Commercial Sales Manager – FMCG (Durban/Cape Town)

About the role

An exciting opportunity has opened for a dynamic Commercial Sales Manager to join a vibrant, fast‑paced FMCG company. The role is ideal for a commercially driven professional with strong experience in both ocean and air freight, offering travel, leadership and career progression in an energetic environment.

Key responsibilities

• Lead a team of Business Development Managers to achieve revenue, margin and profit targets.
• Maintain pricing discipline, profitable deal structuring and debtor control with monthly performance reviews.
• Oversee commercial governance including contracts, rebates, approvals and risk identification.
• Partner with Finance on budgeting, forecasting and cost management, participating in quarterly reviews.
• Escalate key risks with mitigation plans and financial impact assessments.
• Act as the primary link between the BDM team and senior leadership, reporting 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 sales effectiveness.
• Drive a high‑performance culture through structured performance management and continuous improvement.
• Improve operational efficiency by streamlining processes and leveraging tools.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Commerce or a related field.
• Minimum 6 + years’ experience as a Commercial Manager in the FMCG sector.
• Proven export trading experience across ocean and air freight, especially in African, Middle East and Indian Ocean Island markets.
• Willingness to travel extensively, with travel cycles twice per quarter.
• Experience managing multiple brands or product portfolios.
• Proficiency in French, Portuguese or Spanish is advantageous.
• Valid driver’s licence and passport.

Required skills

• Analytics, reporting and data interpretation using QlikView and Qlik Sense.
• Strong computer literacy with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• File management within Windows environments.