Jr. Development Associate at Zeno

The Role

• 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!