Commercial Manager

Manitou Centre South Africa; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Manitou Centre South Africa in Cape Town is seeking a commercially astute leader to take accountability for the Cape Town branch. The role focuses on growing the range of products and solutions in this sub market within a structured framework, reporting to the General Manager and based at Maitland.

The successful candidate will drive revenue across sales, rental, service, and parts, manage budgets, oversee CRM-driven pipeline, and collaborate with central teams to optimise stock, warranties, and

Qualifications

• Customer-centric approach guiding fuel of sales growth.
• Several years of sales experience with a proven track record of targets.
• Strong negotiation and deal-closing skills.
• Ability to lead and motivate a sales team to achieve goals.

Responsibilities

• Develop and grow the Cape Town branch within a structured framework.
• Drive revenue across sales, rental, service and parts.
• Oversee CRM-driven pipeline and convert leads to active accounts.
• Manage branch budgets, costs, and procurement.
• Collaborate with central teams to optimise stock and maintenance.

Skills

Financial acumen

Commercial acumen

Technical familiarity

ERP/CRM systems

Revenue generation

Deal structuring

Pipeline management

Market expansion

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/marketing or related field

Tools

Evolve ERP

CRM systems

Job description

Reporting structure: This Position reports into the General Manager of the Manitou Centre South Africa, and is based at Manitou Centre Cape Town.

The key element of this role is the Commercial acumen to develop and grow the branch, and operate it as the single point of accountability for Cape Town within a structured framework by developing the range of products and solutions in this sub market.

Core Competencies: Technical & Behavioural Skills

• Financial Acumen: including financial reports, forecasting, revenue and cost analysis.
• Commercial Acumen: An understanding of the sales and rental equipment market in the Cape Region. Should have acute negotiation skills, problem solving ability and customer centricity. Must be able to do product and commercial forecasts and be able to manage budgets.
• Technical Familiarity: Comfortable interpreting parts availability metrics, technical workshop job costing, and lifecycle data.
• Systems Proficiency: Solid familiarity working with enterprise ERP software (e.g., Evolve) alongside integrated CRM systems.
• Revenue Generation: Drive new, rental, used equipment sales across, construction, or industrial application, harbour and ports. Grow service and maintenance contracts as well as parts sales in the Cape region.
• Deal Structuring: Negotiate high-value equipment supply agreements, financing terms, and trade-in configurations.
• Pipeline Management: Oversee the branch sales pipeline within the CRM, converting warm leads into active accounts.
• Market Share Expansion: Evaluate competitor positioning, pricing strategies, and local tenders to increase OEM market penetration. Must be able to develop commercial plans and deliver profitability through effective organizational design and commercial execution. Must be able to operate a decentralized branch operation with the relevant levels of autonomy.

Service Support & Aftersales Operations

• Maintenance Contracts: Promote and secure long-term Customer Support Agreements (CSAs) and preventative maintenance contracts.
• Technical Quality: Partner with the technical team to optimize asset turnaround time and enforce OEM repair quality standards.
• Customer Retention: Manage technical escalations and resolve client service disputes to ensure fleet availability.

Parts Sales & Inventory Management

• Counter & Field Sales: Lead the internal and external parts teams to maximize over-the-counter and e-commerce parts revenue.
• Inventory Control: Balance branch stock parameters to maintain critical parts availability while minimizing dead stock write-offs.
• Supply Chain Liaison: Coordinate with central or HQ parts to resolve parts backorders and expedite emergency breakdown components.

Branch Administration & Financial Governance

• Credit & Risk Management: Monitor branch debtors account & creditors age analysis and partner with corporate finance to collect overdue customer accounts.
• Expense Regulation: Manage branch operating budgets, monitor operational variances, and authorize standard procurement expenses.
• Legal Compliance: Adherence to company and customer site safety requirements too
• Audit Readiness: Oversee accurate continuous stock counts, invoicing procedures, and data integrity within the company ERP system.

EDUCATION:

• A bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field

EXPERIENCE & BEHAVIOURS

• A customer-centric approach, ensuring that customer needs are understood and met.
• Branch Administration & Financial Governance
• Expense Regulation: Manage branch operating budgets, monitor operational variances, and authorize standard procurement expenses.
• Several years of experience in sales, with a proven track record of achieving and exceeding sales targets.
• Exceptional sales and negotiation skills to close deals and drive revenue.
• The ability to lead and motivate a sales team to achieve their goals.
• Technical Aptitude: Intermediate technical knowledge of the machinery and equipment.
• Adaptability: Flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions and business priorities .

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL CONNECTIONS:

Strong Customer interactions, both internal and External

LOCATION & EXPECTED TRAVEL:

• This position is based at Manitou Centre Cape Town (Unit B4, The Bridge, 18 William Street, Maitland, Cape Town, 7405), South Africa.
• Customer and site visits regionally will be required.