COMMERCIAL MANAGER

IOEC; Durban; On-site; ZAR 700 000 - 900 000; Full time

Job summary

A well-established export and brand development company is seeking a Commercial Manager to lead and implement market strategies while optimizing the performance of business development teams. The ideal candidate will have at least five years of relevant experience, a bachelor's degree in business or marketing, and strong skills in data analysis and team management. Responsibilities include managing commercial growth, aligning strategies with operational capabilities, and regular reporting on market trends. This role emphasizes collaboration and strategic leadership.

Qualifications

• Five years as a Commercial Manager or Business Development Manager.
• Experience with exports, logistics or supply chain.
• Track record of strategic growth and managing complex, multi‑departmental projects.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of commercial growth in assigned regions.
• Define, develop and implement commercial strategies for BDMs.
• Regularly report on performance, market trends, and challenges.
• Make critical decisions on risk exposure and manage debt collection.

Skills

Strong data literacy

Team Management

Core people skills

Cross‑functional coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, supply chain management or a related field

Tools

Advanced Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Job description

Job Description

IOEC is seeking a dynamic Commercial Manager responsible for defining and implementing market strategies, to oversee, optimise and manage the performance of BDMs within designated markets. The Commercial Manager is responsible for driving commercial growth. The role requires leadership, commercial acumen and cross‑departmental collaboration to ensure the success of the team and the company’s commercial objectives.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the commercial growth in assigned regions, identify opportunities, expand market share, develop new business, improve performance. Identify trends, monitor competitors, and respond to changes in the market environment.
• Define, develop and implement commercial strategies for the regions under the management of the Business Development Managers (BDMs). Lead and support the BDMs to ensure they achieve their market objectives, develop the team, train, coach, and equip them to execute their responsibilities. Travel as necessary.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders throughout the business to align strategy and tactics that support commercial growth, partnering with:
• BDMs to optimise processes and workflows.
• Operations and Logistics to align commercial strategies with operational capabilities.
• Marketing to ensure marketing initiatives and brand strategies align with commercial objectives and target markets.
• Regularly report on performance, market trends and challenges, providing clear and actionable insights to executives. The Commercial Manager is the key point of contact between the BDM team and the Commercial Director.
• Risk Management: Make critical decisions on risk exposure, manage debt collection processes, establish clear payment terms, minimise financial losses and negotiate favourable terms with clients.

Minimum Requirements

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Strong data literacy: interpreting numbers, identifying trends, spotting anomalies, with a financial and analytical mindset (ROI, forecasting, modelling, budgeting and rapid mental math under pressure).
• Team Management: setting clear goals, developing talent, driving accountability, fostering a culture of continuous learning and high performance, building performance dashboards and maintaining professional communication.
• Core people skills: exceptional relationship‑building, trust cultivation and stakeholder enablement.
• Cross‑functional coordination.

COMPUTER LITERACY

• Advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/INDEX–MATCH, modelling), PowerPoint and Word.

Experience

• Five (5) years as a Commercial Manager or Business Development Manager.
• Experience with exports, logistics or supply chain.
• Track record of strategic growth, team performance and managing complex, multi‑departmental projects.
• Analytical skills, communication and problem‑solving skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, supply chain management or a related field.

Company Description

IOEC is a well‑established South African export and brand development company, specialising in marketing and exporting South African and regional fruit and vegetables globally. Since its founding in 1972, IOEC has built a strong reputation for quality, value and reliable supply, leveraging decades of experience to meet and exceed customer expectations.