Head of Trading, Produce

About Nile.ag

Nile’s mission is to enhance the livelihoods of both farmers and consumers throughout Africa. By providing a digital ecosystem that streamlines trading and transactions, we help farmers improve their economic viability while ensuring food remains affordable for consumers. Our all-in-one application allows farmers to sell produce, access funds, and manage input procurement and financing. This role sits in our Fresh Produce division.

We are a high-growth company backed by institutional investors, including Naspers and the Dutch Development Bank (FMO). Our founding team brings together experience from world-class organisations such as Amazon, J.P. Morgan, and Luno. Learn more about us at www.nile.ag/about

Our Team & Culture

We are committed to building a high-performing team that is passionate about fundamentally transforming Africa’s food systems. Nile’s work environment is fast-paced, modern, and fun, reflecting the nature of our high-growth business. We operate daily based on our core values, which form the foundation of all our decisions.

The Role

The Head of Trading is accountable for the commercial strategy, execution and profitability of the Fresh Produce division. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team, build deep relationships with customers and ensure balanced growth in both supply and demand while maintaining strong operational and financial discipline. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, working closely with the Founders to set and execute the commercial strategy for Fresh Produce.

This role is ideal for a commercially minded leader who enjoys building new capabilities, working closely with product and operations teams, and turning complex, real-world trading challenges into scalable solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Commercial Leadership & Strategy
• Full accountability for commercial performance including sales, GP %, working capital discipline, claims management, and bad debt exposure
• Develop and implement strategies to secure adequate supply and drive demand growth, specifically focusing on:
• Acquiring new customers
• Deepening engagement and sales within the current customer base
• Leading initiatives for large-volume and high-value transactions to build momentum, while empowering the team to manage routine daily trading activities
• Oversight of the export commercial strategy, performance, and customer relationships
• Identify and test new commercial initiatives, pricing approaches, routes to market, and customer propositions to unlock growth and improve marketplace efficiency
• Contribute to Nile’s broader commercial and organisational strategy as part of the senior leadership group
• Customer & Relationship Management
• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with buyers and farmers
• Personally own and resolve complex customer situations
• Attend industry and client events to represent Nile and strengthen commercial partnerships
• Team Leadership & Performance
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing commercial team
• Set clear KPIs, targets, and accountability frameworks across all sub-teams
• Drive recruitment initiatives to support growth 
• Foster a performance-driven culture while supporting development of junior team members
• Operational Excellence & Scale
• Drive operational efficiencies to unlock scalability and cost benefits within the division
• Work cross-functionally to improve processes, reduce friction, and enhance execution
• Partner with product, engineering, and customer success teams to define, test, and prioritise technology improvements that support commercial scale, efficiency, and customer experience

What Success Looks Like After 12 Month

• Double-digit growth in division sales, with gross profit margin held or improved
• Larger share of business from top buyers, and new key accounts won
• Claims, bad debt and working capital inside agreed limits
• Every team member on clear KPIs and targets, with key hires made
• More volume moving through the platform with less manual intervention

Requirements

• Experience: 10+ years in commercial, sales or trading roles, with at least 5 in senior leadership, ideally in fresh produce, commodities, logistics or FMCG businesses
• Leadership: Proven track record leading managers and multi-layered teams
• Commercial: Full P&L ownership; strong command of gross profit, pricing, working capital and credit risk
• Relationships: Credibility with senior buyers, commercial farmers and executive stakeholders
• Data and tools: Runs the business from data and dashboards; quick to adopt new tools, including AI
• Education: Relevant tertiary qualification preferred
• Mobility: Willing to travel regularly

Benefits

A competitive package with a performance incentive, a seat in the senior leadership group, and the chance to shape how fresh produce is traded in Africa.

At Nile we value the creativity and unique perspectives found in diverse and inclusive workplaces.

To apply, please contact us at careers@nile.ag