Commercial Manager

Reference: HR000290-EV-2

Purpose

The Senior Commercial Manager is a senior commercial and pricing leadership role within the Sales Process/Operations, responsible for complex, strategic and high-value bids, customer business cases, contract negotiations and post-contract commercial performance across local and international opportunities.
The role is accountable for protecting and improving sustainable deal profitability by leading the commercial strategy from opportunity inception through pricing, business case development, governance, negotiation, contract sign-off and post-contract performance management.
The Senior Commercial Manager acts as a trusted commercial advisor to Sales, Solution, Delivery, Finance, Legal, Procurement, Executive Management and the Parent Company, balancing growth, competitiveness, risk, cash flow and long-term value.
The role is also responsible for driving commercial excellence through standardized pricing governance, data-led decision making, process improvement and the responsible adoption of AI and automation tools to improve commercial productivity, quality, insight and turnaround times. Duties & Responsibilities Key Responsibilities
Commercial Strategy and Leadership

• Lead the commercial workstream for complex and strategic opportunities, providing commercial direction from qualification and inception through submission, negotiation, award and contract sign-off.
• Ensure appropriate representation of the commercial and pricing function throughout the bid lifecycle and proactively challenge assumptions, solution choices and commercial positions that may affect profitability or risk.
• Own the overall commercial narrative, including deal economics, pricing strategy, commercial options, key assumptions and executive-level recommendations.
• Provide timely and decisive commercial input throughout the bid process and remain accessible to stakeholders for queries, escalations, commercial decisions and emerging concerns.

Customer Business Cases, Pricing Models and Commercial Analysis

• Create, review and quality-assure Customer Business Cases for complex opportunities, including revenue, cost, margin, cash flow, CAPEX/OPEX, financing, tax, foreign exchange and investment considerations as applicable.
• Develop and evaluate pricing models, scenarios and commercial structures that are competitive, financially sound and aligned to customer requirements and Gijima target returns.
• Own key pricing assumptions, including rates, inflation/CPI, exchange rates, financing assumptions, partner costs, implementation costs, volumes, productivity assumptions and other commercial drivers.
• Perform scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis and deal economics to identify value drivers, downside exposure and opportunities to improve profitability.
• Present commercial and financial outcomes clearly to relevant stakeholders, governance forums and executives to support informed decision making and approval.

Deal Profitability, P&L and Post-Contract Performance

• Assess the expected long-term profitability of deals and ensure that commercial decisions support sustainable P&L performance rather than short-term revenue growth alone.
• Manage and track the ongoing performance of Customer Business Cases post-contracting, including planned versus actual revenue, cost, margin, cash flow and other agreed commercial metrics.
• Provide forecasts to Finance based on approved Customer Business Cases and prepare management reporting on commercial performance, P&L trends, risks and corrective actions.
• Identify underperforming accounts and support the development of financial turnaround plans, including pricing remediation, scope optimisation, cost reduction, contract changes and recovery actions.
• Partner with Delivery and Finance to ensure service is delivered within approved human, technical and financial resources and that material commercial variances are escalated and addressed.

Commercial Risk, Governance and Assurance

• Identify, quantify, advise on and mitigate commercial, pricing and financial risks throughout the opportunity and contract lifecycle.
• Ensure key assumptions, risks, dependencies and commercial exceptions are documented, challenged and approved at the appropriate governance level.
• Evaluate contractual and commercial impacts relating to service levels, service credits, liquidated damages, penalties, liability, termination, inflation, foreign exchange, taxation, payment terms and other material exposures.
• Ensure commercial submissions and business cases meet established pricing, governance and approval requirements and maintain an auditable record of final pricing, assumptions and approvals.
• Drive continuous improvement in commercial governance, controls and pricing processes across the organisation.

Contracting and Commercial Negotiations

• Participate in and lead the commercial aspects of customer contract negotiations, providing clear positions on pricing, payment terms, commercial protections, variations, renewals and exit provisions.
• Work closely with Legal, Sales, Solution and Delivery teams to ensure that contractual commitments are commercially viable and consistent with the approved business case.
• Provide commercial and pricing input into key customer contracts, amendments, variations, renewals and change requests.
• Assess the commercial implications of deviations from approved positions and recommend appropriate mitigation, escalation or approval.
• Support negotiations with key partners, OEMs, suppliers and contributors to secure commercially advantageous pricing and terms that protect Gijima margins and cash flow.
• Evaluate partner and supplier commercial proposals, including cost structures, payment profiles, escalation assumptions, warranties, financing and risk allocation.
• Challenge cost inputs and negotiate value opportunities while maintaining alignment with the approved technical solution and customer requirements.

