Commercial Manager at Omnia (Pty) LTD

Qualifications

• Matric/ Grade 12 
• University (First degree), i.e. Bachelor of Science

Experience

• 5 – 10 years in water and wastewater treatment products and solutions offerings and key account management

Duties

Product Strategy and Development:

• Conduct market research and analysis to identify opportunities and threats within the product segment, focusing on positioning
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and refine product strategies aligned with business objectives
• Drive new product development initiatives, from concept to launch, ensuring adherence to quality and regulatory standards (NPI - New Product Implementation)
• Oversee existing product development (EPD), managing stock forecasting for a broad range of principals and SKUs
• Prepare product costing, including shipping details, and share comprehensive templates with the commercial team
• Responsible for managing relationships and interface with principals

Market Positioning:

• Develop an in-depth understanding of customer needs and market trends to strategically position products and solutions
• Conduct competitive analysis to identify key differentiators and establish a competitive advantage based on the specific product
• Collaborate with marketing teams to create compelling messaging and positioning for the Protea Chemicals Water Care offering
• Engage in marketing activities with local industry bodies, including sales and marketing efforts, editorials, and advertorials

Lifecycle Management:

• Take ownership of the entire product lifecycle, managing products from introduction to end-of-life
• Monitor product performance and customer feedback, utilising data-driven insights to enhance product offerings
• Collaborate closely with principal suppliers, sales managers, production, quality, and supply chain teams to optimise existing products and introduce improvements

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Collaborate seamlessly with sales, marketing, supply chain, and quality teams to ensure alignment and effective communication
• Provide training and support to sales teams, enhancing their product knowledge and driving successful sales strategies
• Act as a liaison between different departments, facilitating smooth product development and launches
• Collaborates with production of raw materials requirements, sales requirements and cost management

Key Account Management:

• Manage a portfolio of key customers to facilitate the growth of the product basket and solution offerings
• Enhance the customer relationship to ensure long term partnerships
• Develop customer account plans to identify and present new opportunities to the business
• Build partnerships with key customers to ensure the long-term viability of the relationship

Compliance:

• Stay updated on local and international regulatory requirements related to products.
• Participate in industry associations applicable to the product portfolio
• Collaborate with the quality team to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

Business Management

• Coach and lead the sales team
• Review their sales activities in line with the strategy and the budget
• Clearly review the forecast and budget and ensure that the sales activities and projects are aimed at delivering the budget