Commercial Manager - Stellenbosch, WC
Ranked in the Top 20 of the Forbes Best-In-State Companies in 2026, our client is a US-based agriculture and technology firm engaged in variety development, technology, intellectual property, and licensing. Technology and IP pursuits include one of the world's leading breeding/genetics programs, a broad-based portfolio of plant patents and trademarks and investments in agriculture technology start-ups benefiting its global licensees.
The Company prizes creativity, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Its people strive for excellence by demonstrating leadership, passion, kindness, authenticity, courage, initiative, and curiosity.
The Licensing Department in South Africa is central to the successful rollout and growth of our client's proprietary varieties in the region. It focuses on building and managing strong partnerships with nurseries, growers, and marketers, ensuring high-quality compliance standards. Through these relationships, the department drives market alignment, promotes adoption, and supports the expansion of licensed hectares, strengthening our client's regional footprint.
The Commercial Manager plays a hands-on role in supporting their licensing initiatives and strategic objectives. This position serves as a critical link between the company's licensing team, growers, nurseries, and distribution partners. Operating in a hybrid capacity, the Commercial Manager is responsible for executing the licensing strategy and driving the successful adoption and planting of our client's varieties. This is a high-impact role suited to an individual who thrives in a commercially focused environment and is equally comfortable managing administrative responsibilities.
The Commercial Manager South Africa is responsible for implementing and advancing our Client's variety distribution model throughout the production regions of South Africa and across SADC sales territories.
Administer proprietary licensing agreements with the producers, nurseries, distributors and marketers of our client's varieties.
Develop new business and expand profitable relationships with producers and distributors.
Coordinate plant material orders and support the importation and quarantine of new proprietary varieties.
Prepare reports and support financial operations for the territory. Track revenue and expenses, ensuring local operations conform to budget.
Perform periodic field visits, audits, nursery visits and maintain awareness of day-to-day conditions, climate and grower concerns.
Prepare presentations and coordinate field days as well as participate in industry events.
Collect feedback and prepare reports on variety performance and licensee preference data.
Support the Technical Team.
Offer input and support the Licensing Manager to improve efficiencies and reduce business risks.
Location
Office in Stellenbosch, considerable time to be spent near the growers in the field
Hybrid: This individual will spend a significant amount of time working remotely, both on the road and in the field. Work from home may also be accommodated when practical.
100 -- 120 days of domestic and occasional international travel is anticipated.
Periodic weekends and extended hours will be required on occasion.
Requirements
Minimum 5 years' experience in the international produce industry or FMCG, and history of working with and understanding the needs of fresh fruit and vegetable producers, marketers, and retailers.
Bachelor's degree in agriculture or business required.
Aptitude for relationship management and capacity for professional growth as business expands. Self-starter, highly motivated, innovative, good reasoning abilities, and sound judgment.
Excellent communication skills. English and Afrikaans fluency and proficiency, written and oral. Strong interpersonal skills with multi-cultural sensitivity and sincere appreciation for diversity.
Must have a keen sense of urgency and organizational skills with ability to prioritize and multi-task in a fast paced, changing environment.
MS Office expertise; Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
Core values of leadership, passion, authenticity, courage, respect, and initiative.
Valid driver's license is required.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with protected fruit varieties.
Familiarity with royalty models within the fruit industry.
Exposure to growing, packing, quality control and marketing of grapes, citrus, and subtropicals.
Relationships within the grapes, citrus, and subtropical space are advantageous.
Working Style and Expectations
Primarily onsite in Stellenbosch with direct daily interaction with licensing and field teams.
Regular communication and collaboration with Global Technical Services, Quality insights and Breeding.
Proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable switching between fieldwork, administrative tasks, grower and distributor engagement.
Able to thrive in a fast-moving, seasonally dynamic licensing environment.
Kindly note that by submitting your application for this career opportunity, you agree that Guardian Recruiting may use your application for the purpose of the recruitment and selection of the said position and this information may be shared with the relevant stakeholders in the business.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Should you not have heard back within a two-week period, please assume that your application was unsuccessful.
All job postings are in accordance with our Client's BEE requirements. Please only send certificates when requested to do so.
