Commercial Administrator – Coal

Role Overview

Provide end-to-end commercial and administrative support across Purchase Order (PO) activity and transporter (road/rail haulage) administration contracts, performance monitoring, weight/mass reconciliation, and general commercial admin ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant transactions between the mine/commercial team, suppliers, and transporters.

This role sits at the intersection of procurement admin and logistics/contract admin, so the ideal candidate needs strong numerical accuracy, systems literacy, and the discipline to manage recurring reconciliations without errors slipping through. Key Responsibility Areas

a. Purchase Order (PO) Administration

• Raise, amend, and close POs on the SAP/procurement system
• Match POs to supplier quotes, contracts, and delivery notes
• Follow up on outstanding/overdue POs with suppliers and internal stakeholders
• Reconcile PO values against invoices (3-way match: PO – GRN – Invoice)
• Resolve PO/invoice discrepancies (price, quantity, tax) with procurement/finance
• Maintain PO tracking register/dashboard (open, closed, overdue, value)
• Support month-end PO accrual reporting

b. Transporter Contract & Performance Administration

• Maintain and file all transporter contracts (SLAs, rate schedules, validity periods)
• Track contract renewal dates and flag expiries in advance
• Monitor transporter performance against agreed KPIs (on-time delivery, turnaround time, breakdown/downtime, complaints, accident/incident rate)
• Compile weekly/monthly transporter scorecards
• Log and follow up on non-conformances or penalty clauses (demurrage, late delivery penalties)
• Coordinate performance review meetings with transporters and commercial/logistics management
• Support tender/rate negotiation admin (rate comparison sheets, historic performance input)

c. Weight/Mass Reconciliation ("Weight Difference")

• Capture weighbridge (loading point) vs destination (offloading point) mass
• Calculate weight variances (loss/gain) per load, per transporter, per route
• Apply moisture/quality adjustment factors where relevant
• Raise claims/debit notes against transporters for out-of-tolerance shortages
• Maintain a weight variance log/trend report by transporter and route

d. General Admin Support

• Filing and document control (contracts, PODs, weighbridge tickets, certificates)
• Data entry and record maintenance across systems/spreadsheets
• Preparing routine reports for the commercial/logistics team
• Ad hoc support tasks as assigned (BEE , Credit application)

e. Detailed Task List

• Raise, amend, and close Purchase Orders (POs).
• Match POs, Goods Received Notes (GRNs), and invoices, and flag any differences.
• Follow up on outstanding POs and prepare aging reports.
• Capture weighbridge information and compare loads against destination weights.
• Calculate and report weight variances by transporter and route.
• Raise shortage claims and debit notes when required.
• Maintain and update the transporter contract register.
• Monitor contract expiry dates and send renewal alerts.
• Prepare transporter performance scorecards and track KPIs.
• Attend transporter review meetings and record minutes and action items.
• Assist with month-end PO accruals and prepare accrual schedules.
• Maintain proper filing and document control for contracts, POs, and related documents.
• Prepare ad hoc reports and summaries for management.

f. Core Competencies & Skills Required

Technical

• Strong numerical/analytical ability (percentages, ratios, variance calculations)
• Advanced Excel (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, IF/SUMIFS, basic dashboards)
• SAP/procurement system exposure (SAP)
• Understanding of basic contract terms (SLAs, penalty clauses, Incoterms is a plus)
• Basic understanding of coal logistics (weighbridge processes, moisture content, tonnage, rail vs road haulage)

Behavioural

• High attention to detail and accuracy under repetitive workload
• Strong follow-up discipline and deadline management
• Assertive but professional communication (chasing suppliers/transporters)
• Comfortable escalating issues without being confrontational
• Organized, methodical, good document control habits

g. KPIs / Performance Measures

• % of POs processed within SLA (e.g., 48 hours)
• PO/invoice match accuracy rate
• Weight variance reporting turnaround (same day/next day)
• Number of unresolved weight variance claims older than 30 days
• Contract renewal alerts issued (100% before expiry, e.g., 60 days prior)
• Transporter scorecards delivered on time (monthly)
• Error/rework rate on reconciliations

6- 2 Year Succession & Development Plan

Year 1 – Foundation & Competence

Focus: Master the core admin, build systems fluency, establish accuracy and consistency.

• Full onboarding on ERP/PO system and weighbridge/reconciliation process
• Shadow senior staff on transporter contract reviews for first quarter
• Complete internal Excel/data accuracy training
• Independently manage full PO cycle and daily weight reconciliation by month 6
• Begin compiling monthly transporter scorecards unsupervised by month 9
• Milestone review at 12 months: competency sign-off on PO admin, weight reconciliation, and basic contract administration

Year 2 – Growth & Ownership

Focus: Take ownership of transporter relationship admin and start analytical contribution.

• Lead transporter performance review meetings (with management oversight)
• Take primary responsibility for contract renewal tracking and rate negotiation support
• Introduce/refine variance trend dashboards (moving from manual to automated reporting)
• Cross-train on adjacent function (e.g., basic procurement sourcing or logistics scheduling)
• Contract Management Fundamentals / Commercial Acumen for Non-Commercial Roles
• Milestone review at 24 months: demonstrated ability to manage transporter relationships and identify cost/variance-saving opportunities

Kind Regards For more information please contact: Zama Masango