Country Director, Nigeria
About Viamo
Viamo connects people and organizations through mobile and voice-based technology, including AI, so communities can access information and make their voices heard without internet access. Our services help partners overcome language, literacy and connectivity barriers. Learn more at viamo.io.
About the Role
Nigeria is Viamo’s most important market. We are seeking an entrepreneurial, hands-on partnership leader with the ambition, ownership and resourcefulness to grow it. You will create opportunities, uncover partners’ underlying needs, co-design impactful solutions tailored to their challenges and turn those solutions into signed, financially sustainable agreements.
You will own the Nigeria sales pipeline and targets, build trusted relationships with UN agencies, NGOs, donors and private sector companies, and lead the full business development cycle. Reporting to the Vice President, Partnerships, West & Central Africa, you will work closely with regional leadership, Programs, Product, Technology and Finance.
Success means achieving agreed monthly, quarterly and annual bookings targets, measured by the margin value of signed contracts; maintaining credible forecasts; and developing partnerships that support measurable outcomes, repeat business and expansion.
Key Responsibility
Sales and Partnership Development | At least 90%
- Build and execute the Nigeria growth strategy. Prioritize accounts, sectors and funding opportunities based on partner needs, Viamo’s strengths, business potential and feasibility. Develop opportunities proactively, including before formal calls for proposals are published.
- Lead thoughtful outreach and discovery. Research each partner’s programs, objectives and funding context; listen actively, ask probing questions and distinguish stated requests from the underlying problem. Establish who decides, how funds can be accessed, what success means and what could prevent progress.
- Co-design impactful solutions tailored to partners’ challenges. Translate discovery into a clear target audience, user journey, language and channel mix, content approach, engagement or referral pathway, measurement plan and implementation responsibilities. Test assumptions about reach, connectivity, literacy, gender and access with colleagues and partners.
- Lead proposals and partnership development. Personally develop compelling concept notes, proposals, scopes of work and budgets, coordinating specialist inputs. Align the narrative, activities, quantities, timelines, deliverables and costs; identify dependencies and protect financial sustainability.
- Move opportunities through to signature. Qualify funding and procurement routes, make disciplined bid/no-bid recommendations, build consortia where appropriate and negotiate scope and terms within Viamo’s approval processes. Secure internal validation before committing capabilities, pricing or delivery timelines.
- Develop existing accounts. Maintain senior partner relationships, identify renewal and expansion opportunities early, and work with delivery colleagues on issues that affect trust, scope, funding or future business. Turn evidence and learning from projects into relevant partnership opportunities.
- Maintain rigorous follow-through. Record substantive interactions, commitments, owners and next steps in the CRM; keep forecasts and opportunity stages current; follow up promptly after meetings and close loops without repeated managerial reminders.
- Use AI and digital tools intelligently. Integrate them into research, synthesis, drafting, analysis and workflow management while checking sources, facts, calculations and fit for purpose. Protect confidential information and retain personal accountability for every output and commitment.
Country Leadership | Approximately 10%
- Lead the Nigeria Country Crew. Align the Head of Programs, Program Managers and Viamo Platform Manager around shared priorities and clear responsibilities, enabling colleagues to contribute their expertise.
- Coordinate a thorough sales-to-delivery handover and support partner escalations. Delivery teams manage day-to-day implementation; you remain accountable for the partnership and work with relevant owners to resolve issues affecting it.
- Represent Viamo with government, development partners and mobile network operators. Support colleagues across departments on enabling relationships, infrastructure agreements and organizational compliance.
Essential Requirments
- Personally originating and closing significant business. A proven record of securing substantial contracts or partnerships against targets, with clear evidence of your own contribution and results.
- Nigeria experience and trusted relationships. Experience living and working in Nigeria, with an active professional network and trusted relationships within its development ecosystem.
- Development-sector understanding and funding fluency. Familiarity with UN, NGO and donor priorities, partner selection, and grant, subaward and procurement routes. Direct experience serving these organizations is highly valued.
- Strong proposal writing and budget development. A record of personally writing winning proposals and owning accurate budgets and scopes of work.
- Excellent communication and influence. Clear, concise and persuasive English, with the ability to engage senior decision-makers and explain complex ideas simply.
- Entrepreneurial drive, self-management and learning agility. Evidence of pursuing ambitious goals independently, prioritizing and following through reliably, and showing curiosity, resourcefulness and persistence when learning or overcoming setbacks.
- Collaborative leadership and integrity. Experience coordinating across functions and cultures without direct authority, managing disagreement respectfully and exercising sound judgment.
- Applied AI literacy. Daily professional use of AI, with examples demonstrating its benefits, limitations and your ability to use it responsibly.
Desirable Experience
- Designing inclusive digital solutions that empower digitally disconnected communities, overcome literacy and language barriers, and reduce gender gaps in access and participation.
- Experience with ICT4D, mobile engagement, voice services or applied AI in development programs, translating technical capabilities into relevant partner value.
- Understanding of Nigerian data-protection law and telecommunications regulation.
Application Assessment
Apply with a CV and short cover letter. Include two significant deals you personally originated and closed: your role, client type, approximate value where permitted, result and an obstacle you overcame. Add one example of how you use AI.
Selection uses a consistent competency scorecard and evidence-based interviews. Finalists will complete a short practical Viamo/Nigeria exercise covering discovery, solution design, writing and budget judgment. AI use is welcome; you will explain your reasoning, verify outputs and discuss your choices.
Viamo is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse global workforce and recruitment without discrimination. We welcome applicants who meet the essential requirements.
