Commercial Manager

E-XHALE; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

E-XHALE is seeking a Commercial Manager to oversee revenue growth and market expansion across South Africa. The role involves managing national sales, key accounts, and trade marketing, aiming for sustainable and profitable growth.

The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in the FMCG sector, strong negotiation skills, and a strategic mindset, capable of leading high-performance teams. Attractive compensation and benefits to be discussed during the interview process.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in FMCG or regulated consumer categories.
• Proven experience leading national sales teams.
• Strong key account negotiation experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute 3-year commercial growth strategy.
• Drive revenue, gross margin and EBITDA targets.
• Lead National Sales Manager and regional structures.

Skills

Strategic thinker

Strong negotiation skills

High commercial IQ

Execution focus

Job description

Commercial Manager (Operational know-how)

Reports to: Director

Direct Reports: National Sales, Key Accounts, Trade Marketing, Marketing Management

Role Summary

We are seeking a strategic and commercially driven Commercial & Operations Manager to lead revenue growth, margin expansion, and market expansion across South Africa.

This role will own the full commercial engine — including national sales, key accounts, distributor management, trade marketing, and marketing development — with a focus on sustainable, profitable growth.

The ideal candidate combines high-level strategic capability with strong execution discipline and experience scaling FMCG or regulated consumer products.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute 3-year commercial growth strategy
• Drive revenue, gross margin and EBITDA targets
• Lead national and regional sales planning
• Identify vertical and horizontal product expansion opportunities
• Evaluate new category and new market entry feasibility

2. Key Accounts & Contract Governance

• Oversee major retail and wholesale relationships
• Structure pricing, rebates, and promotional agreements
• Protect margin integrity across accounts
• Ensure trading terms are commercially sustainable

3. National Sales & Field Execution

• Lead National Sales Manager and regional structures
• Drive sell-in and sell-through performance
• Improve forecasting accuracy and stock flow discipline
• Optimise territory coverage and rep productivity
• Build performance culture across regions

4. Trade Marketing & Brand Commercialisation

• Align marketing spend with revenue outcomes
• Approve promotional calendar and incentive programmes
• Drive activation excellence in key retail environments
• Ensure commercial ROI tracking on campaigns
• Own commercial budget and forecasting process
• Improve working capital cycles
• Monitor debtor days and credit exposure
• Partner with finance on margin and cost controls
• Align operations with commercial demand planning
• Build scalable commercial organisation
• Recruit and develop high-performance leaders
• Implement KPI dashboards and reporting discipline
• Establish clear accountability across teams

Key KPIs

• Revenue growth % (domestic & export)
• Gross margin % improvement
• EBITDA contribution
• Key account retention and expansion
• New market entries per year
• Forecast accuracy

Required Experience

• 5+ years in FMCG or regulated consumer categories
• Proven experience leading national sales teams
• Strong key account negotiation experience
• Experience scaling multi-category portfolios
• Financial literacy (margin modelling, forecasting, budgeting)

Preferred Attributes

• Strategic thinker with execution focus
• High commercial IQ
• Comfortable in high-growth environments
• Strong negotiation and influence capability