Regional Sales Manager - South Africa

Sulzer offers you a wealth of opportunities to drive your career into the direction that you want, depending on your skills and interests. We invite you to apply if you are ready to take the next step. 

We are seeking a driven technical Sales Manager to lead the growth of our Mass Transfer Components and Services (MTCS) business in South Africa and SSA. Based close to our customer base, you will play a pivotal role in bridging technical expertise with commercial strategy — analyzing customer requirements, delivering tailored solutions, and building long‑term partnerships that deliver real value.

This is not just a sales role — it’s an opportunity to apply your engineering knowledge, problem‑solving skills, and business acumen to shape projects that impact critical industries such as refining, petrochemicals, renewables, bio-based and oil & gas. You will be empowered to develop market strategies, applications, lead techno-commercial discussions, and manage the full sales cycle from inquiry until execution, while collaborating with global experts and local teams.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Customer Engagement – Conduct regular visits to existing and prospective customers to understand technical and commercial needs, present company capabilities, build client intimacy and ensuring long‑term client relationships.
• Business Development – Identify, generate, and develop new sales opportunities within the defined territory and markets, ensuring a strong pipeline of projects and sustainable business growth.
• Technical & Commercial Analysis – Evaluate customer inquiries from both technical and commercial perspectives, collaborating with application managers and technical back‑office specialists to ensure alignment with customer requirements.
• Proposal Development & Delivery – Prepare and present technically and commercially sound proposals and deliver technical sales or training presentations that clearly communicate design choices, performance benefits, and added-value.
• Solutions development – Develop efficient, cost‑effective designs using client process data and in‑house software tools to meet customer requirements.
• Costing & Estimation – Prepare accurate cost calculations for proposed solutions using in‑house costing tools (e.g., Sulprice) and/or in cooperation with factory‑based Cost Estimation Groups (CEG).
• Tendering & Negotiations – Manage the full tendering process, including preparation, submission, follow‑up, client clarification meetings, and negotiation of commercial terms to secure profitable and fair contracts.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration – Work closely with TAS, TFS, APT engineers, and other CT offices to align on project opportunities to maximize value proposition to the client  
• Conduct & Compliance – Uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct by adhering to company policies, compliance requirements, and the corporate Code of Conduct, ensuring integrity in all business dealings.
• Reporting & Project Handover – Maintain accurate client data, enquiries, and visit reports; manage project/Turnaround schedules; assess and prioritize incoming enquiries; and occasionally transfer orders with all relevant technical and commercial information (Hand over) to Project Management Teams for execution.

Minimum Job requirements

Education requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, or a Process Engineering related technical discipline. A master’s degree is an advantage.

Job experience:

• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in one or more of the following:
  • Operational plants/factories – Process engineering, plant improvement, revamp projects, or operations technical support within regional/local refineries, petrochemical plants, gas production, processing facilities or other chemical/biobased plants.
  • Technology & services provider / EPC– Technical sales and proposal engineering and with local technology providers for the process industry, industry service organizations or local EPC contractors.
  • Blended background – A combination of operational plants and technology provider/EPC experience is highly valued.

Technical Expertise

• Strong understanding of separation technologies, mass transfer equipment, mixing technologies, or related process technologies.
• Ability to analyze process data and propose technically sound, cost‑effective solutions.
• Familiarity with technical drawings such as PFDs and P&IDs.

Commercial Expertise

• Awareness of commercial systems and procedures, including contract terms.
• Proven ability to prepare proposals, tenders, and cost estimates, and to participate in contract negotiations.
• Experience engaging in CAPEX project development for greenfield or brownfield projects is an advantage.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Strong interpersonal skills to build trust with client engineering and operations teams, acting as a technical advisor and business partner.
• Ability to work cross‑functionally with engineering, project management, and service teams.
• Leadership potential with the ability to influence strategy and mentor colleagues.

Knowledge, Competencies & Behaviors

• High level of flexibility, strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team.
• IT literacy (spreadsheets, databases, email, CRM systems).
• Strong people skills and customer focus.
• Willingness to travel frequently within South Africa and across SSA.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken); additional regional languages are an advantage.
• Valid driver’s license (or willingness to obtain one).

Compliance & Integrity

• Respect for the protection of confidential and sensitive information.
• Commitment to upholding company policies, ethical standards, and the corporate Code of Conduct in all business dealings.

LOCATION OF WORK:

Based in South Africa, with proximity to customers across SSA.

TRAINING

Comprehensive technical & commercial training will be provided in Sulzer products, technologies, and procedures.

 No visa or work permit support can be provided for this role. 

Do you have a question about the role? Reach out to recruitmentsa@sulzer.com. 

You apply,  complete your  profile in SuccessFactors, make sure you complete the relevant sections before submitting your application. 

We are looking forward hearing from you! 

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