Product Portfolio Manager – Vegetables

Agri Technovation (Pty) Ltd; Wellington; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Agri Technovation (Pty) Ltd in Wellington, South Africa, seeks a Product Portfolio Manager: Vegetables to bridge R&D and commercial delivery, turning concepts into market-ready solutions and supporting sales and wholesale channels.

You will manage lifecycle, coordinate with R&D, supply chain, and field teams, craft technical literature, and drive product positioning to maximise value across markets.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in agronomic product development, technical sales support, or product management.
• Solid understanding of the agriculture industry, crop production systems, and biological product performance dynamics.
• Experience interfacing with R&D and commercial teams.
• Strong project management and coordination skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and support the full lifecycle of AT products from R&D handover to market launch and portfolio rationalisation.
• Maintain the commercial product portfolio database with specifications, regulatory status, and market performance.
• Drive product positioning strategies including agronomic value and application guidelines.
• Assist wholesale teams with product kits, sales guides, and training sessions.
• Address wholesale queries, technical complaints, and information requests.
• Coordinate with supply chain to ensure product availability aligns with forecasting.
• Develop commercialisation strategies and training materials for sales teams.
• Provide support on product performance data, trial results, and mode of action.
• Gather field feedback with regional sales managers and agronomists for improvements.
• Act as liaison between R&D and commercial operations to align development with market needs.
• Participate in R&D meetings, track progress and timelines.
• Coordinate product training across sales teams and prepare product literature and data sheets.

Skills

Technical writing

Communication

Organised

Project management

Interpersonal skills

Education

Degree in Agriculture/Plant Sciences/Agronomy

Postgraduate qualification (advantage)

Job description

Purpose of the Role:

The Product Portfolio Manager: Vegetables plays a critical role in bridging innovation and commercial delivery. This individual ensures that product concepts from R&D are successfully developed into market-ready solutions and supports their effective commercialisation through the in-field sales teams and wholesale channels. The role requires strong technical acumen, project coordination ability, and commercial insight to manage the product portfolio lifecycle from research to market.

Main Responsibilities:

Product Portfolio Management

• Coordinate and support the full lifecycle of AT products – from R&D handover to market launch, commercial support, and portfolio rationalisation.
• Maintain and update the commercial product portfolio database, including product specifications, regulatory status, and market performance.
• Drive product positioning strategies, including unique selling points, agronomic value, and application guidelines.

Wholesale Channel Support

• Assist the crop specific commercial team in developing wholesale partner product kits, sales guides, application protocols, and training sessions.
• Monitor and address product queries, technical complaints, and information requests from wholesale clients.
• Collaborate with supply chain and production to ensure product availability aligns with wholesale forecasting and market demands.

Technical & Commercial Support

• Work closely with the Commercial Head of Product and Services: Vegetables to develop commercialisation strategies, product training materials, and support tools for sales teams.
• Support the commercial teams in providing support on product performance, trial data, mode of action, and compatibility.
• Liaise with regional sales managers and agronomists to gather feedback from the field and identify improvement opportunities or market needs.

R&D Interface

• Act as the link between R&D and commercial operations, ensuring product development is aligned with market requirements and business goals.
• Participate in R&D project meetings, tracking product development status, trial results, and timelines for product release.

Training & Communication

• Coordinate product training across sales teams, including agronomic, application, and value proposition aspects.
• Develop clear, technically sound product literature, presentations, and data sheets.

Skills and Capabilities

• Strong technical writing and communication skills.
• Ability to translate technical data into commercial value.
• Organised, detail-oriented, and proactive.
• Able to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Collaborative with excellent interpersonal skills.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Degree in Agriculture, Plant Sciences, Agronomy, or related field. A postgraduate qualification is an advantage.

Experience

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in agronomic product development, technical sales support, or product management – preferably in biostimulants, crop inputs, or plant nutrition.
• Solid understanding of the agriculture industry, crop production systems, and biological product performance dynamics.
• Experience interfacing with R&D and commercial teams.
• Strong project management and coordination skills.