Commercial Manager FTC - Pretoria West at RCL Foods

The role will be based in Pretoria West and provide commercial leadership and support to the various plants by undertaking the following :

• To provide commercial support and insight into the operations and performance of the Business Unit.
• To assist in the development of commercial engagement with the rest of the business. 
• To work with the Commercial Executive and senior team to identify business strategy and growth opportunities.
• To analyse the financial performance of the BU and to make recommendations based on the findings and outcomes of the analysis.
• To prepare the annual 5- year Stratplan, Business Plan, latest Forecast and report on performance against it on a monthly basis.
• To provide accurate and timeous operational financial reporting and ensure corporate governance compliance across the Business.
• Profitability, Pricing and Costing Analysis for the business.
• The Commercial Manager will report to the Commercial Executive for the operating unit. 
• This is a Fixed Term Contract role.

Minimum Requirements    

• CA (SA) or CIMA  
• Operational Finance professional with at least 10-years management and technical experience in a production environment (preferably grain Milling).
• Preference will be given to candidates with experience in SAFEX-based procurement hedging models and management of commodity businesses desirable. 

Duties & Responsibilities    
Strategy Contribution and Execution

• Participate in the formulation and implementation of the national commercial strategy, based on a 2 to 5 year view of requirements. 
• Ensure that assigned and agreed strategic targets are operationalised and achieved.
• Provide and promote the commercial perspective in the overall growth strategy.

Monthly and Annual Financial Reporting

• Coordinate the monthly operational finance close within the BU
• Ensure that efficient and reliable reporting systems are in place that will ensure accurate reporting from source data.
• Perform comparative analyses of results to business plan, forecast and last year to test accuracy and reasonableness.
• Oversee prompt resolution of queries / reconciling items.
• Assess the level of accruals held for operational expenditure each month to cover timing differences

Management Reporting

• Reporting of key performance indicator dashboards on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. 
• Monthly flash and reporting of financial performance in the agreed format which will include commentary on key performance areas.
• Identify opportunities for value added reporting to improve the quality and content of reporting and message management. 
• Provide sustained support to customers and principals, particularly those who raise specific queries.

Business Plan Process and Forecasting

• Co-ordination of the annual 5-year business valuations, business plan and quarterly forecasting processes in accordance with the national time scheduling and guidelines.
• Compile and review results of the business plan and sales forecasting processes, including volume and distribution revenue analysis.
• Provide insight and interpret the impact of key cost drivers on profitability.
• Interpretation of the final outcome of the business plan and forecasts ensuring that it reflects the strategic objectives of the business and initiating changes where necessary.
• Compiling stratplan, business plan and forecasts presentations

Profitability, Pricing, NPD and Costing Management

• Managing the costing process for new product development or changes to existing products/manufacturing process
• Pricing evaluations and PI implementations process (in line with commodity price changes).
• Profitability reporting, benchmarking and providing insights
• Ensure that profitability models/system(s) inputs (i.e. perform calculations, understand routings) are maintained by teams on a daily/weekly/monthly basis

New Project Appraisal and Feasibility Assessment

• Drive the appraisal and feasibility assessment of all new projects and provide commercial insight and capacity to the business unit.
• Assess and review opportunities offered by new projects.
• Ensure projects are costed accurately and profitably.

Commercial Insight and Technical Expertise

• Provide calculations, detailed analysis and associated recommendations emanating from any and all queries that arise as a result of cost saving initiatives, changes in business operations, the economic climate or potentially might offer more profitable solutions.
• Provide expertise in management team meetings to internal clients and colleagues and recommend solutions based on insights and findings.
• Provide practical commercial expertise and insights to external customers and principals as part of regular engagement and ad hoc requests.

Commodity accounting

• Monitor and review impact of commodity procurement strategies and hedging models on the business
• Support Commodity procurement exec on the commercial impact as well as evaluation of commodity procurement strategies
• Review of commodity positions and calculation of appropriate standards

Commercial Contract Management Oversight

• Oversee the contracts and associated delivery and quality for a complete cycle, ensuring commercial and cost saving benefits are realised.

Information and Data Management

• Ensure team members accurately and regularly captures data onto the information system to enable access to reliable data and reporting for trend analysis and decision making.
• Share relevant data with management teams to enable reliable business decision making.

Closing Date    
2023/08/03