Stakeholder Leadership and Business Partnership

• Act as a trusted commercial advisor and senior business partner to Sales, Solution, Bid Management, Delivery, Finance, Legal, Procurement, Technology and Executive stakeholders.
• Professionally interact with, influence and support stakeholders across different levels within Gijima and the Parent Company, including challenging senior stakeholders where commercial outcomes or risk require it.
• Lead cross-functional commercial workshops and reviews, ensuring decisions are understood, actions are owned and timelines are maintained.
• Maintain high responsiveness throughout the bid and negotiation process, providing timely, practical and commercially sound responses to stakeholder queries and concerns in deals.

Commercial Excellence, Pricing Governance and Process Improvement

• Create, implement and maintain pricing processes, standards, templates, tools and governance mechanisms that improve consistency, efficiency, compliance and commercial quality across Gijima.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, digitize and automate repetitive commercial activities, reducing cycle times and improving data quality and control.
• Maintain appropriate commercial knowledge repositories, pricing references, assumptions, benchmarks, lessons learned and historical deal data to improve future bids and negotiations.
• Champion continuous improvement by reviewing outcomes from submitted and awarded opportunities and feeding lessons learned back into pricing methodology, governance and commercial practices.

Data, Analytics, AI and Commercial Technology Enablement

• Actively use approved AI and digital tools to improve commercial productivity, including research, data analysis, business case preparation, pricing support, scenario modelling, document review, quality assurance, knowledge management and reporting.
• Identify and implement practical AI use cases within the commercial and bid lifecycle, with appropriate human oversight and validation of outputs before business decisions are made.
• Use data and analytics to identify pricing trends, margin leakage, cost drivers, forecast variance, commercial risks and opportunities for improvement.
• Partner with Technology and relevant business stakeholders to evaluate new tools and automation opportunities that improve the speed, accuracy and scalability of the commercial function.
• Promote responsible use of AI, including attention to confidentiality, data security, customer information, intellectual property, bias, traceability and the need for professional judgement.

Leadership, Coaching and Capability Development

• Provide leadership, coaching, mentoring, training and day-to-day support to Junior Commercial Managers and other team members.
• Build commercial capability through structured knowledge sharing, review sessions, playbooks, practical coaching and feedback on live opportunities.
• Create an environment of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning and high-quality execution across the commercial team.
• Act as a role model for commercial integrity, ownership, responsiveness, problem solving and stakeholder management.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS REQUIRED
Formal Education

• Grade 12 (Matric).
• Degree or Diploma in Finance, Commerce, Accounting, Economics, Business Management, Cost and Management Accounting, Financial Information Systems or a related discipline.
• Professional qualification such as CIMA, CA(SA), ACCA, CFA, MBA or equivalent is advantageous.

Experience

• 10+ years relevant experience in commercial management, pricing, financial modelling, deal structuring, bid participation or a related commercial environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, high-value or strategic bids and commercial workstreams from qualification through contract sign-off.
• Proven experience developing and presenting business cases, pricing models, forecasts and P&L/commercial analysis to senior stakeholders and executive governance forums.
• Strong experience in commercial and contractual negotiations, risk assessment, partner/supplier negotiations and post-contract performance management.
• Experience working across multiple business units, disciplines and senior stakeholder groups in a complex organization; international exposure is advantageous.
• Demonstrated practical experience using AI, automation and/or advanced digital tools to improve processes, analysis, reporting or commercial decision making.

Skills Required

• Advanced financial modelling, commercial analysis and business case development skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel capability; experience with Power BI, data visualization or other analytics tools is advantageous.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to translate technical, operational and contractual information into financial and business implications.
• Strong negotiation, influencing, presentation and conflict-resolution skills.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to work confidently with incomplete, ambiguous or rapidly changing information.
• Strong understanding of pricing methodology, margin management, cash flow, financing, foreign exchange, taxation and contractual commercial drivers.
• Practical capability with AI tools such as enterprise-approved generative AI, copilots, workflow automation and data-assist tools, with an understanding of responsible use.
• Strong governance, documentation and attention-to-detail capabilities.

Personal Attributes

• Commercially curious, strategic and focused, with the confidence to challenge assumptions and protect the organization’s interests.
• High level of integrity, accountability and professional judgement, with a strong leadership presence and the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Highly responsive and dependable, able to work under pressure and manage multiple high-priority opportunities without compromising accuracy or quality.
• Lateral thinker and pragmatic problem solver who can balance risk, competitiveness, customer requirements and profitability.
• Process-oriented, organized and comfortable driving change, continuous improvement and new ways of working.
• Collaborative, digitally minded and committed to building capability in others through knowledge sharing, coaching and responsible adoption of AI-enabled tools.