Commercial Manager

Pay

R 1 200 000 – R 1 600 000 per year

Type

Permanent

Experience

5–10 years

Level

Management

Sector

Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing

Closes

in 30 days

Recruiter

Fourier Recruitment · All jobs at Fourier Recruitment

About the role

To optimise tthe company's net farmgate income through the management of an integrated fruit export marketing, logistics, administration and customer relationship strategy. The role is further responsible for designing, leading and improving the marketing and export logistics team operating model to ensure clear ownership, accurate financial and export data, reliable team communication, efficient workflows and measurable execution discipline across the full customer-order-to-commercial-reporting cycle. The role reports to the CEO and is responsible for ensuring that commercial planning, customer relationships, logistics execution and market decisions are aligned to company strategic financial and operational objectives.

Fruit Marketing Management

• Responsible for the operational management of citrus export marketing strategy across two packhouses and 2m+ export cartons, with the objective to optimise returns, mitigate market risk and ensure long-term sustainable customer relationships and service delivery.
• Crop estimates: Preparing and continuously reviewing seasonal and weekly crop estimates in terms of volume, sizing and quality, and synchronising these estimates with the harvesting operation for the purpose of stock management, sales order planning and supply programme execution.
• Seasonal Fruit Marketing Plan: Developing a pre-season fruit marketing plan based on crop estimates, market opportunities, customer programmes and commercial risk considerations to ensure optimal and sustainable returns, market risk mitigation and long-term customer relationship management.
• Weekly Fruit Marketing Plan: Developing and managing the weekly fruit marketing plan and packing instructions for execution by the Packhouses, using the pre-season plan, client orders and programmes, weekly crop estimates, harvesting alignment and market analysis to plan, negotiate and execute weekly sales order commitments, while ensuring optimal financial returns and accurate customer service.
• Market Analysis: Continuous monitoring and analysis of key market data from both a supply and demand perspective to enhance decision quality in relation to seasonal programmes, weekly sales orders, pricing decisions, market allocation and risk mitigation.

Logistics and Freight Forwarding Management

• Responsible for the operational management of outbound export logistics strategy through key specialist service providers, including packhouse to port transport, cold store operations, freight forwarding and shipping, to ensure sufficient capacity, service reliability, cost efficiency and protection of fruit arrival quality in market.
• Packhouse to Port Logistics: Developing and managing the packhouse to port logistics strategy and related rail and road transport service providers, considering sufficient capacity, operational reliability, cost efficiency, cold chain discipline and arrival quality outcomes.
• Port and Landside Logistics: Developing and managing the port, landside and cold store logistics strategy and related service providers, considering operational reliability, cost efficiency, capacity availability, documentation flow and arrival quality outcomes.
• Shipping Logistics: Developing and managing the shipping logistics strategy and related service providers, taking into account vessel availability, transit time, routing, operational reliability, cost efficiency and arrival quality outcomes.
• Freight Forwarding: Managing the relationship, performance and service delivery standards of freight forwarding and logistics support service providers to ensure accurate documentation, shipment coordination and export execution.
• Forecast Management: Providing regular and reliable logistical volume forecasts to service providers and internal stakeholders to ensure capacity availability, operational efficiency and alignment between packing, logistics and customer commitments.

Customer Relationship, Account and Brand Management

• Existing Customers: Responsible for the daily relationship and account management of existing clients, including supply planning, programme negotiation, pricing and commercial term review, claims settlement, visits, seasonal performance review and long-term relationship development.
• Prospective Customers: Evaluating the introduction of potential new clients against fruit marketing strategic objectives, including customer fit, market opportunity, payment behaviour, profitability, risk exposure and long-term strategic value.
• Brand Management: Ensuring that company and export carton brands are managed professionally and consistently in terms of delivering on the company’s reputation for quality and service excellence.

People, Process and Systems Management

• People: Daily management, evaluation and development of the internal team responsible for commercial administration, logistics coordination and programme management.
• Process: Managing all planning, coordination, execution and control processes required for the efficient, accurate and sustainable execution of fruit marketing plan.
• Systems: Managing the operational, administrative and financial systems required for accurate supply planning, customer service, logistics execution, reporting and commercial control.
• Continuous Improvement: Identifying and implementing process, reporting and system improvements that strengthen commercial decision-making, execution accuracy, customer service and scalability.
• Team Operating Model: Establishing and maintaining the marketing and export logistics team success map, including clear role ownership, workflow handovers, meeting rhythm, escalation practices, performance dashboards and continuous improvement actions.

What they're looking for

Suitable financial, commercial, logistics, agricultural economics or business management tertiary qualification at NQF level 7.

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in commercial management, fruit export marketing, logistics, customer account management or a related capacity.
• Experience in citrus export marketing, fruit logistics, customer programme management or agricultural exports will be advantageous.
• Must be able to work remotely, after hours and over weekends when operationally required, especially during peak export season.
• Must be available for local and international travel, including customer visits, market visits, logistics/service provider engagements and industry-related travel.
• Must maintain a high level of confidentiality and professional discretion due to access to sensitive pricing, customer, market, logistics and strategic business information.

More agriculture jobs · More jobs in Limpopo · All jobs at Fourier Recruitment