Portfolio Manager Herbicides- Southern Africa

SUMMARY:

An established manufacturer of specialised agrochemicals is seeking an experienced Portfolio Manager to oversee the Herbicides, Seed Applied Technology, and Adjuvants portfolio. Responsibilities include new product development, portfolio management, and go-to-market execution. The role also involves identifying market opportunities, supporting launches, developing training and marketing materials, and managing product life cycles. It requires close collaboration with internal teams and external partners to ensure effective communication and alignment across functions and regions.

POSITION INFO:

Minimum requirements for the role:

• Must have a B. Sc. Agric degree, and or Business degree with AVCASA registration
• Minimum 5+ years’ experience in an Agricultural Chemical environment with specific focus on Herbicides, Seed applied Technology and Adjuvants
• Broad knowledge of Agrochemical and Agricultural input business with good industry credibility and value chain expertise
• Proven expertise in business and market intelligence, including the application of marketing concepts and analytical tools
• Solid understanding of market dynamics and relevant regulatory frameworks
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to interpret and apply financial data in decision-making
• Practical knowledge of crop-specific agricultural practices, including the implementation and management of spray programmes

• Responsible for delivering budget targets for the categories.
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of the markets and submarkets (based on market information databases).
• Contributing to market intelligence projects (e.g., market surveys, pricing surveys).
• Understanding all technical aspects and positioning of different products in the spray programmes.
• Contributing to product and market opportunity assessments and defining business cases.
• Responsible for conducting range GAP analysis and providing guidance to R&D budgets and acquisition strategies.
• Defining portfolio strategies, crop spray programmes, and product strategies, including the 4 Ps (Product, Place, Price, Promotion).
• Responsible for new product introductions, launches, and promotional programmes.
• Driving the procurement process for product launches, including ensuring compliance with all related internal systems.
• Responsible for price positioning of the range, including providing value propositions and conducting competitive benchmark analyses to support pricing decisions.
• Contributing to marketing assumptions for the yearly budget across the categories.
• Managing promotional and advertorial campaigns and functions related to current products and portfolios.
• Attending global category meetings to enhance cross-functional knowledge sharing and information dissemination.
• Contributing to business support initiatives aimed at achieving gross profit targets (e.g., training meetings, product launches, marketing campaigns, technical and marketing support for regional teams).
• Developing and delivering training programmes for the sales team, distributors, and agents, focusing on product positioning and value propositions.
• Contributing to the development of key account approaches, including maintaining customer databases and coordinating key promotional initiatives.
• Identifying and negotiating opportunities to add third-party products to expand the current portfolio.
• Coordinating demonstration trials to support business development and product launches.
• Recommending continuous improvements for current product labels and packaging.
• Identifying new applications for existing products.
• Providing input into general marketing strategies for the sub-region.
• Contributing to company strategies and supporting execution within the region.
• Investigating product claims and performance-related issues.
• Ensuring all administrative tasks and system inputs are being kept up to date.