General Manager

Eaton Corporation; Kempton Park; Hybrid; ZAR 2,000,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and benefits

Flexible working solutions

Internal promotion opportunities

Learning via Eaton University

Wellbeing and safety initiatives

Job summary

Eaton Corporation invites applications for a General Manager to lead its Electrical business in South Africa. The role provides overall strategic, commercial and operational leadership for the SA business, with accountability for the P&L and achievement of growth, profitability, margin and market share targets.

Lead the country organization across Sales, Services and support functions, building a high-performing team and driving transformation to position the SA business for sustainable future

Qualifications

• 15 years of progressive business and commercial experience, with 7+ years in sales and leadership roles.
• Solid background in the Data Centre and Buildings/Construction segments, with complex, project-led environments.
• Strong understanding of the SA electrical market, customers, channels, competitors and dynamics.
• Working knowledge of CRM/Salesforce, pipeline governance, forecasting, and commercial analytics.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the South Africa growth strategy to drive profitable growth and market share.
• Own the SA P&L and deliver sales, profitability, margin and operational targets.
• Lead strategic customer relationships and drive major negotiations and new opportunities.
• Develop a high-performing organization with collaboration, accountability and talent growth.
• Drive digital adoption, organizational change and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate across Eaton's matrix organization with governance and stakeholder engagement.

Skills

Enterprise Leadership

Strategic Vision

Executive Influence

People Leadership

Business Acumen

Communication

Stakeholder Engagement

Education

Master's degree in Business or Engineering

MBA (advantage)

Tools

CRM/Salesforce

Job description

Unlock Your Potential at Eaton: Where Diversity Drives Innovation. No matter where you come from, your aspirations matter to us. We believe in the power of different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to ignite innovation and drive success. We're in the business of empowering people, and that includes you. Your journey here is not just about a job; it's about a shared vision for a brighter, more sustainable future.

We are seeking a General Manager to lead our Electrical business in South Africa.

The General Manager - South Africa provides overall strategic, commercial and operational leadership for Eaton's Electrical business in South Africa.

The role is accountable for the South Africa P&L and for achieving agreed business targets for sales growth, profitability, margin, cost and market share. The General Manager develops and executes the country strategy in alignment with Eaton Electrical, Emerging Markets and EMEA priorities, translating market data, customer needs, competitive dynamics and regulatory developments into clear strategic and operational plans.

The General Manager leads the country organization through Eaton's matrix environment, ensuring effective collaboration across Sales, Services and associated support functions. The role builds strong customer and market relationships, strengthens organizational and commercial capability, develops a high-performing leadership team and drives the transformation required to position the South Africa business for sustainable future growth.

The role requires a leader who can balance profitable growth with price pressure and changing market conditions; lead through continuous change and ambiguity; leverage digital, AI and commercial insights; and create an operating culture characterized by accountability, customer focus, collaboration and execution excellence.

What the role entails:

• Sales Strategy: Define and execute the South Africa growth strategy, leveraging market insights to drive profitable growth and market share.
• Sales & business Operations: Own the South Africa P&L and deliver sales, profitability, margin, and operational performance targets.
• Business Development & Customer Leadership: Build strategic customer relationships, lead key negotiations, and drive new business opportunities.
• Leadership & Organizational Capability: Lead and develop a high-performing organization, fostering collaboration, accountability, and talent growth.
• Transformation & Future Readiness: Drive digital adoption, organizational change, and continuous improvement to strengthen business performance.
• Enterprise, Governance & Stakeholder Leadership: Collaborate across Eaton's matrix organization while ensuring strong governance, compliance, and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications:

• Master's university degree, preferably in Business or Engineering. MBA will be an added advantage.
• 15 years of progressive business and commercial experience, with a minimum of 7 years' experience in sales and leadership roles and a proven track record of achieving business success as a commercial sales leader.
• A solid background in the Data Centre and Buildings and construction segments, with demonstrated success in complex, project - led environments is preferred.
• Solid experience in the electrical industry or sector.
• Strong understanding of the South African electrical market, customer segments, channels, competitors and market dynamics. Sound knowledge of P&L management, financial planning, forecasting, pricing, margin and commercial risk.
• Strong understanding of value-based selling, strategic account planning, opportunity management, negotiation and channel/project-based selling. Ability to understand customer buying processes and articulate differentiated business and technical value propositions. Working knowledge of CRM/Salesforce, pipeline governance, commercial analytics and forecasting. Ability to use commercial insights, data, market intelligence and AI-enabled tools to strengthen decision-making and sales effectiveness.

Skills:

• Enterprise Leadership & Strategic Vision
• Executive Influence & Collaboration
• People Leadership & Change Management
• Business Acumen & Operational Excellence
• Communication & Stakeholder Engagement
• Customer & Market Focus

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation and benefits package
• Challenging projects in dynamic collaborative team
• Flexible working solutions (remote, flexible working hours, compressed week, part time etc.)
• We make your aspirations matter – Eaton encourages internal promotion, whenever possible
• We make your growth matter - We invest in our employees for the long term – not just with salary and benefits, but with ongoing learning and development opportunities made available through Eaton University
• We make your contributions matter - reliability, safety, efficiency, and sustainability are at the core of our dedication to improving people’s lives and the environment through power management technologies
• We make your wellbeing matter – We put your health and safety first. Wellness at Eaton is more than a program, it’s about changing the environment by offering the right tools to help empower employees to make that happen

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for job applicants and employees. Our recruitment processes use balanced selection criteria and avoid unlawful discrimination against applicants on the basis of their age, colour, disability, marital status, national origin, gender, gender identity, genetic information, race or racial origin, religion, sexual orientation or any other status protected or required by law.