Business Development Manager

Location: Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
Department: Commercial
Industry: Logistics, Freight Forwarding and Supply Chain

Position Overview

A leading organisation within the logistics and supply chain industry is seeking an experienced and commercially driven Business Development Manager to drive new business acquisition and strategic account growth in Durban, with national responsibility for clearing and forwarding opportunities.

The role focuses on customs clearing, freight forwarding and bonded warehousing, requiring a proven sales professional with an established network of importers, exporters and freight forwarders. The successful candidate must have a transferable portfolio of existing clients, a strong track record of closing significant deals and the ability to operate independently while delivering measurable revenue growth.

This is a senior, results-driven commercial position suited to a confident business developer with in-depth knowledge of SARS customs processes, strong negotiation skills and the ability to engage credibly with C-suite executives and senior supply chain decision-makers.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and secure new business opportunities among importers, exporters and freight forwarders in Durban and nationally.
• Develop targeted prospecting strategies focusing on key industries, trade lanes, decision-makers and high-volume customs clearing and forwarding opportunities.
• Leverage existing industry relationships and client networks to generate new business.
• Secure meetings with C-suite executives and senior supply chain leaders.
• Build and manage a strong sales pipeline, ensuring consistent achievement of monthly and quarterly revenue targets.
• Promote integrated clearing and forwarding services, including customs clearing, bonded warehousing, container depot services, transport and warehousing solutions.
• Assess prospective clients' customs profiles, tariff classifications, trade agreements and compliance requirements in collaboration with clearing teams.
• Ensure client engagements, rates, terms, service scope and compliance responsibilities are documented before the movement of consignments.
• Lead commercial negotiations and structure competitive deals while protecting profitability and margins.
• Prepare and present commercial proposals, requests for quotation (RFQs) and tender submissions.
• Close new business independently within approved commercial authority limits.
• Assess deal profitability, commercial risks and competitive positioning.
• Manage and grow key accounts through proactive relationship management, customer retention and revenue expansion.
• Identify and secure upselling and cross-selling opportunities within existing accounts.
• Act as the primary commercial contact for assigned clients, coordinating with operations, finance and site teams to resolve service issues.
• Build long-term customer relationships that generate repeat business.
• Collaborate with commercial sales and operations teams to ensure accurate quotations, competitive rates and timely tender submissions.
• Coordinate customer onboarding and ensure adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), service-level agreements (SLAs), key performance indicators (KPIs) and service commitments.
• Maintain accurate customer records, sales activities and pipeline information on the CRM platform.
• Provide weekly and monthly reports on pipeline performance, deal closures, revenue generation and market intelligence.

Minimum Requirements

• Grade 12 / Matric certificate.
• 7–10 years of proven experience in business development, sales or key account management within the logistics, freight or supply chain industry.
• At least five years of experience specifically in customs clearing and freight forwarding.
• Demonstrated track record of securing new business and consistently meeting or exceeding revenue targets.
• An established network of importer, exporter and freight forwarder relationships in KwaZulu-Natal or nationally.
• An existing, transferable portfolio of clearing and forwarding clients is essential.
• Working knowledge of the Customs and Excise Act and SARS customs procedures.
• Understanding of tariff classification, customs valuation, rules of origin and bonded warehouse operations.
• Strong commercial negotiation skills and experience closing significant B2B deals.
• Experience preparing commercial proposals, quotations and tender submissions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Experience using CRM platforms to manage customer relationships, sales pipelines and performance reporting.
• Ability to work independently, manage time effectively and deliver results with minimal supervision.

Advantageous Qualifications and Experience

• Tertiary qualification in Business, Commerce, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, International Trade or a related field.
• Experience developing business within manufacturing, automotive, FMCG, retail, chemicals or related industries.
• Exposure to national clearing and forwarding operations and complex international trade requirements.
• Experience managing large commercial accounts and negotiating high-value service agreements.

Industry knowledge

• In-depth understanding of customs clearing, freight forwarding and bonded warehousing.
• Knowledge of container depot services and related transport and warehousing operations.
• Understanding of SARS customs procedures, tariff classification, customs valuation, rules of origin, duty and VAT treatment, and bonded warehouse requirements.
• Knowledge of international trade flows, Incoterms, shipping line and airline documentation, and landed-cost drivers.
• Understanding of pricing structures, cost drivers, profitability and market competition.
• Awareness of the Durban and national clearing and forwarding markets.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will be an established logistics and freight-forwarding business developer with a proven ability to secure new business, close significant deals and grow profitable customer accounts.

The individual must bring an existing, transferable portfolio of clearing and forwarding clients, strong industry relationships and practical knowledge of SARS customs procedures and international trade requirements.

This role requires a commercially mature professional who can engage senior decision-makers, negotiate independently and generate measurable revenue growth from the outset.

Only candidates who meet the essential requirements will be considered.

Should you not be contacted within two weeks, please take your application as unsuccessful.