Sales Manager - Shipping

Resourgenix (Pty) Ltd; Durban; On-site; ZAR 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading logistics firm is seeking a Sales Manager for the Durban location, responsible for leading the sales function and driving profitable growth across various trade lanes. The role includes managing customer relationships, leading negotiations, and developing the sales team to meet performance standards. Ideal candidates should possess a track record in sales leadership and commercial shipping logistics, with at least 10 years of experience. This full-time position emphasizes strategic thinking and maintaining strong customer engagement.

Qualifications

• Matric plus minimum 10 years senior-level commercial shipping or logistics experience.
• Proven track record in sales leadership and business development.
• Strong knowledge of Africa and Far East trade lanes preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Durban branch sales plan.
• Lead customer negotiations and support sales executives.
• Ensure retention of existing business through relationship management.

Skills

Sales Leadership

Relationship Management

Negotiation Skills

Commercial Acumen

Education

Relevant tertiary qualification in Sales, Marketing, Logistics or Commerce

Tools

CRM Software

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Sales Manager Durham is responsible for leading and developing the Durban-based sales function to deliver profitable volume growth, customer retention, and market share expansion across all South Africa trade lanes and logistics offerings.

The role ensures strong customer engagement, disciplined pipeline management, and alignment with national commercial strategy, while providing leadership, coaching, and performance direction to the branch sales team.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Sales Leadership, Strategy & Growth
• Develop and execute the Durban branch sales plan in alignment with national commercial strategy.
• Drive delivery of volume, revenue, and product‑mix targets across all trade lanes and value‑added services including intermodal.
• Identify, prioritise, and convert new business opportunities into profitable accounts.
• Ensure consistent, disciplined pipeline management, account planning, and opportunity tracking.
• Lead major customer negotiations and support sales executives in structuring commercial proposals.
• Monitor competitor activity, market conditions, and pricing dynamics and share actionable intelligence with national leadership.
• Promote Company’s full product suite including ocean, intermodal, cross‑border TBL, and value‑added services.
• Customer & Key Account Management
• Maintain oversight of key customer relationships within the branch portfolio.
• Support customer‑centric engagement through professional interaction and after‑sales service.
• Ensure retention of existing business through structured relationship management, service recovery, and periodic performance reviews.
• Oversee preparation and submission of quotations, approvals, forecasts, and marketing reports.
• Booking, Allocation & Space Management Support
• Own the national coordination of daily booked tonnage for all services managed through Durban, ensuring space utilisation is maximised.
• Lead on internal reporting on space utilisation, allocation performance and booking trends to assist commercial decision‑making.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Durban sales team to high‑performance standards.
• Set clear objectives, KPIs, and expectations aligned with national goals.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, identify skills gaps, and drive training and development initiatives.
• Foster collaboration with national sales, operations, documentation, finance, and logistics teams to ensure seamless customer delivery.
• Embed a culture of CRM discipline and data‑driven decision‑making across the branch sales team.
• Promote a culture of accountability, professionalism, and strong ethical compliance.
• Marketing & Commercial Execution
• Prepare and present marketing material, performance reviews, and customer presentations.
• Support regional and national campaigns, events, tenders, and brand‑building initiatives.
• Contribute to strategy initiatives aimed at market share and service improvement.
• Operational & Cross‑Functional Collaboration
• Maintain close working relationships with internal departments to ensure service excellence.
• Work closely with the Customer Service department to ensure that customer feedback, concerns and requirements are actioned promptly and effectively, and that insights are shared both ways to continuously improve service delivery.
• Collaborate proactively with the Equipment department to ensure availability of containers to support confirmed and forecasted bookings, and to identify and resolve any potential equipment supply risks in advance.
• Administration & Performance Control
• Track branch sales performance against targets and contribute to national reporting.
• Ensure timely submission of weekly call plans, sales reporting and customer engagement updates.
• Maintain structured filing and documentation for customer activities, quotations and contracts.
• Ensure adherence to Company’s policies, code of conduct, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure CRM data quality standards are maintained at all times and include CRM compliance in performance management reviews.

Core Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Matric plus minimum 10 years senior‑level commercial shipping or logistics experience across trades.
• Proven track record in sales leadership, people management and business development.
• Strong knowledge of Africa and Far East trade lanes preferred.
• Advanced computer literacy including CRM and Microsoft Office.
• Excellent relationship management, communication and negotiation skills.
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of margin, yield and portfolio management.
• Proactive, solutions‑driven leader with resilience and execution discipline.
• Relevant tertiary qualification in Sales, Marketing, Logistics or Commerce advantageous.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with execution capability
• Customer‑centric and performance‑driven
• Strong influencing ability across internal and external stakeholders
• High integrity and professionalism
• Adaptable and resilient in a dynamic market environment

Seniority level

• Associate

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Sales and Management

Industries

• Boilers, Tanks, and Shipping Container Manufacturing, Wholesale Import and Export, and International Trade and Development