About the Role

A leading South African FMCG company is seeking an experienced Exports Manager to drive sales growth and manage distributor relationships across Africa, SADC and international markets.

This is a commercially focused role for an experienced export professional who understands international trade, distributor management, export documentation and the complexities of operating across multiple markets.

The successful candidate will take ownership of the end-to-end export relationship, from identifying new market opportunities and appointing distributors through to order fulfilment, regulatory compliance and account growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an export growth strategy across African, SADC and international markets.

• Identify and assess new market and business development opportunities.

• Appoint, onboard and manage international distributors and trade partners.

• Negotiate commercial terms, volume targets and marketing support agreements.

• Build and maintain strong long-term distributor relationships.

• Conduct regular market visits to assess distributor performance, pricing, retail presence and competitor activity.

• Manage export order pipelines and account performance across assigned territories.

• Coordinate export documentation, including commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin and relevant quality/health certificates.

• Work closely with freight forwarders and shipping lines on container bookings, lead times and Incoterms.

• Monitor import regulations, labelling requirements and applicable product certifications.

• Manage exports into SADC markets and ensure compliance with relevant trade protocols and rules of origin.

• Work with customs brokers and other external partners where required.

• Ensure exports comply with South African and destination-country regulatory requirements.

• Manage demand forecasting and support production and inventory planning.

• Prepare reports on export volumes, revenue, distributor performance and market risks.

• Manage the export sales budget, including travel, trade marketing and distributor support costs.

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant tertiary qualification in International Trade, Business, Marketing or a related field.

• Minimum 5 years' experience in export sales or international trade.

• FMCG or beverage industry experience will be highly advantageous.

• Proven experience managing distributors across multiple African and/or international markets.

• Working knowledge of:

  • Export documentation

  • Incoterms

  • Customs processes

  • Import/export regulations

• Experience with SADC trade protocols will be advantageous.

• Valid passport.

• Willingness and ability to travel frequently internationally.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial and negotiation skills.

• Excellent distributor and relationship management abilities.

• Strong understanding of international markets and trade.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to work effectively across different cultures and time zones.

• Highly organised and detail-oriented.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

• Self-driven, resilient and comfortable working independently.

• Ability to manage multiple markets and priorities simultaneously.

Key Performance Areas

Success in the role will be measured through:

• Export revenue and volume growth across Africa, SADC and international markets.

• Distributor performance and contract compliance.

• On-time and in-full export deliveries.

• Forecast accuracy.

• New market and distributor acquisition.

• Growth and development of existing international accounts.

Working Conditions

This is a head-office-based role with frequent travel across SADC, Africa and international markets.

The successful candidate should be comfortable with international travel and occasional communication outside normal working hours due to different time zones.