Assistant Manager Projects &Agency M/F

Join CFAO South Africa !

CFAO South Africa is a key player in South Africa’s mobility market.
With more than 7,200 colleagues and over 160 sites, CFAO South Africa offers vehicle and truck sales and rentals, supply chain solutions, logistics management, material handling, automotive assembly, and the import and export of automotive components.

We are a regional division of the pan-African business CFAO Group, headquartered in France and a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho Corporation in Japan.

CFAO South Africa has a strong expansion vision in South Africa, while supporting CFAO Group's expansion strategy into the African continent in the automotive sector and other sectors,  including healthcare and renewable energy.

We are a significant contributor to the support, development, and growth of the automotive industry in South Africa and across Africa.

we are looking for    Assistant Manager Projects &Agency M/F   based:   South Africa

Job description:

An exciting and challenging opportunity has become available  for an experienced and suitably qualified Assistant Manager to join Toyota Tsusho Africa within the Machinery team based in Durban.

Purpose of the job:

To integrate equipment sales, service delivery, and proactive new business development in alignment with divisional sales targets, driving the total effectiveness and market growth of the department. The role involves actively hunting for new commercial opportunities and revenue streams while developing trust-based relationships with existing customers and suppliers. Crucially, the role bridges commercial execution with strong financial governance, requiring the candidate to manage project costing, process accounting journal entries, prepare financial reports, and assist with annual budget preparation. The ideal candidate must demonstrate a sharp sales focus and robust financial acumen, driving tasks with integrity and innovative thinking as a positive, engaged Management Team Member.

Experiential and Educational requirements:

• Business/Marketing/Supply Chain Degree or studying towards the same
• Minimum 3 years Commercial Sales and New Business Development Experience
• Experience in Financial Reporting, Budget Preparation, and Journal Entries
• Industry Knowledge in both Automotive and Non-Automotive Sectors
• Understanding of Machinery used in Automotive and Non-Automotive Industries
• Computer Literacy: Intermediate MS Office
• Ability to quote for projects by visiting sites and conducting technical assessments

Key focus areas:

 This role requires a candidate with a powerful sales pedigree who can bridge the gap between aggressive market expansion and meticulous financial management. The successful candidate must demonstrate proficiency in the following critical areas:

• New Business Development & Prospecting: Proven ability to source, chase, and close new commercial leads across both automotive and non-automotive sectors. The candidate must be comfortable with cold business development and market penetration.
• Commercial Sales Focus: Comprehensive understanding of the equipment sales lifecycle, maintaining deep client relationships, and creating annuity (recurring) revenue streams from services and spares.
• Financial Management & Accounting: Strong financial literacy with the practical ability to process accounting journal entries, track debtor/creditor documentation, perform variance analysis, and actively assist in drafting the annual budget.
• Commercial Estimations: Capability to visit customer sites, assess client equipment/service needs commercially, and translate those field observations into comprehensive project proposals, accurate cost estimates, and risk-managed quotes

Required profile :

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Achieve divisional sales targets with no loss to Gross Profit (in line with divisional targets)
• Ensure projects, spares, and services are billed accurately and timeously
• Create and develop new business opportunities with focus on creating annuity revenue streams
• Conduct budget variance analysis and implement countermeasures
• Prepare sales forecasting and analysis with appropriate countermeasures
• Develop a strong understanding of customer needs and maintain close communication to enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction
• Conduct regular customer visits (office and factory) to enable Genchi-Genbutsu and secure RFQs from customers
• Visit customer sites to assess project requirements and provide accurate quotations based on technical evaluations
• Manage complete project lifecycle including planning, contract administration, site management, and commercial closure
• Perform on-site management including schedule, cost, and safety control during projects
• Manage contractors (international and local sub-contractors)
• Acquire RFQs and offer consultation (projects and spare parts) through daily customer liaison
• Ensure quotations are submitted with acceptance received within specified deadlines for implementation
• Prepare sales documentation including quotes, purchase orders, invoices, and debtor/creditor document tracking
• Manage the complete end-to-end supply chain process
• Coordinate logistics management (import approximately 90%, export approximately 10%)
• Ensure accurate and timely coordination of shipping schedules and project schedules
• Communicate scheduling information clearly and timeously
• Provide foreign visitor support including scheduling, appointments, and meeting attendance
• Support international contractors (at work and occasionally after work hours)
• Build strategic relationships with suppliers and customers to identify and develop new business opportunities
• Promote agency products including industrial robots, injection moulding equipment, Pumps and pneumatic parts
• Propose process improvements for both external and internal business processes
• Prepare bi-weekly financial and sales reports covering revenue generation, pipelines, and expenditures.
• Ensure operational issues are identified, tracked, and resolved timeously
• Comply with Standard Operating Procedures and Code of Conduct and Ethics
• Ensure Safety First (Anzen) with zero incidents
• Provide support to team members on day-to-day operations
• Provide on-the-job training to team members and motivate them toward better results
• Ensure performance objectives and targets are met, communicating concerns to management
• Support special projects and miscellaneous assignments as required
• Attend training for self-development
• Be available for duty after working hours and weekends for projects

All appointments will be made in line with our Employment Equity Plan.