Plennegy is rooted in agriculture and growing through diversification and is committed to ethical and sustainable business across all our operations. From seed to service, from field to fuel, and from farms to freight - we support industries and communities with integrity, innovation and care. We invest for the long term, serve with purpose, and remain grounded in our values. With a reach that spans South Africa, into Africa and over fifty countries worldwide, the Plennegy Group is rooted in agriculture – and growing through diversification. We are committed to ongoing research and development to drive innovation in seed genetics, crop solutions and sustainable farming practices, while delivering superior service across all our operations – from field to fleet, and beyond. As a proudly family-owned business, we invest with a long-term view. Our agility, responsiveness to market needs, and deep understanding of our largely family-owned farming customer base enable us to implement initiatives that create meaningful, lasting impact – not only in agriculture, but also in transport, fuel, and vehicle services.

The following position has become available at Plennegy, based in Kempton Park: Sage X3 Functional Specialist.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

ERP Functional Support, Fault Resolution and Consulting Partner Liaison

• All high-priority Sage X3 support tickets triaged within 1 business day; consulting partner-assigned service desk backlog reviewed weekly; open items older than 30 days escalated with documented status.


• Monthly reporting to Group IT Manager on open ticket age, consulting partner spend attribution, and resolution trend.


• Root cause documented for all recurring ERP faults; functional or configuration remediation implemented within agreed timelines; reduction in repeat tickets quarter-on-quarter.


• Zero unapproved changes to the Sage X3 production environment.

System Configuration, Financial Accuracy and Change Governance

• All ERP configuration changes documented with a functional specification before implementation; UAT sign-off obtained for every change before production deployment.


• Financial control accounts reconciled at each month-end; costing variances (PPV, inventory costing adjustments, GRNI, overhead) investigated and resolved within the financial period close.


• Zero production deployments proceeding without a documented rollback approach.

ERP Improvement, Requirements and Change Pipeline

• A documented change brief required for all ERP enhancement requests before any configuration or development work commences; sign-off obtained from the relevant business stakeholder prior to solution design.


• A prioritised ERP change backlog maintained and reviewed monthly with the Group IT Manager, with effort estimates and business impact ratings for each item.


• Functional specifications produced for all system changes, covering current state, proposed solution, configuration steps, test criteria, and rollback approach.

Integration, Data Integrity and Development Collaboration

• All integration touchpoints between Sage X3 and adjacent systems documented and kept current; functional input provided to the development team for any API, EDI, or data pipeline work involving ERP data.


• Data integrity checks performed at period-end across key integration points; discrepancies raised, investigated, and resolved within the financial close window.


• No integration-related production incidents attributable to missing or outdated functional context.

User Enablement and Knowledge Management

• A structured super-user network maintained across business units; super-users trained on relevant module changes before production deployment.


• ERP process documentation maintained in the IT knowledge base and kept current following any configuration change; end-user guides reviewed at least annually.


• New staff onboarding onto Sage X3 supported with role-appropriate training and documented completion records.

Multi-entity and Multi-site Governance

• ERP configuration consistency maintained across all active Plennegy entities; any entity-specific deviations documented with business justification and approved by the Group IT Manager.


• Period-end close activities coordinated across entities to ensure financial reporting timelines are met; issues impeding close escalated on the day they are identified.

REQUIREMENTS:

Education/Qualifications:

• Matric / National Senior Certificate. (required)


• Tertiary qualification in Information Technology, Accounting, Financial Management, Business Informatics, or a related field at diploma level or higher. (required)


• Sage X3 functional certification or accreditation is preferred. Candidates with demonstrably strong hands-on Sage X3 experience who are not yet certified will be considered; practical depth of knowledge takes precedence over certification status.


• A formal project management qualification (PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent) is preferred but not required.

Experience:

• Minimum five years of hands-on Sage X3 experience in a functional or super-user capacity. (required)


• Demonstrated experience across at least three of the following modules: Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, Inventory, Purchasing, Sales, Manufacturing, or Quality Control.


• Proven experience resolving complex ERP faults independently, including costing discrepancies, control account imbalances, and integration errors.


• Experience managing or working alongside an external ERP consulting partner, including ticket triage, scope management, and spend tracking.


• Demonstrated experience documenting ERP configuration changes and enhancements in sufficient detail for developer handover, UAT execution, and post-implementation audit, covering current state, proposed solution, test criteria, and rollback approach.


• Experience planning and executing UAT cycles, including test script design, defect logging, and sign-off coordination.


• Multi-entity, multi-site, or multi-currency Sage X3 environment experience preferred.


• Agricultural, manufacturing, or distribution sector background advantageous.

Skills:

• Sage X3 system configuration: chart of accounts, dimensions, cost centres, site structures, costing methods, and inventory costing configuration.


• Financial process knowledge: AR/AP control account management, GL posting rules, period close, PPV journals, GRNI reconciliation, inventory costing methods, overhead absorption, and stock valuation.


• ERP fault diagnosis and root cause analysis; ability to isolate functional, configuration, and integration-related faults and document resolution clearly.


• ERP change documentation: ability to record configuration changes, enhancement designs, and system behaviour in plain language, covering current state, proposed solution, test criteria, and rollback approach, to a standard suitable for audit, developer handover, and UAT execution.


• UAT planning and execution: test script design, defect management, sign-off coordination with business stakeholders.


• IT service desk and documentation tooling for ticket tracking, change governance, and knowledge base maintenance.


• API and EDI integration fundamentals; ability to provide accurate functional context to the development team for integration-related issues.


• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to translate ERP behaviour into plain-language business impact for financial and operational stakeholders.


• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and deliver against documented commitments with minimal supervision.