Business Development Lead

About Panda Studios

For six years, Panda Studios has built brands, websites, digital communication and print for businesses that take how they show up seriously. We are a brand and design studio based in Kampala, delivering through our own studio and a trusted network of creatives and production partners.

The work has never been the constraint. Reach has. Great work doesn't sell itself. Someone has to carry it to the people who need it.

About the role

You will own Panda's commercial relationships from first contact to collected payment. You find businesses that are ready to invest in quality, reach the people who decide, build the relationship, present our work, negotiate and close.

Panda owns creative direction and delivery. You never touch the design. You close our standard packages on your own, and you lead bespoke and high-value deals together with our founder, who shapes the scope and pricing while you keep the relationship.

Who we serve

Businesses in Uganda and across East Africa that choose quality over the cheapest quote. We would rather do ten excellent projects than fifty rushed ones.

What you'll sell

• Brand identity and rebrands
• Websites
• Social media management
• Print and digital communication

Key responsibilities

• Build and keep a target list of businesses that fit Panda's client profile
• Reach owners, managing directors and marketing heads, and secure first meetings
• Understand each business's needs before pitching, and match them to the right services
• Present Panda's work and the value it creates
• Close standard packages independently, and co-lead bespoke deals with the founder
• Secure deposits and follow payments through until they are collected
• Stay the client's commercial contact after signing: renewals, new projects and referrals
• Build referral relationships with businesses that serve the same clients
• Keep every lead, meeting, proposal and payment up to date in our tracker

What we're looking for

• A track record of generating and closing deals, which you can show with real numbers
• Confidence approaching business owners and decision-makers
• The ability to sell professional services by explaining business value, not features
• You find opportunities nobody handed you
• You follow up until there is a yes or a clear no
• Clients who come back, and send others

Nice to have

• Experience selling creative, marketing, media or other professional services
• An existing network among premium and mid-tier businesses in Uganda or East Africa
• An eye for good design, and the ability to explain why it is worth paying for

Compensation

A monthly base, plus commission on the business you bring in and we collect. What you earn grows with the value you create. Full terms are shared with shortlisted candidates.

Logistics

• Location: Kampala, with outreach across Uganda and East Africa
• Engagement: Full-time, starting with a 90-day trial period
• Applications close: 2 December 2026

Your first 90 days

Your first month is about learning Panda's work and opening the right conversations. By day 90, we expect your work to show in money collected and clients won. We review progress together at day 30 and day 90.

Apply even if you don't tick every box

If you have closed deals and you believe in work done well, we want to hear from you.

Your safety matters to us

Panda Studios will never ask you for money, fees or banking details at any stage of hiring. We only contact applicants from @pandastudios.co email addresses.

Take the challenge

Don't send a CV first. Name three real businesses you would approach for Panda, and for each one tell us what you would sell them, why they need it now, and how you would get the first meeting.

Your answer is the interview before the interview.