Business Development & Projects Manager (Waste Management / Plastics Recycling)

Location:  Midrand, Gauteng or Western Cape, Cape Town

12 Month Contract to go Permanent – Start Immediately!

Competitive Package on offer which is negotiable based on qualification and years of relevant experience!

Our client, a well-established leader in the waste management and plastics recycling industry, is seeking a Business Development & Projects Manager to join their growing team.

At the heart of this role is the ability to identify new opportunities, build strategic partnerships, manage funding and project budgets and successfully deliver initiatives that create measurable impact across South Africa's recycling and circular economy landscape.

You are an energetic, commercially astute and relationship-driven professional who thrives on turning opportunities into meaningful outcomes. Highly organised and analytically strong, you enjoy managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and seeing projects through from concept to successful delivery. With excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills, you build credibility across all levels and work collaboratively with partners across the private, NGO and public sectors.

You take ownership, lead with integrity and bring a practical, solutions-focused approach to everything you do. Equally comfortable working independently or as part of a team, you are driven by results and committed to making a positive, lasting impact.

Qualification and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Operations, Logistics or a related field. An MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification would be advantageous.
• Minimum 3 years’ high-level project management experience, ideally gained within the waste management, plastics, glass, metal recycling, renewable energy or related industries. Experience managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders will be considered.
• Proven experience in business development, strategic partnerships, key account management and stakeholder engagement, with the ability to build trusted relationships and identify new opportunities.
• Strong financial acumen, including experience with budgeting, financial reporting and managing project-related funding.
• Ability to prepare and present funding recommendations, project updates and reports to key stakeholders.
• Strong proficiency in MS Office Suite, particularly Excel and PowerPoint. Experience with MS Project or similar project management tools would be advantageous.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritise competing demands and deliver against deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Fluency in Afrikaans would be advantageous but is not essential.
• Willingness to travel locally as required.

Key Deliverables:

Project Funding & Partnerships

• Manage and support the implementation of infrastructure, recycling incentive and collection incentive funding programmes in line with strategic objectives and EPR regulations.
• Identify, develop and maintain relationships with industry stakeholders, project partners, collectors, recyclers and other value chain participants.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of potential funding opportunities and support the evaluation of new project proposals.
• Assess project proposals, conduct feasibility reviews and prepare funding recommendations for consideration by the Project Evaluation Committee and Board.
• Support the growth and development of SMME entrepreneurs within the recycling value chain.

Project & Financial Management

• Manage funded projects from approval through to implementation, ensuring delivery against agreed objectives, budgets and performance targets.
• Monitor project performance, funding utilisation and reporting requirements to ensure effective financial management and return on investment.
• Work closely with internal teams, including Finance, to ensure projects operate within approved budgets and comply with funding requirements.

Stakeholder & Industry Engagement

• Develop and maintain strong relationships across the recycling value chain, including collectors, recyclers, suppliers, industry bodies, public sector stakeholders and NGOs.
• Support industry engagement initiatives and contribute towards building a stronger recycling ecosystem in South Africa.
• Conduct site visits to assess project feasibility, monitor progress and ensure funded assets are appropriately managed.

Governance, Compliance & Reporting

• Manage funding agreements and contractual relationships with project partners.
• Monitor compliance against funding agreements and address performance-related matters where required.
• Prepare regular project reports, performance updates and funding dashboards for senior management, committees and Board reporting.

To apply, please email a detailed copy of your CV to Lameez Herborn| lameezd@elev8recruitment.co.za