Career Opportunities: Area Manager - Southern Africa (2103)

FALL CREEK FARM & NURSERY; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading agricultural firm in South Africa is seeking an experienced Area Manager for the Southern Africa region. This role involves overseeing sales operations, developing commercial strategies, and ensuring customer satisfaction. The ideal candidate has over 10 years of experience in commercial management, preferably in the fresh produce industry, and possesses strong communication skills. The position offers competitive pay and benefits, with occasional weekend work required.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Benefits package

opportunity for international travel

Qualifications

• 10+ years of commercial management experience in fresh produce.
• Minimum of 5+ years in a supervisory role with a proven ability to mentor.
• Fluent English; additional languages are a plus.
• Experience with planning, budgeting, and forecasting.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the commercial strategy for the region.
• Oversee key account relationships for customer satisfaction.
• Manage sales forecasts and collaborate with production departments.
• Provide leadership and coaching to team members.

Skills

Management skills

Communication skills

Strategic planning

Budgeting

Customer relationship management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or horticulture

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

ERP system (preferably SAP Business One)

Job description

Career Opportunities: Area Manager - Southern Africa (2103)

Requisition ID2103-Posted -Commercial-Full-Time-South Africa

Fall Creek is creating a world with better blueberries through its friendly, collaborative team spread across the globe. To help us accomplish this, we are seeking a qualified Area Manager - Southern Africa. This position will be located in Paarl, South Africa.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position is primarily responsible for the development and successful execution of the Fall Creek commercial development in core territories.

ORGANIZATIONAL FIT:

This position reports to the EMEA Commercial Manager. The Sales Area Manager supervises and directs the sales and grower support and External Sales Contractors in the assigned area. This position collaborates with other managers and departments in the company and has frequent interactions with visitors and guests of Fall Creek. This position is a member of the Fall Creek Global Commercial Team and represents the company to commercial customers, associations and other industry groups.

JOB SETTING

Office, field, and nursery setting. Requires domestic and international travel.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Collaborates with the Commercial Manager to develop the regional commercial strategy that is in line with the global strategy. Responsible for managing all sales in the assigned region.
• Oversees commercial key account relationships to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction, and manages the account management process within the regional team.
• Executes activities with results measured against the commercial plan and holds the sales and grower support team accountable for achieving goals.
• Works closely with the Commercial Manager to create the department budget and operates within the approved amounts.
• Oversees execution and administration of company IP licensing strategies in the territory in coordination with the Intellectual Property department.
• Oversees implementation, adoption, and optimized use of company CRM in the region. Empowers team to understand and use the tool to increase individual and department performance and efficiency.
• Responsible for managing the sale, demand, and crop forecasts and collaborates with the Commercial Manager, Planning Manager, and production department to accurately forecast inventory deployment.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with customers, industry influencers and key industry representatives. Gathers information on competitors, customers, and trends and makes recommendations to take advantage of market opportunities.
• Supervises employee(s) on a daily basis including goal setting, training and development and addressing performance issues. Coaches and develops employees to improve job performance when appropriate. Ensures that performance discussions are completed in a timely manner.
• Provides leadership to the day-to-day operations of the area sales, while maintaining focus on the company’s strategic goals and culture.
• Monitors intellectual property concerns and works with other departments to develop recommendations on managing infringements.
• Provides direction for handling product failures, customer complaints and problems by analyzing each situation and coordinating resolution with the production department. Supports the customer service team as needed.
• Collaborates with the marketing team on planning and execution of advertising and marketing plans for the commercial markets as required.
• Ensures proper communication and collaboration within the sales area team and with other departments. Supports alignment with the EMEA business unit.
• Provides input for new products and varieties and contributes to their commercialization and acceptance in the marketplace.
• Collaborates with IT on technology needs and process changes.
• Oversees scheduling of visits to the nursery for existing and prospective customers. Supports the product and grower support team with hosting educational seminars for customers as needed.
• Represents Fall Creek to visitors and guests and attends tradeshows, events, customer meetings, and other venues to promote Fall Creek products.
• Supports Fall Creek’s core values and corporate culture. Maintains confidentiality on sensitive matters.
• Performs special projects and other duties as assigned. Adheres to the standards set forth in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, horticulture or related field.
• 10+ years of commercial management experience, preferably in the fresh produce industry.
• Minimum of 5+ years in a supervisory/management role with proven ability to develop and mentor staff.
• English required; additional languages spoken in the area are a plus.
• Experience with planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Track record of developing strategy and executing a commercial plan with understanding of the global market, preferably with fruit or ornamental crops.
• Understanding of intellectual property and royalty administration.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; able to present to peers, customers and industry leaders.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines with attention to detail and prioritization.
• Ability to understand complex business and political relationships and work well in a team environment.
• Good judgment and ability to influence team decisions and operations.
• Ability to develop clear action plans and drive processes with many interdependencies.
• Record of success in a multicultural environment and ability to work with diverse communities.
• Ability and willingness to perform essential functions of the position and travel internationally.
• Professional and ethical business practices, adherence to company values, and commitment to development.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, or related field.
• Technical expertise in soil fertility, water chemistry, plant disease mechanisms, or other agronomic practices.
• Previous experience with an ERP system, preferably SAP Business One.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company.

Fall Creek Farm & Nursery offers a competitive salary and benefits package for this role. This position is office bound, but will require the candidate to be available to work in a nursery setting and/or support the production team on weekends on a rotational basis.

We can’t wait to hear from you!

For consideration, please send the following documents in support of your application for this role:

• Personal CV/resume (including recent references)
• Copy of ID
• Copy of qualifications and education records

Ineligible or incomplete applications will not be considered. All applications close by 30 September 2025 and applications received after this date will not be considered.

Please check that you have access to a desktop or electronic device for virtual interviews as part of the process.