Head of Commercial
Our client, a key player in the agri-technology sector aims to enhance the fruit industry’s supply chain through advanced technology by optimizing key operations from the field, through the supply chain to the market.
They are seeking a commercially driven and hands-on Head of Commercial to lead their commercial department. This is a senior role that is both strategic and operational — where you will set the direction for how they grow, retain, and serve their client base, while ensuring that day-to-day commercial operations run smoothly.
You will own the full client lifecycle, drive new business development, and the company’s presence in the agri-tech sector, by playing a pivotal role in scaling their footprint in the fruit supply chain industry.
This position is based in Paarl in the Western Cape.
Key Responsibilities
- Departmental Leadership & Scalable Systems Building
- Act as the primary driver of the commercial department — owning its direction, performance, and culture from the ground up.
- Design, build, and continuously improve the systems, processes, and frameworks that underpin every area of the commercial
- function, ensuring the department can scale efficiently as the company grows.
- Establish clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) across client success, support, onboarding, and marketing so that quality and consistency are maintained regardless of team size or client volume.
- Implement the right tools, platforms, and workflows to reduce manual effort, eliminate bottlenecks, and create a department that operates with repeatability and precision.
- Build a high-performing team by defining roles clearly, setting measurable targets, and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
- Strategy & Business Development
- Define and execute the commercial strategy, setting clear goals for client growth, retention, and revenue.
- Identify and pursue new business opportunities, manage partnerships, and develop go-to-market strategies that support the company’s growth objectives.
- Represent the company at industry events and client engagements to strengthen market presence and generate leads.
- Client Success
- Own the end-to-end client success strategy, ensuring clients derive maximum value from the platform.
- Build strong relationships with key client stakeholders, acting as a strategic partner and primary escalation point.
- Monitor client health metrics to proactively identify risks and drive retention, upsell, and expansion opportunities.
- Client Support
- Oversee the client support function, ensuring timely and effective resolution of client issues.
- Define and enforce SLA standards, escalation protocols, and support quality benchmarks.
- Foster a proactive support culture, anticipating client challenges before they escalate.
- Client Onboarding & System Rollout
- Lead the planning and execution of client onboarding programmes, ensuring smooth and well-documented go-lives.
- Develop onboarding playbooks, training materials, and implementation guides that enable consistent client adoption.
- Coordinate across departments to keep rollouts on schedule and clients confident.
- Coordination of Client Needs to Development Teams
- Serve as the primary liaison between clients and product/engineering teams, translating feedback into clear, actionable briefs.
- Prioritise and advocate for client-driven feature requests and enhancements within the development pipeline.
- Maintain a structured feedback loop that keeps clients informed of progress on their requests.
- Marketing & Branding
- Drive the marketing strategy targeting key audiences in the fresh produce and agri-tech sectors.
- Oversee content creation, campaigns, and brand consistency across all client-facing and public-facing communications.
- Support business development through marketing enablement materials, event participation, and industry thought leadership.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Marketing, Agricultural Management, or a related field.
- More than 5 years’ experience in a commercial, client success, or business development role — preferably within SaaS, agri-technology, or supply chain technology.
- Demonstrated ability to operate at both a strategic and operational level, setting direction while staying close to execution.
- Proven track record of growing client relationships and delivering measurable improvements in retention and revenue.
- Strong understanding of software implementation, rollout processes, and translating client needs into development requirements.
- Familiarity with agricultural technology, fresh produce supply chains, or farm-to-market operations is highly advantageous.
- Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to align stakeholders across all levels of the organisation.
- Proficiency in CRM platforms (e.g., HubSpot, Salesforce) and task management tools (e.g., ClickUp, Asana, Jira).
- A data-driven mindset with the ability to track and act on commercial and operational performance metrics.
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Please ENSURE that your application includes the following:
- a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae, inclusive of contact and email information
- a covering letter motivating the application
- an indication of current and expected remuneration
- availability
- contactable referees
If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please accept that your application was not successful. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.