Commercial Manager

SUMMARY:

POSITION INFO:
Seeking a commercially astute individual with strong financial acumen, sound risk management skills, and a resilient, driven character. Experience across the African, Indian Ocean Island, and Middle East markets will be highly advantageous.

Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of Business Development Managers to deliver revenue, margin, and profit targets aligned to key business budgets.
• Ensure pricing discipline, profitable deal structuring, and debtor control, supported by monthly performance reviews and corrective actions.
• Oversee commercial governance including contracts, rebates, approvals, and risk identification to protect revenue and margins.
• Partner with Finance on budgeting, forecasting, and cost management, including participation in quarterly review cycles.
• Escalate key risks with clear mitigation plans and financial impact assessments.
• Act as the primary link between the BDM team and senior leadership, providing clear reporting on performance, trends, and risks.
• Use data and performance insights to drive decision-making and improve team output.
• Lead training, coaching, and capability development to strengthen commercial and sales effectiveness.
• Drive a high-performance culture through structured performance management and continuous improvement.
• Improve operational efficiency by streamlining processes, leveraging tools, and enhancing overall team productivity.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Commerce, or a related field.
• Minimum 6+ years’ experience in a Commercial Manager role within the FMCG sector.
• Proven experience in export trading across ocean and air freight, preferably within African, Middle East, and Indian Ocean Island markets.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, including travel cycles twice per quarter.
• Experience managing multiple brands or product portfolios simultaneously.
• Strong experience in analytics, reporting, and data interpretation using QlikView and Qlik Sense.
• Proficiency in French, Portuguese, or Spanish will be advantageous but is not essential.
• Valid driver’s licence and passport.
• Strong computer literacy, including MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and file management within Windows environments.