Strategic Fruit Procurement Leader

EnableSA Recruitment; Pietermaritzburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

EnableSA Recruitment is seeking a seasoned Procurement Lead for the fruit industry in Pietermaritzburg. The role focuses on developing a national procurement programme, managing growers and packhouses, and negotiating commercial terms to ensure year-round supply.

The ideal candidate brings 5+ years in fresh produce procurement, strong supplier relationships, and expertise in forecasting and supply chain optimisation within South Africa's fruit sectors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or National Diploma in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Logistics, Business Management, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in fresh produce procurement, sourcing, fruit trading, agricultural supply chain management, or related commercial role.
• Minimum 5 years' experience managing grower, packhouse and supplier relationships within the fruit industry.
• Proven experience negotiating commercial agreements, pricing structures, supply programmes and procurement contracts.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a 12-month national procurement programme aligned with forecast sales demand.
• Map fruit supply by region, grower, packhouse, variety and season, and proactively identify future supply gaps.
• Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with strategic growers and packhouses.
• Develop a detailed understanding of expected crops, harvest timing, varieties, sizes, quality and market conditions.
• Identify and develop new growers, packhouses and supply regions.
• Lead commercial negotiations relating to fruit pricing, volumes, supply programmes, packing and procurement terms.
• Manage the transition between South Africa's different growing regions and develop appropriate import programmes.
• Build a diversified supplier base that reduces reliance on individual growers, packhouses or production regions.
• Monitor supplier performance across quality, reliability, pricing and volume commitments.
• Maintain an understanding of crop forecasts, pricing, export-market dynamics and wider fruit industry trends.
• Lead the procurement team and ensure coordination between Procurement, Operations, Finance, Quality and regional facilities.

Skills

Procurement

Sourcing

Negotiation

Relationship management

Forecasting

Team leadership

Willing to travel

Education

Bachelor's Degree or National Diploma in Agriculture or related field

Job description

EnableSA Recruitment is seeking a seasoned Procurement Lead for the fruit industry in Pietermaritzburg. The role focuses on developing a national procurement programme, managing growers and packhouses, and negotiating commercial terms to ensure year-round supply.

The ideal candidate brings 5+ years in fresh produce procurement, strong supplier relationships, and expertise in forecasting and supply chain optimisation within South Africa's fruit sectors.