Sales Lead
About the job
- At least 5 years of business development experience with motor controls, variable speed drives (VSDs/VFDs), pumps, fans, or energy-as-a-service products.
- A track record of identifying and securing new business opportunities within industrial or energy markets.
- Experience selling complex technical solutions, ideally involving energy efficiency, electrification, or industrial optimisation technologies.
- Experience building and managing relationships with operators, engineering firms, and industrial stakeholders.
- Experience in a hunter sales role focused on new business development, including cold calling and developing opportunities through an existing network; mining experience, especially in deep-level mines, is preferred.
- Experience with solution selling and/or MEDDPICC/Miller Heiman.
- Must be based in Gauteng or North West Province, South Africa, and eligible to work in South Africa.
- A valid driver's licence.
- Fluency in English.
- Must pass a medical to comply with health and safety requirements for work in the mining and metal industry.
- Site visits are an essential part of the role.
- Identify and secure new opportunities across heavy industry sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Build relationships with operators and industrial stakeholders across the region.
- Promote industrial energy efficiency and electrification solutions.
- Support the growth of the company's presence across Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Experience operating in entrepreneurial or high-growth sales environments.
- Experience working across multiple African markets and regulatory environments.
- Experience with Salesforce or another major customer relationship management (CRM) tool.
- Knowledge of the South African mining industry, with additional exposure to mining markets across the rest of Africa.
- Fluency in Afrikaans or another official South African language.
About the company
Energy Drive focuses on reducing energy use in industrial plants by providing turnkey, zero-capex energy savings solutions for pump and fan motors. They install and manage energy-saving systems powered by variable speed drives (VSD) for low- and medium-voltage motors, and they guarantee net monetary savings for each system with no upfront installation cost. The company differentiates itself through disruptive collaboration with clients, offering guaranteed savings, and a willingness to fund the capital for energy-efficiency projects. They work across industries such as mining, chemicals, manufacturing, food and beverage, paper and packaging, textiles, power generation, and rubber. The goal is to change how industry uses energy by delivering verifiable energy efficiency and environmental savings and improving industrial energy performance.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Non-Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$26.4M
Headquarters
Hillcrest, South Africa
Founded
2011
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- June 2025 Pears funding accelerates hiring, manufacturing, and cross-border sales execution.
- Energy Drive appointed Nick Moelders COO in November 2025 and Johannes Bayer EMENA head.
- Rockwell Automation deployments across four South African sites validate commercial traction through July 2026.
What critics are saying
- Apogee Wausau Group settled a March 2026 air-pollution case for $250,000.
- PMC Property amended an August 2026 lawsuit alleging defective glass failures in Philadelphia towers.
- Zero-capex savings contracts depend on project performance; misses or equipment failures can crush credibility.
What makes Apogee Sustainability unique
- Energy Drive Systems sells zero-capex motor savings with guaranteed net monetary savings.
- Its 2025 £20 million Pears investment funds international expansion across Europe and North America.
- It targets hard-to-abate industrial motors, especially mining, metals, steel, chemicals, and utilities.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Disability Insurance
Life Insurance
Remote Work Options
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
15%1 year growth
15%2 year growth
15%Energy Drive Systems, a subsidiary of Apogee Sustainability Ltd, has secured a $27M investment from The Pears Family to support its international expansion. The company, which provides zero-capex energy efficiency solutions for large motors, will use the funds to grow in North America and Europe. The investment highlights the increasing demand for energy cost reduction and emissions cutting in energy-intensive industries.
Energy Drive, a South African firm specializing in energy-saving solutions for large motors, has secured £20 million from UK-based Pears Partnership Capital for global expansion. The company offers a capex-free service using VSDs and proprietary technology to cut energy use by 43% in sectors like mining and metals. Energy Drive manages installation and maintenance, providing verified savings. Clients include ArcelorMittal and Glencore, with over 1TWh of energy saved and significant emissions reductions.
Industrial automation firm Rockwell has partnered with Energy Drive, an energy-efficiency specialist based in Durban, South Africa, to provide energy-saving-as-a-service (EaaS) partnership to Sibanye-Stillwater Driefontein mine in South Africa, resulting in reduced emissions and significant annual energy savings.
A solution EnergyDrive Systems were proud to be recognised for with the SAEEC Energy Company of the Year (2019) award.