Commercial Manager – Food Ingredients

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

About the Opportunity

An established and entrepreneurial trading group is expanding into the Food Ingredients space and is seeking a commercially driven individual to build and lead this new division.

The business already operates a successful import and distribution model within the agricultural and feed additives sector, with established supplier relationships, infrastructure, and a national client base. This new division will leverage those capabilities to unlock growth in food ingredients.

This is a build-and-own opportunity with strong financial backing and significant profit share upside.

Role Purpose

To establish, grow and lead a profitable Food Ingredients trading division, taking full responsibility for commercial strategy, supplier sourcing, customer development, and overall financial performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the commercial strategy for the Food Ingredients division.

• Identify and prioritise key product categories such as starches, sweeteners, proteins, emulsifiers, stabilisers and functional ingredients.

• Establish and manage international supplier relationships and negotiate commercial agreements.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with procurement and technical teams at food manufacturers.

• Leverage existing group infrastructure including import, logistics, finance and compliance.

• Drive a hybrid trading model combining contracted volume and opportunistic spot trading.

• Set and manage pricing strategies, margins and commercial terms.

• Manage working capital, stock exposure, and commercial risk.

• Establish systems, processes and controls required to run the division effectively.

• Recruit and lead a lean commercial and operational team over time.

• Take full accountability for the financial performance of the division.

Requirements

• Minimum 8–10 years’ experience within food ingredients or additives trading or distribution.

• Proven experience in importing, sourcing or trading within an ingredient or related environment.

• Demonstrated exposure to full financial accountability, including revenue, margin and cost control.

• Strong network within the South African food manufacturing sector.

• Experience negotiating supply agreements and managing supplier relationships.

• Solid understanding of pricing structures, margin management and commercial risk.

• Knowledge of logistics, shipping processes and international trade dynamics.

Key Attributes

• Entrepreneurial mindset with a strong commercial drive.

• Ability to build and grow a business from the ground up.

• Financially astute and margin-focused.

• Strong relationship-building ability at a senior level.

• Independent decision-maker who thrives in a performance-driven environment.

• Comfortable operating in a lean, fast-moving environment.

Remuneration

• Competitive basic salary.

• Pre-tax profit share linked to division performance.

• Significant upside potential aligned to growth and profitability.