Head of Fresh Produce Trading & Growth

Nile Fresh (Pty) Ltd; Centurion; On-site; ZAR 2,000,000 - 4,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Nile.ag in South Africa seeks a Head of Trading to lead the Fresh Produce division's commercial strategy, drive profitability, and build a high-performing team with strong customer relationships.

You will oversee end-to-end trading, work with product and operations to scale the platform, manage risk, and deliver growth through scalable processes and data-driven decision making across buyers and farmers.

Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years in commercial, sales or trading roles, with at least 5 in senior leadership.
• Leadership: Proven track record leading managers and multi-layered teams.
• Commercial: Full P&L ownership; strong command of gross profit, pricing, working capital and credit risk.
• Relationships: Credibility with senior buyers, commercial farmers and executive stakeholders.
• Data and tools: Runs the business from data and dashboards; quick to adopt new tools, including AI.
• Education: Relevant tertiary qualification preferred.
• Mobility: Willing to travel regularly.

Responsibilities

• Commercial Leadership & Strategy: Full accountability for commercial performance including sales, GP %, working capital discipline, claims management, and bad debt exposure.
• Develop and implement strategies to secure adequate supply and drive demand growth, specifically focusing on acquiring new customers, deepening engagement, and leading large-volume transactions.
• Oversight of the export commercial strategy, performance, and customer relationships.
• Identify and test new commercial initiatives, pricing approaches, routes to market, and customer propositions to unlock growth and improve marketplace efficiency.
• Contribute to Nile’s broader commercial and organisational strategy as part of the senior leadership group.
• Customer & Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with buyers and farmers; handle complex customer situations; represent Nile at events.
• Team Leadership & Performance: Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing commercial team; set KPIs; drive recruitment; foster a performance-driven culture.
• Operational Excellence & Scale: Drive efficiency, improve processes, partner with product/engineering to prioritize technology improvements.

Skills

Experience in commercial roles

Senior leadership

P&L ownership

Relationship management

Data-driven decision making

Travel willingness

Education

Relevant tertiary qualification preferred

Tools

AI

Job description

Nile.ag in South Africa seeks a Head of Trading to lead the Fresh Produce division's commercial strategy, drive profitability, and build a high-performing team with strong customer relationships.

You will oversee end-to-end trading, work with product and operations to scale the platform, manage risk, and deliver growth through scalable processes and data-driven decision making across buyers and farmers.