Citrus Procurement Manager
- Limpopo
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Ideally have a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Business, or related field
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in citrus/fresh fruit procurement, farm management, or sourcing roles
- Practical farming roots or family background in agriculture are strongly valued
- Experience dealing with growers and understanding their technical and commercial challenges
- Exposure to international citrus trade is an advantage
- Strong quality assessment and technical knowledge of citrus
- Excellent negotiation and relationship management skills
- Strong analytical and commercial acumen with the ability to align customer needs to grower offers
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel
- Excellent presentation and communication skills
- Identifying and developing new citrus sourcing opportunities in Limpopo, KZN, Botswana, Mozambique, Egypt, and Morocco.
- Building and maintaining strong, trust-based relationships with growers.
- Onboarding new growers, ensuring compliance with quality, food safety, and market requirements (MRLs, varietal specs, protocols).
- Supporting growers in improving fruit flow, pack out %, and profitability.
- Conducting frequent farm visits to assess crop quality, yields, and harvesting standards.
- Checking fruit quality at source and collaborating with packhouses.
- Assisting in negotiating with customers when quality claims arise, protecting both grower and client relationships.
- Acting as the bridge between growers and the commercial team.
- Translating customer demands and market pricing into fair and transparent grower offers.
- Providing growers with regular updates on pricing trends, sales progress, and market dynamics.
- Negotiating and closing procurement agreements while balancing profitability with long-term grower trust.
- Monitoring and analyzing production volumes, market conditions, and grower performance.
- Preparing professional presentations and updates for growers, showing sales accounts, balances payable, and market outlooks.
- Reporting regularly to management on sourcing status, risks, and opportunities.
- Maintaining clear and accurate records of fruit purchases, prices offered, balances payable to growers, and contract terms.
- Ensuring compliance with company policies, protocols, and reporting standards.