Area Sales Manager Cape Region

Syngenta; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 300 000 - 400 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading agricultural solutions provider is looking for an Area Sales Manager in Pretoria to lead the commercial and operational performance of the region. You will define strategies to unlock new value and foster growth, ensuring alignment with national objectives. The ideal candidate should possess strong leadership, key account management skills, and an agricultural background. The role offers a dynamic opportunity to shape market engagement and drive business growth in a competitive landscape.

Qualifications

• High focus on building partnerships and managing relationships.
• Leadership potential within various departments.
• Approximately five years’ experience in the company.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a transformative Area Strategy.
• Achieve agreed profit and volume goals.
• Manage and develop service delivery towards Key Customers.

Skills

Leadership

Key Account Management

Effective Communication

Negotiating Ability

Team Working

Education

Agricultural degree

Job description

Company Description

As a world market leader in crop protection, we help farmers to counter these threats and ensure enough safe, nutritious, affordable food for all - while minimizing the use of land and other agricultural inputs. Syngenta Crop Protection keeps plants safe from planting to harvesting. From the moment a seed is planted through to harvest, crops need to be protected from weeds, insects and diseases as well as droughts and floods, heat and cold. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Switzerland.

Job Description

Role purpose

• Accountable for leading the commercial, operational, and strategic performance of the assigned area.
• This role demands a step change in ambition – re‑inventing the Cape area’s approach to market development, customer engagement, and business growth through a bold, re‑invented strategy.
• The incumbent will define and execute a forward‑looking vision and area strategy, aligning people, resources, and partnerships to unlock new value, strengthen competitive positioning, and deliver market share growth, channel loyalty and sustainable profitability.

Accountabilities

• Develop and execute a transformative Area Strategy aligned with national business objectives, incorporating new routes to market, customer segmentation, and value propositions.
• Develop and implement a 5‑year strategy for each Distributor in the area, to support a re‑defined long‑term ambition for the Cape Region.
• Achieve the agreed profit and volume goals for the relevant region and dealerships consistent with overall sales and marketing strategy.
• Optimize territory management, resource allocation, and channel performance to deliver strategic priorities efficiently.
• Identify new growth opportunities through data‑driven analysis, competitive intelligence, and market insights.
• Lead change management initiatives to embed a high‑performance culture focused on innovation, accountability, and customer centricity.
• Delivery of annual sales targets for the area (agreed profit and volume goals).
• Manage and Lead Sales Managers in the area.
• Manage and develop a high level of service delivery towards targeted Key Customers as well as investigating ways to improve customer SOW.
• Assist and support Sales Managers with the customer (dealer, agent, grower) in terms of technical support, recommendations, and training.
• Oversee and guide all engagement between the Sales, Agronomy, Marketing and CPD teams to ensure effective execution of commercial campaigns and delivery on set targets.
• Manage and develop Market Information, Budgets, Forecasts, Business Planning, Partnership Agreements with area team (Sales Managers, Agronomists, Campaign Leads).
• Identify, define, establish and maintain influential relationships with relevant institutes and key crop value opinion leaders with RBM’s and SP.
• Focus resources on growers and key influencers in the food / feed chain – create pull approaches.
• Build relationships in value chain (identify the lead influencers).
• Identify key crop, product and market opportunities and threats for area.
• Support Sales Managers and Technical Leads and Agronomists to investigate and manage complaints/claims to minimize financial loss (second line of contact for Syngenta).
• Develop the competence, motivation and commitment of Dealers and Agents through effective training, promotion and sales support aids.
• Keep abreast of market, trade and competitor activity in order to revise strategies to meet changing requirements.
• Support the Marketing team to ensure market information accuracy in I‑Plan for allocated crops.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

General

• The role requires a high focus on building partnerships, managing relationships, motivating others and delivery of targets.
• Been successful and shown leadership potential within the different departments of Syngenta.
• Agricultural degree and background with proven results within the company.
• Good people skills.

Critical Knowledge

• Leadership – ability to lead, coach, drive and motivation of area team.
• Good understanding of the business, key account management, the market and how to add customer value.
• Practical experience of developing and implementing sales strategies and plans.
• Knowledge of key financial and marketing concepts and principles.
• Sound business acumen and negotiating ability.
• Broad technical know‑how of crops, products and farming practices. (Approximately five years’ experience within the company)

Critical Skills

• Strong leadership and team working skills.
• Effective communicator, fully bilingual, well‑developed skills of persuasion.
• Resilient to pressure.
• Conflict management.

Critical Experience

• Good understanding of the business, key account management, the market and how to add customer value.
• Practical experience of developing and implementing sales strategies and plans.
• Knowledge of key financial and marketing concepts and principles.
• Sound business acumen and negotiating ability.
• Broad technical know‑how of crops, products and farming practices. (Approximately five years’ experience).

Strategic Influencing

• Effectively influences to achieve objectives using different forms and sources of influencing initiatives.
• Seeks to improve continuously. Pro‑active in seizing and capitalizing on opportunities.

Critical success factors & key challenges

• A new clearly articulated and executed area strategy that redefines growth potential and market relevance.
• Reinventing the area’ go‑to‑market model through channel optimisation amidst intense generic pressure.
• Sustained improvement in market share, product mix and profitability.
• Strong alignment between sales execution and strategic intent.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction, loyalty, and market influence.
• Accountable for sales forecasting / planning for Key Dealers in region.
• Ensure implementation of related campaigns.
• Support agents with technical and commercial information in order to achieve sales targets.
• Gather market intelligence.

Interface – boundary linking two systems

• Area Sales Manager
• Relevant Dealerships and Agents
• Supply Chain
• Customer Marketing
• Strategy & Agronomy
• CPD
• Influencers

Additional Information

Advert closing 25 November 2025