Commercial / Sales Manager

Mayfly Agri; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Mayfly Agri, based in Gauteng, South Africa, seeks a seasoned sales leader to drive commercial growth within the chemical sector. The role involves managing a small sales team, expanding the customer base, and delivering profitable revenue growth across existing accounts and new opportunities.

The successful candidate will have extensive experience in chemicals, a track record of meeting margins, strong negotiation skills, and the ability to lead by example in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• National Senior Certificate required. Coschem Diploma or equivalent advantageous.
• 10 years' sales and commercial experience in chemical environment; experience in Homecare/Personal Care/Cosmetic industry preferred.
• Proven track record of achieving sales and gross margin targets.
• Experience managing key accounts, negotiating commercial agreements and developing new business.
• Management and leadership experience would be highly advantageous.
• Good communication skills in English (verbal and written).
• Willingness to be on the road and handle sales as well as learn management responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage own customer base and a small sales team.
• Lead by example to drive a high-performance, commercially focused sales culture.
• Develop and execute commercial and sales strategies aligned with company objectives and growth targets.
• Drive profitable growth across existing customers, target markets and new opportunities.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key customers, decision-makers and strategic accounts.
• Manage the sales pipeline and ensure a steady flow of new opportunities.
• Take ownership of sales volumes, revenue, pricing and gross margins within budgets.
• Lead commercial negotiations and pricing reviews while monitoring market trends.
• Identify opportunities for new products, applications, market segments and cross-selling.
• Develop and manage annual sales budgets and contribute to broader planning.
• Monitor customer volume off-take and take corrective action as needed.
• Collaborate with Finance and Operations to ensure product availability and delivery performance.
• Provide regular sales, pipeline, market and competitor reports to senior management.
• Call on new customers and nurture existing ones to ensure satisfaction and retention.

Skills

Sales leadership

Key account management

Negotiation

Strategic selling

Customer relationship management

On-the-road selling

Education

Coschem Diploma

National Senior Certificate

Job description

Minimum requirements for the role:

• Must have National Senior Certificate; A Coschem Diploma and/or equivalent is highly advantageous
• Minimum 10 years' sales and commercial experience within the chemical environment; preferably within the Homecare, Personal Care and/or the Cosmetic Industry
• Demonstrated track record of achieving sales and gross margin targets
• Demonstrated experience in managing key accounts, negotiating commercial agreements and developing new business
• Previous management and leadership experience would be highly advantageous
• Good communication skills in English (verbal and written)
• Must be willing to be on the road and do sales as well as learn the management side

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Managing own customer base and a small sales team.
• Leading by example and contributing to a high-performance, commercially focused sales culture.
• Developing and executing commercial and sales strategies aligned with company objectives and growth targets.
• Driving profitable growth across existing customer accounts, target markets and new business opportunities.
• Developing and maintaining strong relationships with key customers, decision-makers and strategic accounts.
• Managing the sales pipeline and ensuring a consistent flow of new opportunities.
• Taking ownership of sales volumes, revenue, pricing and gross margins in line with approved budgets.
• Managing the monthly pricing cycle/process.
• Leading commercial negotiations and pricing reviews while monitoring market trends, competitor activity, customer requirements and industry developments, and providing actionable commercial insight to management.
• Identifying opportunities for new products, applications, market segments and cross-selling.
• Developing and managing annual sales budgets and contributing to broader business planning.
• Monitoring customer volume off-take and taking corrective action where required.
• Managing customer service issues proactively, ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction and retention.
• Working closely with Finance/Debtors to manage credit exposure and ensure customers adhere to agreed payment terms.
• Collaborating with Operations and Supply Chain to ensure product availability, delivery performance and effective resolution of any back orders.
• Ensuring appropriate follow-up on customer requirements, quotations, samples, trials and new product introductions.
• Ensuring compliance with company policies, the Quality Management System and relevant industry requirements.
• Providing regular sales, pipeline, market and competitor reports to the Commercial Director / Managing Director.
• Calling on new customers.
• Maintaining existing customers and ensuring customer satisfaction.