Job Description

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 financial planning in collaboration with Finance
• 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 HR 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 performance

Required Experience:

• 8-12+ years of relevant experience in a senior commercial, sales, or business unit management role
• Strong track record of P&L management and delivering against 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) will be 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)

Skills Required