The posting
Are you someone who knows how to get things done in China — hustling shipments out the door, building trust with suppliers, and figuring out problems on the ground — and who's excited to become the critical link between our Chinese OEM and supplier relationships and our East African operations?
Kabisa is looking for a China Partnerships Lead to own that link: making sure we have the right vehicles, batteries, chargers, and spare parts moving out of China and into the right East African markets, on time and on the right terms.
Based in southern China (Guangzhou / Shenzhen preferred), this role reports to Kabisa's CFO.
JOB SUMMARY
As China Partnerships Lead, you'll be Kabisa's person on the ground in China — the one who gets ordered stock moving, keeps our Chinese suppliers and partners close, and makes sure vehicles, batteries, chargers, and spare parts actually arrive in East Africa in good shape and on schedule.
This is a generalist, entrepreneurial role. In the beginning, the priority is operational: booking shipments, coordinating inspections before stock leaves China, documenting condition (photos/video), and resolving the inevitable fires. As you build credibility with suppliers, you'll take on more of the relationship and negotiation side too — with Kabisa's leadership and China-based advisors backing you up on higher-level supplier negotiations while you're building that muscle.
WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS
Kabisa is East Africa's only unified EV ecosystem, spanning commercial vehicle distribution, DC fast-charging infrastructure, fleet financing, and CKD assembly. Almost everything we sell starts as a shipment out of China.
This is one of Kabisa's most important early hires. Supplier and logistics relationships in China have so far been handled in an ad hoc way, split across whoever happened to be available. This role brings dedicated, trusted ownership on the China side for the first time — someone leadership can rely on as a genuine partner, not just an executor.
Done well, this role has real room to grow: as Kabisa's China footprint expands, it could grow into leading a full China-based export team, and eventually into owning the end-to-end supply chain across all the African markets we operate in — vehicle orders, shipping, spare parts, the works. As the company scales, whoever represents Kabisa in China will increasingly be part of strategic conversations too, including with capital partners.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Get ordered stock moving: book shipments, prepare export documentation, and track vehicles, batteries, chargers, and spare parts from supplier to port to arrival in East Africa.
- Own the pre-shipment inspection process — working with (or setting up) a local inspection service, checking condition and completeness, documenting units with photos/video, and flagging or resolving issues before stock ships.
- Be Kabisa's reliable day-to-day point of contact with our Chinese OEM and component suppliers, building relationships based on trust and consistency rather than one-off, transactional contact.
- Build out Kabisa's spare-parts supply chain from China, including supplier relationships and inventory arrangements that keep our East African warehouses stocked.
- Resolve delays, quality issues, and shipment problems as they come up, escalating to Kabisa leadership or outside negotiators when a supplier issue needs more senior weight behind it.
- Track supplier performance — lead times, quality and warranty issues, pricing — and share what you're seeing with the team.
- As you settle in, help shape which OEMs and vehicle, battery, and charger models Kabisa brings to each market, and start taking on more of the commercial negotiation and export-financing conversations yourself.
- Flag cross-border risks you come across — cell and parts provenance, warranty enforceability, compliance — to Kabisa leadership.
- Report regularly to the CFO on shipments, supplier relationships, risks, and open issues.
WHAT YOU BRING
- A Chinese national, fluent in English, comfortable operating in both Chinese and international business contexts.
- Experience getting physical goods out of China and into Africa (or another emerging market) — automotive, industrial equipment, or similarly complex goods strongly preferred.
- A bias toward action: comfortable figuring things out with limited process, chasing down a shipment yourself rather than waiting for someone else to fix it.
- Working knowledge of freight, customs, and export documentation for moving heavy equipment out of China.
- Prior experience working in, or closely with, Africa — whether that's time spent there or exporting to the region — is a strong plus, especially if you're now looking to be based back in China.
- Comfort building relationships with suppliers and being trusted with real autonomy, even without years of formal senior negotiation experience yet — this can grow with you.
- Experience with EVs, batteries, or commercial vehicles is an advantage.
- An existing supplier network in China's EV or truck manufacturing hubs is a strong advantage.
- Willingness to travel to East Africa periodically.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Kabisa is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome people from different backgrounds and experiences who are excited about helping make electric mobility a reality and contributing to a more sustainable transportation future.
