Jr. Development Associate

Zeno is looking for a Jr. Development Associate to join our Energy Network team and drive the front end of our site pipeline — finding the locations that our battery swap and fast-charging network will be built on. This is a field role: you will spend the large majority of every week out in assigned areas, canvassing for candidate sites, knocking on doors, and building relationships with landlords and site hosts across Nairobi. You'll work through pre-planned canvassing zones, run basic power and customer-experience surveys on the sites you find, log everything accurately, and carry the best leads through commercial conversations to a signed lease. Senior colleagues will back you up on utility processes, complex terms, and legal review — but the volume, the hustle, and the relationships are yours. This is an entry-level role and a direct way to learn energy infrastructure development from the ground up. It will suit someone highly motivated, comfortable with rejection, energised by in-person engagement, and persistent enough to get to the decision maker in a competitive market.

What You’ll Do

Scout and canvass assigned areas daily — you will be in the field most of every day, working target zones on foot and by road to identify candidate locations and generate a steady flow of new site leads

Approach landlords, landowners, petrol station operators, and shop owners in person and by phone to source leads, build rapport, and work your way to the actual decision maker

Hold early commercial conversations with prospective site hosts to establish alignment on rent, tenure, access, and other key terms, escalating to senior colleagues where terms fall outside approved parameters

Collect and organise the documentation needed to progress a site — ownership or title documents, KPLC account and meter details, identification, and contact information

Conduct basic site surveys covering electrical power (meter presence, supply type, transformer proximity, existing load) and customer experience factors (visibility, rider access, traffic flow, security, and operating hours)

Support basic siting and planning work — using pre-planned canvassing areas, rider demand patterns, and existing network coverage to decide where to focus next and flag gaps

Record every site, contact, and finding accurately and same-day in our site survey forms and project management and pipeline tracking tools

Drive leads through to signature: follow up persistently, coordinate site visits with engineering and legal colleagues, and close lease and site host agreements on approved terms

Keep a high volume of conversations live at once without losing momentum or dropping details on any single lead

Represent Zeno professionally and respectfully with landlords, tenants, and surrounding community stakeholders, often as the first Zeno person they meet

What You’ll Bring

0–2 years of experience in business development, sales, real estate or lettings, field research, or another in-person, target-driven commercial role; technical knowledge or hands-on experience in electrical works, electrical installations, or EV charging infrastructure is a plus

A high-motor approach: comfortable with a full day of cold calls, walk-ins, and site visits, and motivated by volume and targets rather than drained by them

Genuinely enjoys meeting people and building relationships face to face — the majority of this job happens in person, not behind a desk

Instinct for negotiation and an understanding that deals get done with decision makers: resourceful about finding the person who can actually sign, and respectfully persistent in a highly competitive landscape where good sites are contested

Willing and able to spend nearly all working hours in the field, in all weather, moving between sites across Nairobi

Organised and disciplined about record-keeping — findings logged the same day, not at the end of the week

Excellent verbal communication in English and Swahili; clear written English for site notes and follow-ups

Basic comfort with Excel or Google Sheets and with mobile data capture or project management tools such as Jira

Curiosity about electrical power and grid basics, and willingness to learn KPLC processes on the job

Willingness to travel daily to sites. Valid driver’s or motorcycle license a plus

Exposure to EV charging, battery swap, solar, energy infrastructure, or telecoms site acquisition is a strong plus

Benefits

Fixed-term contract with a competitive salary, with strong potential to convert to a permanent role as the network and the company scale

Company-sponsored healthcare plan

Field-based out of Zeno’s Nairobi hub, working across swap station and charging sites in Nairobi

Hands-on training in site development, utility processes, and commercial negotiation, working alongside senior colleagues — a direct path into a Development Associate career track

Join a world-class team of engineers, operators, and entrepreneurs from across the globe who are part of the inevitable trillion-dollar transition of two-wheelers to electric!