Business Unit Manager (Johannesburg)

1. JOB PURPOSE STATEMENT (WHY THE JOB EXISTS)

The Business Unit Manager exists to lead, grow, and optimize a defined portfolio of OEM vendors, programs, and commercial opportunities, ensuring that the business unit delivers sustainable revenue growth, profitability, customer value, and strategic relevance for Mecer Inter-Ed.

This role is responsible for building and commercializing high-value strategic partnerships with assigned OEM vendors and other relevant stakeholders, translating vendor strategy, market demand, and customer needs into compelling, high-quality learning solutions that strengthen Mecer Inter-Ed’s position as the preferred learning partner of choice.

The Business Unit Manager is accountable for the end-to-end performance of the business unit, including vendor relationship management, portfolio development, sales enablement, pipeline growth, customer engagement, marketing alignment, operational compliance, and continuous improvement.

Through strong market insight, disciplined execution, and close cross-functional collaboration, the role ensures alignment to vendor requirements, supports world-class customer experience, unlocks funding and growth opportunities, and advances the company’s mission to enable workforce capability, organizational efficiency, and business outcomes

2. JOB OUTPUTS (WHAT THE JOB AIMS TO DO)

Key Performance Areas (KPA’s)

MAIN DUTIES:

• Strategic Vendor and Partner Leadership - Develop, manage, and strengthen strategic relationships with assigned OEM vendors, alliance partners, and key external stakeholders to drive mutual growth, market relevance, and long-term commercial value.
• Act as the primary business owner for the vendor portfolio, ensuring that vendor strategies, requirements, certifications, specializations, and partner expectations are understood, maintained, and converted into practical business opportunities for Mecer Inter-Ed.
• Business Unit Growth and Commercial Performance - Own the commercial success of the business unit by driving revenue, gross profit, market share, and customer acquisition across the assigned vendor and solution portfolio.
• Build, maintain, and convert a healthy opportunity pipeline through proactive business development, account support, partner engagement, and market expansion initiatives that increase the number of profitable clients, programmes, and partnerships.
• Programme and Portfolio Development - Collaborate with vendors and internal stakeholders to design, enhance, and continuously improve training programmes, certifications, and enablement solutions that meet vendor standards, customer demand, and emerging market needs
• Ensure that the business unit portfolio remains relevant, competitive, high quality, and aligned to Mecer Inter-Ed’s guiding philosophy to train, enable, and transform customers and partners.
• Customer Engagement and Sales Enablement - Support revenue generation by working closely with account managers and sales teams as a business unit subject matter lead, contributing strategic insight, credibility, and solution positioning during customer and partner engagements.
• Conduct regular customer visits, preferably in person where practical and appropriate, together with the relevant Mecer Inter-Ed account manager, to build executive rapport, identify skill gaps, position service offerings, discuss OEM incentives, and uncover new business opportunities across end customers and ecosystem partners.
• Marketing, Demand Generation and Market Eminence - Plan and support targeted marketing and demand-generation initiatives that increase awareness, credibility, and market eminence for the assigned vendor programmes and business unit offerings.
• Work with marketing, sales, and vendor stakeholders to align campaigns, events, launches, and messaging to business objectives, customer priorities, and growth targets.
• Contract, Funding and Commercial Governance - Manage the lifecycle of vendor contracts, partnership agreements, authorizations, and programme commitments, ensuring deadlines, deliverables, renewals, and compliance obligations (accreditations or certifications) are met effectively and on time.
• Identify, secure, track, and optimize vendor funding, rebates, incentives, and co-investment opportunities (MDF where applicable) that improve profitability, support market development, and strengthen the commercial performance of the business unit.
• Cross-Functional Business Leadership - Work closely with internal teams across sales, marketing, operations, finance, delivery, and leadership to ensure coordinated execution of business plans, customer solutions, and growth strategies.
• Promote collaboration, shared accountability, and effective communication so that the business unit operates as an integrated, customer-focused, and high-performing function within the broader Mecer Inter-Ed business.
• Performance Monitoring and Reporting - Monitor, analyze, and report on business unit performance, including pipeline health, revenue, profitability, vendor relationship health, programme uptake, campaign outcomes, and strategic progress against agreed targets.
• Use data, SWOT insights, and market intelligence to identify risks, opportunities, corrective actions, and innovation priorities that improve business unit performance and resilience.
• Quality, Compliance and Operational Discipline - Ensure that all business unit activities are conducted in accordance with Mecer Inter-Ed quality standards, vendor requirements, internal policies, and applicable regulatory obligations.
• Participate in audits, assessments, governance reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives to protect service quality, operational integrity, and the company’s reputation.
• Professional Growth and Knowledge Leadership - Continuously strengthen personal expertise in vendor technologies, market trends, partner ecosystems, business development, and learning solutions to remain a credible and effective leader of the business unit.
• Share knowledge, mentor colleagues, and contribute to organizational learning, innovation, and capability building across Mecer Inter-Ed.
• Travel and Market Presence - Undertake local and international travel, where required and approved, to support vendor engagement, customer relationship development, partnership growth, programme expansion, and strategic market opportunities.
• Maintain an active presence in the market to strengthen relationships, improve visibility, and ensure the business unit remains closely connected to customer, vendor, and industry developments

AD HOC DUTIES:

• Various tasks, beyond the above listed, from time to time.

3. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Commerce, Marketing, Information Systems, or related field
• Advantageous: Postgraduate diploma or honours in Business, Technology Management, or Education/Training Management.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development in areas such a digital transformation, cloud, AI, cybersecurity, or enterprise solutions, depending on the BU focus.
• 5+ years’ experience in a commercial, partner, or business development role within the ICT, training, or technology services sector, with at least 3–5 years in a leadership or business unit management capacity
• Demonstrable experience managing OEM/vendor relationships, alliances, or channel ecosystems, including contract management, funding/incentives, and joint go to market planning.
• Proven track record of achieving revenue, margin, and growth targets, including building and managing a sales pipeline and supporting account teams in complex B2B deals.
• Experience working cross-functionally with sales, marketing, operations, finance, and delivery teams to execute growth strategies and improve customer experience.
• Exposure to regional or international markets, with demonstrated ability to travel and operate effectively across multiple time zones and cultures.
• Prior employment with a vendor-authorized learning partner, IT training provider, systems integrator, distributor, or OEM/vendor in a partner/channel or education role.
• Strong understanding of the technology training and certification landscape, workforce development drivers, and the role of skills enablement in digital and organisational transformation.
• Proficient computer skills, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, PowerBi, Dynamics365, Outlook, and Excel).

4. KNOWLEDGE, COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

Knowledge

1. Operations Management

• In-depth understanding of operations management principles and practices.
• Knowledge of process optimization, resource management, and performance measurement techniques.
• Familiarity with industry standards and best practices in operational efficiency and effectiveness.

2. Strategic Planning and Execution

• Expertise in developing and implementing strategic plans to achieve organizational goals.
• Understanding of business analysis and the ability to translate strategic objectives into operational plans.
• Knowledge of risk management frameworks and business continuity planning.

3. Financial Acumen

• Strong understanding of financial management principles, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Ability to analyse financial data and metrics to make informed operational decisions.

Competencies

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve high performance.
• Ability to think strategically and develop long-term plans to drive operational excellence.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills to address complex operational challenges.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with stakeholders at all levels.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Skills

• Project Management
• Data Analysis
• Change Management
• Negotiation
• Technical Proficiency