Business Development Manager

Maersk; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

A global logistics company in Johannesburg is seeking a Business Development Manager. This role connects commercial and operational functions, focusing on driving scalable business growth and managing strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in logistics and supply chain, is a proactive problem-solver, and possesses strong communication skills. Competitive package and a diverse environment are offered.

Benefits

Diverse and inclusive workplace

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in logistics, supply chain solutions, or commercial enablement.
• Strong understanding of pricing strategy and warehouse operations.
• Excellent communication skills across technical and non-technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Act as a liaison between sales teams and internal stakeholders.
• Partner with the procurement team for strategic sourcing.
• Manage relationships with external vendors to ensure alignment.

Skills

Logistics

Operations

Project Management

Cross-functional Alignment

Stakeholder Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Logistics

MBA or advanced degree

Tools

MS Office

Salesforce

Job description

Would you like to be part of a value-driven, commercially oriented international environment where we enable global trade every day? The Business Development Manager will serve as a critical link between the commercial, operational, and procurement functions to support scalable business growth across the organization. This role is responsible for managing strategic initiatives, ensuring commercial readiness, and driving value through high-quality proposals for Tier 1 & 2 customers, pricing strategy, and vendor collaboration. The ideal candidate is a proactive problem-solver with experience in logistics, operations, project management, and cross-functional alignment.

WHAT WE OFFER:

When you join Maersk, you’ll find that the world is your workplace. You’ll work in a culturally diverse, stimulating environment, surrounded by new ideas and different ways of doing things. We believe in individual performance within highly professional teams supported by our distinctive values. To us teamwork means acceptance, respect, dedication, and the idea that we can achieve more when we all pull together. Living our values means competing in the marketplace in an ethical way so our name is synonymous with being a credible and valuable business partner. Through Constant Care and Humbleness, we strive to prepare for the future, while never forgetting that our customers and competitors are key to our ability to improve. In our daily work Uprightness and Our Employees mean that transparency and accountability in everything we do go hand in hand with being an inspiring, challenging place to work. At Maersk, we take pride in hiring the best person for the job – irrespective of gender, age, nationality, or religious belief.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Commercial Support & Pricing Coordination

• Act as a liaison between the sales/commercial teams and internal stakeholders to obtain accurate and competitive pricing for prospective and existing clients.

• Ensure timely turnaround of pricing proposals aligned with business strategy and margin expectations

• Ensure that annual rate escalation anniversaries are tracked and maintained to ensure advanced visibility and implementation

Vendor & Procurement Enablement

• Partner with the procurement team to support strategic sourcing initiatives, particularly for key growth-enabling suppliers.

• Ensure that annual rate escalation anniversaries are tracked and maintained to ensure advanced visibility and minimized cost impact to any outsourced contracts

• Manage relationships with external vendors to ensure alignment with service-level expectations and cost targets.

Solution Design Collaboration

• Engage early with the solution design team to ensure proposals reflect a deep understanding of the customer’s operational and commercial requirements for Tier 1 & 2 opportunities.

• Translate client needs into clear internal briefs that drive tailored, innovative logistics solutions

Transport Growth

• Work with the Area Head of Transport to increase the Maersk ‘share of wallet’ across multiple MCL products (warehouse & distribution)

• Identify opportunities with the commercial organization that can compliment the area strategy to link warehouse and transport opportunities to maximise control of outbound cargo

3PL Business Growth

• Work proactively with the 3PL operations manager to ensure correct vendor allocation for any outsourced contracts

• Maintain high standards of service and effective handover from commercial to operations execution

Account Management

• Facilitate the maintenance of close relationships with existing customers and establish and monitor meeting cadences with the relevant client stakeholders (operational, tactical, strategic)

• Act at the bridge between commercial and customer to provide a “product specialist” barrier in any commercial and account related conversions

• Grow the Maersk ‘share of wallet’ within the existing customer base by identifying new opportunities for service upsells

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Someone with:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Logistics, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

• 5+ years of experience in logistics, supply chain solutions, or commercial enablement, ideally in a 3PL environment.

• Strong understanding of pricing strategy, warehouse and transportation operations, and solution design principles.

• Proven track record in managing complex, cross-functional projects.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across technical and non-technical teams.

• Proficient in MS Office, with experience in CRM tools (Salesforce)

Core Competencies:

• Commercial Acumen

• Cross-functional Collaboration

• Analytical Thinking

• Project Leadership

• Client-centric Mindset

#LI-LS2

Maersk is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we embrace different styles of thinking. Maersk is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants without regard to race, colour, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy or parental leave, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with all legal requirements.

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