SUMMARY :
POSITION INFO :
Purpose of the Role :
We are seeking a highly driven and commercially astute Senior Commercial Manager to take full ownership of the South African market unit’s Profit and Loss (P&L), customer relationships, and go-to-market strategy. The successful candidate will lead key strategic initiatives, drive revenue growth, and ensure operational alignment across functions to meet local market needs and long-term objectives.
This is a senior-level role, ideal for a strategic leader with at least 8–12 years of experience in commercial, sales, or business unit management — preferably within the FMCG, agriculture, or related sectors.
Key Responsibilities :
P&L Ownership & Business Growth
- Manage the full South African P&L, ensuring revenue growth, cost optimisation, and margin improvement.
- Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and collaborate with relevant departments.
- Monitor performance against KPIs and take corrective action as needed.
Strategic Commercial Leadership
- Define and implement the commercial strategy for the South African market.
- Align product portfolio direction with broader business goals.
- Conduct ongoing market, customer, and competitor analysis to identify growth opportunities.
- Lead annual planning and joint business planning with key accounts.
Customer & Stakeholder Engagement
- Own strategic customer relationships across key retail and wholesale partners.
- Champion customer excellence through service delivery, responsiveness, and tailored solutions.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment to customer expectations.
Operational Excellence & Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Operations, Procurement, Finance, and other departments to drive process improvement.
- Identify and mitigate commercial and operational risks.
- Ensure local compliance with group standards, safety, and operational processes.
Team Leadership & Development
- Provide leadership and mentorship to a cross-functional local team.
- Set and review team OKRs aligned with strategic goals.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high performance.
Required Experience :
- 8–12+ years of relevant experience in senior commercial, sales, or business unit management roles.
- Strong track record of P&L management and delivering revenue and growth targets.
- Proven experience in FMCG, agriculture, or related sectors.
- Demonstrated success in key account management, business planning, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Experience working in fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environments.
Qualifications :
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
- Postgraduate qualification (e.g., MBA or similar) is an advantage.
Key Competencies :
- Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen.
- Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
- Analytical and financially literate, with strong decision-making ability.
- Able to lead and influence cross-functional teams.
- High adaptability and resilience in a dynamic market environment.
- Fluent in English (written and spoken).