Commercial Trading Executive – Medicines Supply Chain (South Africa Remote)

Location: Remote

Working Hours: Monday to Friday 40 hours (UK time)

Company: FACES

Salary: £1,500 – £2,000 Base Salary per month + Commission (Depending on experience at least 5 years)

• Commission: Uncapped 2% Commission on Gross Profit
• Expected Commission: £500 – £1,000+ per month based on current pipelines
• Total Target Earnings (OTE): £2,000 – £3,000+ per month (R43,460 – R65,190+)

About the Role

We are looking for a commercially sharp individual to join our medicines supply and trading team.

This is not a standard purchasing role, and it is not a standard sales role. We are looking for someone who can think like a trader: someone who can look at pricing, stock, supplier relationships, customer demand, and market information, then quickly recognise where an opportunity may exist.

In this role, a supplier may also be a customer. A failed sale may become a buying opportunity. A price objection may be a genuine market insight, a negotiation tactic, or a chance to test the strength of our own pricing. We need someone who can recognise these situations, ask the right questions, and turn conversations into commercial value.

You do not need to have worked in pharmaceutical trading before, but you must be naturally commercially minded. The right person will be curious, confident, numerate, resilient, and able to spot opportunities that others may miss.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the buying and selling of medicines and related products within a regulated wholesale environment.
• Speak with suppliers, customers, and trade contacts to understand pricing, demand, availability, and opportunity.
• Identify where we can make sales, reduce purchasing costs, improve margin, or source products more competitively.
• Compare prices, stock levels, expiry dates, delivery terms, and customer demand to assess whether a trade makes sense.
• Recognise when a customer conversation may also create a supplier opportunity.
• Recognise when a price objection may be genuine, incorrect, or part of a negotiation.
• Help the business decide when to hold firm, when to sharpen a price, when to walk away, and when to explore a different commercial angle.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers and customers.
• Keep accurate records of pricing, stock availability, conversations, and follow-up actions.
• Work closely with the pharmacy, wholesale, operations, and compliance teams to ensure all activity is handled correctly.
• Escalate unusual pricing, supply concerns, or compliance risks where required.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who:

• Thinks commercially and instinctively looks for margin opportunities.
• Is confident discussing price without immediately giving away margin.
• Can challenge information politely and professionally.
• Does not take every customer or supplier statement at face value.
• Can identify when a conversation has more than one possible commercial outcome.
• Understands that the cheapest price is not always the best deal.
• Can spot where stock, timing, demand, expiry, delivery speed, or payment terms change the value of a trade.
• Is comfortable using spreadsheets, price lists, and simple margin calculations.
• Has strong attention to detail and understands the importance of accuracy in a regulated environment.
• Is proactive, curious, and able to think independently.
• Can balance commercial opportunity with compliance, reputation, and operational practicality.

Useful Experience

Experience in any of the following would be helpful, but is not essential:

• Pharmaceutical wholesale
• Medicines supply chain
• Commercial trading
• Buying or procurement
• Sales or account management
• Stock control or inventory management
• Healthcare, pharmacy, aesthetics, or medical supplies
• Marketplace, distribution, or wholesale businesses

We are more interested in how you think than in your exact job history.

The Right Person Will Be Able To

• Look at a price list and quickly spot what is worth investigating.
• Understand when a buyer may also become a supplier.
• Understand when a supplier relationship may create a sales opportunity.
• Respond commercially when someone says they can buy cheaper elsewhere.
• Test whether a price objection is genuine without being confrontational.
• Know when to protect margin and when to sharpen a price to win business.
• Use conversations to gather market intelligence.
• Follow up quickly and turn information into action.
• Learn the medicines market and become more commercially valuable over time.

Why Join Us?

You will be joining a fast-moving healthcare and medicines business with active supplier relationships, customer demand, and real trading opportunities.

This role is ideal for someone who wants to become commercially valuable within a growing business. For the right person, there is a clear opportunity to develop into a senior trading, purchasing, or commercial management role.

How To Apply

Please send your CV with a short note explaining why you think you would be suited to a commercial trading role.

In your application, we would be interested to hear about a time when you spotted an opportunity, negotiated a better deal, challenged a price, protected margin, saved money, or turned a conversation into a commercial outcome.

Pay: R32 000,00 - R43 000,00 per month

Experience:

• Commercial Trading: 3 years (Preferred)

Work Location: Remote