Commercial Manager VTM at Vector Logistics

Overview

• We are a Supply Chain and Sales & Merchandising partner adding value to your business through a fully integrated, temperature-controlled network in Southern Africa.
• But we are also more than that. We are people serving people. While we boast the best in tech and infrastructure, our people are our greatest resource. With our skilled, curious, can-do people at the forefront, our assets become your assets, our service your solutions.
• Vector’s vehicle fleet includes a food industry first in ‘multi-temperature’ vehicles enabling the company to service business across frozen, chilled and ambient temperature zones on a single delivery.

Job Purpose

• Provide direct commercial finance support and insight to the finance, sales, and operational teams.
• Facilitate robust commercial engagement across the business to enable strategic decision-making.
• Drive profitability, forecasting accuracy, and cost management to unlock margin improvement and sustainable growth.
• Ensure rigorous financial control, reporting accuracy, and adherence to compliance standards.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Contribution:

• Participate in the development and execution of a 2–5 year commercial and business strategy.
• Align profitability models to support long-term strategic growth.

Customer Contract Management:

• Calculate and provide accurate pricing information for the annual price negotiations.
• Together with the Sales Executive, review customer and principal pricing contracts and manage the annual pricing negotiations and formula-based adjustments and agree pricing with customers and principals.
• Assess new and existing projects for financial viability and profitability.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and highlight opportunities for the business and its customers/principals relating to, among others, rate reductions and improved efficiencies.
• Provide continuous support regarding profitability to ensure that costs are managed against targeted margins.

Reporting:

• Drive enhanced customer and business profitability and performance information designed to unlock margin opportunities and influence improved contributions.
• 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.

Revenue & Accrual Management:

• Monitor and validate revenue recognition, billing accuracy, and accrual processes.
• Align financials with revenue cut-off policies and contractual obligations.

Contract & Compliance Oversight:

•  Manage and maintain the contract register, ensuring timely renewals and policy compliance.
• Enforce appropriate authorization levels and segregation of duties in financial processes.

General Ledger & Month-End Management:

• Review and approve general ledger entries, ensuring accuracy of month-end close.
• Reconcile financial statements and ensure completeness of financial records.

Operational & Cost Management:

• Monitor OPEX vs budget and collaborate with procurement to drive vendor efficiencies.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and improve operational efficiency.

Reporting & Business Insights:

• Enhance value-added reporting through tools such as Power BI and advanced Excel models.
• Provide insights to support strategic sales, operational, and customer engagement decisions.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Act as the commercial liaison between internal teams (finance, sales, operations, legal) and external stakeholders (customers, principals, auditors).
• Resolve financial queries and ensure the alignment of cross-functional commercial objectives.

Commercial Insight & Technical Expertise:

• Provide calculations, detailed analysis and associated recommendations emanating from any and all queries that arise as a result of 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.

Key Relationships

Internal:

• Customer team
• Operations management
• Sales team
• Business Intelligence team
• Wider Finance team
• Debtors
• Master Data Team

External:

• Legal representatives
• Auditors
• Existing and potential customers
• Principals/Suppliers

Qualifications, Skills and Experience Required for the Job

Qualifications and Experience:

• CA or CIMA preferred, minimum B.Com (Financial Accounting) or B.Com (Management Accounting)
• 5 years’ experience, including both financial and management accounting
• SAP experience would be advantageous as would exposure to a sales/ supply chain/ FMCG/ logistics environment.

Skills and Competencies:

• Financial modelling
• Feasibility and appraisal methods
• Verbal and written communication
• Computer literacy (MS Office and especially proficiency in Excel)
• Power BI
• Report writing
• Interpersonal and customer relations
• Negotiation
• Logical thinking
• Problem solving
• Decision-making
• Analytical thinking
• Presentation
• Numeracy
• Strategic influencing
• Lateral thinking
• Organisational awareness