records, sales forecasts, conversion data, and revenue reports to inform management and board decisions.
15. Represent IAC and inABLE at regional and global forums, fostering relationships with governments, multilaterals, corporates, and funders.

1. 8–10 years of experience in marketing, sponsorship sales, partnerships, or event commercialization, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
2. Proven track record of building pipelines, achieving revenue targets, and closing high-value sponsorship or partnership deals.
3. Experience in developing new markets, commercial offers, and long-term corporate or institutional accounts.
4. Strong commercial judgment, excellent prospecting, proposal writing, presentation, negotiation, and closing skills.
5. Demonstrated ability to lead teams and manage multiple concurrent sales activities, campaigns, partnerships, budgets, deadlines, and suppliers.
6. A Master’s degree in business, marketing, communications, or a related field is preferred; a strong Bachelor’s degree with substantial relevant experience may be considered.
7. A genuine commitment to disability inclusion and accessible communication.
8. Experience marketing major conferences, summits, or expos is a strong advantage.
9. Experience expanding a brand or event into African markets is a strong advantage.
10. Familiarity with CRM and analytics platforms is a strong advantage.
11. Professional certification in marketing, sales, or event management is an advantage.
12. Training or certification in CRM or digital marketing platforms (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Analytics) is an added advantage.