Portfolio Manager Insecticides and Fungicides

Job Id: 9068- City: La Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa- Department: Marketing- Function: Marketing- Employee Type: Permanent Full Time- Seniority Level: Mid-Senior levelDescription:
**Job Title : Southern Africa Portfolio Manager: Fungicides & Insecticides Location : La Lucia, Kwa-Zulu Natal**

**Role Summary**

UPL South Africa is a leading company in the agricultural inputs industry. We have an exciting opportunity to manage and oversee the Fungicides and Insecticides Portfolio for Southern Africa.

The main focus of this role will be to drive and execute:

- **New products**: Gap and opportunity analysis, new ideation, business case development and approval, assisting in protocol development, pre-launch and launch activities, positioning and pricing, go to market strategies, systems (Calyx, GNPL, etc..), UPL Global coordination, etc.
- **Training and Information**: Developing training and informational material such as speaker packs, brochures, unique selling points, launch and communication strategies, marketing campaigns, etc.
- **Current products**: Portfolio and life cycle management, product rationalization, marketing campaigns, etc.
- **Collaboration and information dissemination**: Drive collaboration within UPL Southern Africa and Global departments such as Commercial, Development, Regulatory and Supply Chain. Ensure dissemination of information from UPL global to local and vice versa. Drive collaboration and sharing of information with external stakeholders such as UPL Distributors.

**Role Responsibility**
- **Portfolio Management - **60% of time allocation**
- Responsible for budget target delivery for the categories.
- Up to date knowledge of the markets and submarkets (market information data basis)
- Contribute to market intelligence projects (market survey, pricing survey)
- Understand all technical aspects and positioning of the different products in the spray programmes
- Contribute to Product / Market opportunity assessment & business case definition
- Responsible for range GAP analysis & guidance to R&D budget /Acquisition strategy
- Define portfolio, crop spray program & product strategies, including the 4 Ps (Product, Place (distribution), Price, Promotion.
- Responsible for new product introduction, new product launches and Promotional programs
- Drive the procurement process for product launches that includes all related UPL systems.
- Responsible of price positioning of the range i.e. provide value proposition & competition benchmark analysis for price decisions
- Contribute to marketing assumptions for yearly budget for the categories.
- Manage promotional and advertorials campaigns or functions of current products / portfolios.
- Attend UPL Global category meetings to improve cross pollination and information dissemination
- **Business Development - **30% of time allocation**
- Contribute to business support initiatives to achieve budget target in GP (training meetings, launch meetings, marketing campaigns, technical & marketing support for regional sales and marketing teams).
- Develop training programs and train, UPL sales team, distributors, and agents for the positioning & the value proposition of the range.
- Contribute to key account approach development - customer data base with key promotion initiatives.
- Identify and negotiate possible third products to expand range and offerings.
- Coordinate demonstration trials for business development and product launches.
- Recommendation on continuous improvement of current labels and packaging.
- Identifying new uses for current products.
- **General - **10% of time allocation**
- Input into general marketing strategies for the sub-region.
- Input into company strategies and execution thereof within the region
- Investigating claims and product performance issues.
- Ensure all administrative functions and system inputs are up to date.

**Internal Stakeholders**
- Liaises with Commercial, Development and Marketing on new product launches, technical training, focus products, marketing activities, demonstrations, and field events, etc.
- Liaises with Supply Chain, to ensure forecasting and stock availability

**External Stakeholders**
- Distributors, Distributor representatives
- Farmers
- Researchers and industry specialists
- Suppliers

**Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required**
- 5 years’ experience in crop protection industry in marketing & business development positions
- BSc Degree or Diploma in Agriculture. BASOS and AVCASA certified.
- If not BASOS and AVCASA certified, will be required to successfully obtain within first year of service.
- Good business/market intelligence and excellent technical skill regarding marketing tools and strategies.
- Broad knowledge of agrochemical & Ag input business with good industry credibility and value chain expertise
- Broad knowledge of crop cultivating and production methods.
- Good technical understanding of bio stimulant and innovative nutrition and key competitors in the mar