Head of Commercial - Volvo Car South Africa

Volvo Cars; Irene; On-site; ZAR 500,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading automotive company is seeking a visionary leader for the Commercial Operations role in South Africa. The ideal candidate will have senior leadership experience in sales, exceptional communication skills, and a strategic mindset. Responsibilities include optimizing sales channels and guiding a diverse team to meet commercial objectives. Join us in shaping a sustainable future in the automotive world.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership and effective communication skills.
• Extensive analytical and problem-solving skills.
• High level of commercial awareness and strategic mindset.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Commercial Operations team to deliver VCSA objectives.
• Optimize sales channels: retail, corporate, fleet, and internal.
• Maintain relationships with retailer partners.

Skills

Senior leadership experience

Effective communication

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Stakeholder management

Job description

Great teams deserve great leaders
Are you a leader who inspires excellence and values the strength found in diverse perspectives? At Volvo Cars, we believe that inclusive leadership is key to driving innovation and progress. We are seeking a visionary leader who can empower our teams, remove obstacles and foster an environment where talent thrives.

Join us in guiding our people as they shape a safer, more personal and more sustainable future in the automotive world.

What you'll do

Reporting directly to the Managing Director (MD), you will work closely with the rest of the management team to deliver the overall Volvo Car South Africa (VCSA) commercial plan. In a high-paced environment you will be responsible for leading a team with a diverse range of responsibilities including Planning, ordering and distribution (POD), parts and accessory sales and new and used car sales. You will bring these disciplines together to achieve volume and profitability targets. You will develop strategies to maximize our sales funnel conversion rates in both the acquisition & retention channels. Crucially the role requires you to quickly develop and maintain positive relationships with our retail partners. As well as the commercial deliverables, you will be responsible for nurturing and coaching the Commercial Operations team and building positive relationships with key stakeholders in Volvo Cars central.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leadership of the Commercial Operations team in order to deliver all VCSA commercial objectives.
• Optimization of all sales channels including retail, corporate, fleet and internal business.
• Main point of contact between VCSA and our commercial operations colleagues within Volvo Car Europe.
• Oversight of all Product & Pricing strategies across both car and parts businesses.
• Development of both short and long range sales plans, with the aim of optimizing volume and margin growth.
• Maintain a close working relationship with our retailer partners/investors.
• Maintain a motivated and engaged team, by supporting their continuous development.
• Work closely with the VCSA management team to develop and deliver the annual business plan and budget.

What you'll bring

We are looking for you with senior leadership experience in a Head of Sales role or similar and ideally possess a record of success within the automotive industry. Proven leadership and effective communication skills are essential, and you should possess extensive analytical and problem-solving skills.

You are also:

• Able to thrive in a time-sensitive setting and display a resilient and positive outlook in what can be a pressurized environment.
• A purpose oriented leader with a clear desire to deliver market leading solutions.
• Able to demonstrate evidence of developing relationships with key clients.
• Having an understanding of management principles and techniques.
• Having a high level of commercial awareness and a strategic mindset.

We are in search of a creative individual with a genuine commitment to continuous improvement, coupled with effective communication and collaboration skills. If you thrive in a team environment, have situational adaptability in an environment with shifting demands, and possess good stakeholder management skills, you\'re exactly who we\'re looking for.

To excel in this role, a proactive and results-oriented approach is essential. You\'ll have advanced analytical and problem-solving skills. Join our team and be a key contributor to our success!

Location

This position is based in South Africa (On-Site in Pretoria)

Volvo Cars. For Life.
For nearly a century, Volvo Cars has empowered people to move freely in a personal, sustainable and safe way. Today, we are driving bold advancements in electrification, sustainability and automotive safety. To realise our ambitious vision, we are seeking innovative minds who are ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow – today.

In our company, we believe extraordinary things are achieved by ordinary people with the drive to make a difference.

Ready to take the next step?
Submit your CV in English and tell us why you’re the ideal candidate for a new role at Volvo Cars. Applications must be received no later than 10 October 2025. We are prioritising direct applications to ensure a fair and efficient application process.

For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Recruiter Pedram Yousefi at [e-mail].

Welcome with your application!