South Africa Commercial Manager

Division

Department

Sub Department 1

Job Purpose

Commercial Finance Lead role partners closely with sales, marketing, and operations teams to provide financial insights, ensure profitability, and support decision-making. Key responsibilities include budgeting and forecasting, financial modelling, pricing strategy, performance analysis, and identifying opportunities for growth and efficiency. This role will also be involved in Marketing fees calculation, 3^rd Party COGS streamlining, project management for Africa CFO as well as functional partnership with SCM and local functions. The ideal candidate combines strong analytical skills with business acumen and excellent communication abilities to handle multiple senior stakeholders

Key Accountabilities (1/5)

Data & Marketing fees calculation oversight

• Coordinate with Commercial teams to evaluate and ascertain correct data & marketing fees calculations.
• Oversee & review the marketing fees accrual preparation and sign it off before Controller’s review.
• Establish budget vs actual tracking and evaluation of return on investments

Control of 3^rd Party COGS and agreements

• Contract Review & Risk Assessment: Evaluating financial clauses in third-party contracts to ensure alignment with company policies and risk appetite.
• Cost Control & Budgeting: Monitoring third-party spend against budgets and identifying cost-saving opportunities.
• Performance Tracking: Analyzing vendor performance against agreed KPIs and financial metrics.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Working with legal, procurement, and operational teams to negotiate favourable terms and manage contract lifecycles

Key Accountabilities (2/5)

PMO – Finance Projects

• Lead and manage finance-related projects such as marketing fee automation, process automation, and financial integration initiatives etc.
• Track Finance Project plans as per guidance from Africa CFO including scope, timelines, budgets, and resource allocation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure successful project delivery.
• Monitor project financials, track KPIs, and report on progress to senior stakeholders.
• Identify risks and implement mitigation strategies to ensure project success

Commercial Negotiations – Customers (Wholesalers & Pharmacies) and Partners (Teva, Brandmed, Evia and others)

• Lead financial aspects of commercial negotiations with key customers, suppliers, and strategic partners.
• Evaluate pricing models, contract terms, and deal structures to ensure profitability and risk mitigation.
• Partner with sales, legal, and procurement teams to develop negotiation strategies and support deal execution.
• Conduct scenario analysis and financial modelling to assess the impact of proposed commercial terms.
• Monitor post-deal performance to ensure compliance with financial expectations and identify improvement opportunities.
• Support the development of long-term partnerships through financially sustainable agreements.

Key Accountabilities (3/5)

Department business partner

• Partner with support function leaders to develop budgets, forecasts, and financial plans.
• Provide financial insights and analysis to support strategic and operational decisions.
• Monitor and control costs, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and budgetary constraints.
• Conduct variance analysis and identify opportunities for cost savings and process improvements.
• Support business cases for investments in support functions (e.g., technology upgrades, HR initiatives)

Key Accountabilities (4/5)

FP&A – Budgeting & Forecasting

• Participate in annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and long-range planning processes for commercial & functional teams.
• Provide financial insights and analysis on revenue, margin, and operating expenses to support strategic decisions.
• Partner with sales, marketing, and operations to evaluate business performance and identify growth opportunities.
• Develop and maintain financial models to support scenario planning, pricing strategies, and investment decisions.
• Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and prepare monthly management reports with variance analysis.
• Support commercial negotiations with financial modeling and deal evaluation.
• Ensure alignment between financial plans and business objectives through regular stakeholder engagement.

Key Accountabilities (5/5)

SCM Business Partner (CDG & 

CDG Partnership

• Partner with distribution center leadership to manage budgets, forecasts, and financial performance.
• Lead monthly performance reviews and provide variance analysis with actionable insights.

COPE

• Track and report on short-dated and expiring inventory.
• Analyze financial exposure from potential write-offs and provisions related to expired or near-expiry stock.
• Collaborate with supply chain and sales teams to develop mitigation plans (e.g., discounting, reallocation, promotions).
• Maintain accurate and timely reporting dashboards for inventory aging and expiry risks.
• Support monthly and quarterly close processes by preparing provisions and commentary on stock obsolescence.
• Identify trends and root causes of expiry-related losses and recommend process improvementsIn Market COPE)

Strategic business partnership – M&A, BD-Inlicensing etc

• Lead financial evaluation of potential M&A & in licensing opportunities, including valuation, scenario modelling, and synergy analysis.
• Support due diligence processes by assessing financial, operational, and strategic risks
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders (investment banks, legal advisors, consultants) throughout the deal lifecycle.
• Prepare investment memos and presentations for executive leadership and board approval.
• Drive post-merger integration planning and execution, ensuring alignment with financial targets and strategic goals.
• Monitor performance of acquired entities and track realization of synergies and ROI.
• Maintain a pipeline of strategic opportunities and support long-term growth planning.

Major Challenges

Challenge:

1. 1. 1. 1. Balancing Strategic and Operational Priorities, Navigating between long-term strategic planning and day-to-day financial operations

Overcome by: Supporting commercial teams while maintaining financial discipline.

1. 1. 1. 2. Managing Cross-Functional Stakeholders

Overcome by: Aligning stakeholders through data driven financial insights.

1. 1. 1. 3. Driving Profitability Under Margin Pressure

Overcome by: Identifying cost-saving opportunities without compromising growth.

Key Interactions (1/2)

• Africa CEO and Senior Leadership Team (Periodic current and projected financial reporting and mitigate risks continuously)

Key Interactions (2/2)

• Customer relationships

• Teva – Spearhead the commercial relationship management as well as negotiations.
• Dischem/Clicks/Independents: Support Commercial Heads in relationship management as well as negotiations

Dimensions (1/2)

• Top line performance (INR 4,200 Cr)
  • SA (ZAR 6.5 Billion)
• Business contribution (INR 1,000 Cr)

SA (ZAR 1.8 Billion)

Dimensions (2/2)

Key Decisions (1/2)

Pricing Strategy

Department Budgets

Budgeting Forecasting and Planning

Commercial Deal Evaluation

Cost Optimization

Key Decisions (2/2)

Use contribution margin analysis to assess profitability

Implement dynamic pricing models based on market demand and customer segmentation.

Collaborate with sales and marketing for value-based pricing.

Regularly review and reallocate based on performance and market shifts.

Develop and update financial forecasts and long-term plans

Conduct scenario analysis and deal modeling.

Include risk-adjusted returns in evaluations.

Ensure contractual clauses protect margins and cash flow

Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities

Education Qualification

• Chartered Accountant / MBA (Finance)

Relevant Work Experience

Minimum 5-8 years’ experience

The role will require financial skills and clarity on both short and long-term planning. This big picture view needs to be married with an eye for detail, with a focus on process management skills and the ability to develop and implement comprehensive business, financial and control processes.

• Strong Ability and proven experience in managing a Cross- functional team of finance professionals
• Strong commercial acumen to partner with business
• Proven experience in managing relationships with Senior Leaders within the business.
• Excellent communication and good relationship builder to drive and ensure alignment to BU’s requirements and overall business needs.
• Solid forecasting experience to review, with a hands-on approach for resolution of issues.
• Managerial skills to ensure role clarity amongst team members and to ensure efficiencies.

Excellent systems approach and skills within relevant Financial systems, ie. Excel, SAP, etc