Exports Manager

Ferrero International S.A.; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 000 000; Full time

Job summary

An international confectionery company is seeking an Export Manager to lead international sales growth in African markets. This senior role involves managing relationships with key retail and distribution clients, developing strategic export plans, and ensuring compliance with regulations. Candidates should possess significant experience in export management within the FMCG sector, with a focus on confectionery products. Strong negotiation skills, financial acumen, and a bachelor's degree are required. Extensive travel across Africa is expected.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years in export management within the FMCG or food manufacturing.
• Experience with confectionery or similar perishable goods.
• Ability to handle high-pressure environments.

Responsibilities

• Drive international sales growth for confectionery products.
• Manage and grow relationships with retail and distribution clients.
• Develop and execute export strategies across African markets.

Skills

Strong export experience

Market Knowledge: Modern traditional/Impulse Channel

Financial acumen, P&L

Strong understanding of logistics

Strong Negotiation/selling Skills

Ability to work autonomously

Strong commercial acumen

Fluency in English

Proficiency in market analysis tools and CRM systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business or related

Post graduate qualification (advantageous)

Job description

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The Export Manager is a senior-level role responsible for driving international sales growth for confectionery products such as chocolates, sweets, and related items in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. This position involves developing and executing export strategies across African markets, managing distributor relationships, ensuring regulatory compliance, and identifying expansion opportunities to increase revenue and market share. The role requires a deep understanding of African trade dynamics, including challenging economic conditions, logistics complexities, and cultural nuances in Emphasis is placed on sustainable growth while navigating import/export regulations, tariffs, and food safety standards specific to confectionery.

Main Responsibilities:

This role is responsible for managing and growing relationships with major retail, wholesale, and distribution clients for confectionery products in the FMCG sector across African markets. This role emphasizes strategic account planning, sales growth, negotiation of trade terms, and leveraging customer insights to drive category performance. In the African context, it involves navigating diverse retail landscapes, from modern trade chains to informal markets, while focusing on sustainable partnerships and adapting to economic variability in countries like Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola, , Mozambique, Zambia, and Malawi) to be succesfful in the role the encumbant should ensure the growth of Ferrero products developing sales, distribution channel and visibility in the reference market implement goals, sales strategies, channels and customer plans for the area managed prepare Sales Forecast, budgets and objectives for the various reference markets and identify opportunities and threats in the markets through ad –hoc analytical work relating to Route to Market, distribution, pricing etc with emphasis on the below:

• Negotiations
• Field Management
• Planning and Control
• Marketing and Trade Marketing
• Sales strategy
• Budget, forecast, and sales objectives management
• Customer plans and sales development
• Planning and control

About You:

• Strong export experience in SADC countries
• Market Knowledge: Modern traditional/Impulse Channel, and experience working with Distributors
• Financial acumen, P&L, Value chain, promotional management
• Strong understanding in logistics
• Strong Negotiation /selling Skills
• Ability to work autonomously and independently
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, International Trade, Marketing, or a related field; a post graduate qualification in the above mentioned is advantageous
• Skills: Strong commercial acumen, negotiation, communication, and leadership abilities; proficiency in market analysis tools and CRM systems; fluency in English, Portuguese would be advantageous
• Other: Willingness to travel extensively (up to 50% of time) across Africa; ability to handle high-pressure environments with persistence and grit; knowledge of African market regulations, logistics, and cultural sensitivities
• Experience: 7-10 years in export management within the FMCG or food manufacturing industry, with specific exposure to confectionery, bakery, or similar perishable goods; proven track record in managing multi-region exports, particularly in Africa
• Careers with caring built in - discover our benefits

About Ferrero:

Ferrero began its journey in the small town of Alba in Piedmont, Italy, in 1946. Today, it is one of the world’s largest sweet-packaged food companies, with many iconic brands sold in countries all over the world. Find out more about Ferrero at ferrero.com.

DE&I at Ferrero:

Ferrero is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at Ferrero. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative, and highly rewarding.
Find out more here.