Sales Manager – South Africa & Southern Africa

Role Overview:

Our client is seeking a Sales Manager based in South Africa to lead and grow the business in the South African market, while also developing currently untapped Southern African markets, including Zambia, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Mozambique.

The role will be split approximately 50% focus on South Africa and 50% on neighboring Southern African countries. In South Africa, the role centers on managing and developing existing distributor partnerships, supporting new product launches, and driving consistent execution. In the broader region, the focus will be on market entry, distributor identification, and business development.

This is a hands-on, field-driven role with a structured balance between field presence, home-office work, and regional travel.

Working Model & Travel
Based in Johannesburg / Gauteng area.
Minimum 2 days per week in the field with the local sales team and distributors (hospital visits, evaluations, trainings).
Remaining time allocated to home-office work, including distributor communication, online research, market mapping, and business development outreach.
Approximately 5060 days of international travel per year to neighboring Southern African markets for distributor development, trainings, and key customer engagement.

Key Responsibilities

South Africa (Approx. 50%)
Manage and support the current distributor(s) in South Africa, ensuring strong day-to-day execution and achievement of sales targets.
Identify gaps in portfolio coverage and, where necessary, develop new distribution channels for product lines not currently represented.
Support new product launches, including market introduction, pricing alignment, and positioning.
Lead and support product evaluations with new hospital accounts and key users.
Conduct regular hospital visits, supporting product trials, demonstrations, and clinical trainings.
Drive and support marketing initiatives, workshops, and local promotional activities.
Closely monitor distributor performance, follow up on forecasts, pipeline, and execution.

Southern Africa (Approx. 50%)
Develop currently untapped markets across Zambia, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Mozambique.
Identify, evaluate, and onboard new distributors or partners in these markets.
Support early-stage market development activities, including registrations, product evaluations, and key account engagement.
Build relationships with key stakeholders and lay the groundwork for sustainable long-term growth.

Regional & Internal Coordination
Coordinate closely with headquarters and regional teams on product supply, pricing, market access, and long-term market development.
Provide structured market feedback, competitor insights, and growth recommendations.
Support KOL engagement and reference site development where applicable.

Requirements
57 years of medical device sales experience in South Africa.
Strong background in surgical or OR-based environments (general surgery, thoracic, bariatric, urology preferred).
Solid understanding of the South African healthcare system, including public and private sectors.
Exposure to or understanding of neighboring Southern African markets is a strong advantage.
Proven track record in sales performance, distributor management, customer relationship development, and project execution.
Established network of surgeons, KOLs, or hospital stakeholders in relevant specialties.
Self-driven, structured, and capable of working independently while aligning with a China-based HQ and regional management.
Fluent in English; additional regional languages are a plus.