Job description
Business Development Manager - Supply Side Sales
Reporting Manager: Category Manager
Location: Remote in South Africa
Budget: R550k - R600k p/a
About the Role
As a Supplier Business Development Manager reporting to the Supplier Category Manager, you’ll play a critical role in growing and managing our supplier base for the B2B diamond marketplace. This role is for a driven, strategic professional who excels in building supplier relationships, optimising their performance, and aligning their products with market needs. You’ll act as a revenue co-pilot for suppliers, working closely with them from onboarding through sustained success. Your work will ensure that our platform offers the best quality, selection, and value for buyers, creating a dynamic and profitable environment for both suppliers and our business.
What You’ll Do
In this role, you’ll identify, onboard, and support high-potential suppliers while maximising their sales growth and ensuring quality and inventory alignment with customer demand. You will act as both a consultant and a coach, guiding suppliers to optimise their product offerings, pricing, and availability. Your insights and proactive support will be instrumental in helping suppliers grow on our platform, creating value and a seamless experience for buyers.
Responsibilities
Supplier Acquisition and Onboarding: Identify and onboard high-quality suppliers that align with category standards. Communicate marketplace value propositions clearly and drive their engagement with our platform.
Account Management and Supplier Support: Build strong, consultative relationships with suppliers to ensure alignment with business goals. Act as a primary point of contact for their growth, success, and troubleshooting needs. Work hand in hand with tech and customer support teams to ensure every interaction is seamless.
Performance Analysis and Reporting: Use data to assess supplier performance, identify growth opportunities, and provide actionable feedback on selection, pricing, and quality metrics.
Sales Enablement and Revenue Growth: Drive suppliers to meet revenue targets by optimising product assortment, pricing, and inventory levels. Promote express stock initiatives to ensure fast delivery options.
Quality and Compliance Oversight: Work closely with suppliers to maintain high-quality standards, minimising return rates and customer complaints through proactive quality assurance.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with category management, product, and operations teams to align on category objectives, drive buyer engagement, and support product marketing initiatives.
Supplier Training and Development: Develop training resources and guides to help suppliers understand best practices for product listing optimization, quality control, and category-specific performance metrics.
Growth Strategy Implementation: Implement growth initiatives based on category OKRs, aiming for increased active suppliers and improved supplier performance on key metrics (availability, sold-out rates, and express sales).
Key Objectives (OKRs)
Supplier Activation and Engagement: Achieve and maintain 95% active suppliers, consistently engaging with suppliers to foster long-term marketplace participation.
Revenue and Growth: Drive incremental supplier sales through proactive support, strategic product alignment, and seasonal optimisation.
Product Quality and Availability: Ensure 98% of listed products are active and in stock, with a sold-out rate below 0.50%.
Express Revenue: Target a sell-through rate (STR) of 75% on express products and increase express stock availability.
Your Qualifications and Experience
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
4+ years of experience in account management, sales, business development, or a related role, ideally within B2B marketplaces or e-commerce.
Strong Communication Skills: Exceptional relationship-building and communication abilities, with a consultative approach to supplier management.
Data-Driven Mindset: Proficiency in using data and analytics to guide decisions and performance improvements.
Customer-Centric & Quality-Oriented: A commitment to ensuring the highest quality standards and a positive customer experience through strong supplier support.
Self-Starter with Growth Focus: Highly motivated to achieve targets, with a proactive approach to problem-solving and supplier growth.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in B2B marketplaces, luxury retail, or tech-enabled marketplaces.
Familiarity with supply chain processes and inventory management.
Proven success in driving revenue growth and optimising supplier performance.
What You’ll Get
World-class sales training and techniques.
Fast-paced and multinational working environment.
The opportunity to be part of a hyper-growth scale-up.
Flexibility with remote working.
Generous holiday allowance.
Highly competitive base salary.
Lucrative bonus structure.
Medical aid through Discovery.
If you’re ready to take on a dynamic role with opportunities to shape supplier success in a fast-growing marketplace, we’d love to hear from you! This position is perfect for someone who enjoys both the strategic and relational aspects of supplier development, with a passion for driving measurable impact.
