Head of Commercial (3 Positions)

Role Overview

This position owns the commercial engine of a large, product-led business — shaping the annual plan for volume, revenue, share and margin, then driving it through sales teams, distributors, dealers, showrooms, service points and export routes. Day to day, the work blends hands-on decisions on pricing, bids and key accounts with the leadership discipline of demand planning, cost control and cash collection. It matters because growth, market position and predictable fulfilment all depend on how well this function turns commercial strategy into confirmed orders and repeat business.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and roll out the annual commercial operating plan (AOP) — covering sales, revenue, market share, price architecture, profitability and customer targets — and hold the organisation accountable for delivering it.
• Own the route to market across distribution partners, the dealer network, company showrooms, service centres and export channels, focusing on coverage, product availability and a consistent customer experience.
• Run the project and specification side of the business: tenders, key account relationships, specifier engagement and major commercial or infrastructure bids, from qualification through to completion and final payment.
• Set pricing and revenue management discipline, translate market and competitor intelligence into positioning decisions, and test where product mix, innovation and new offers can lift commercial profitability.
• Lead demand planning and S&OP, working closely with Production, Supply Chain, Logistics and Customer Service so commitments made to customers can be met without excess stock or costly expediting.
• Track and interrogate performance — sales against plan, gross margin, operating expenditure, collections, DSO and other commercial KPIs — and produce regular management information for the CEO and executive team that explains variance and the actions being taken.
• Recruit, coach and manage the commercial team, setting clear performance expectations, building capability, planning succession and keeping commercial, procurement and other functions aligned.
• Sponsor commercial change initiatives — process improvement, analytics and digital adoption, governance and compliance — that make the function faster, cleaner and more reliable.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Sales & Marketing or a related field; an MBA or postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• 15–20 years of overall experience, including 7–10 years in senior commercial leadership within manufacturing, FMCG, building materials or another product-based business.
• Prior experience with a global multinational or a large regional company is preferred.
• Demonstrated command of distribution and dealer networks, retail operations, project sales, key accounts and commercial strategy, supported by a strong grasp of pricing, revenue management, market intelligence, budgeting, forecasting, profitability and business development.
• A track record of delivering AOP targets, growing revenue and market share, and leading high-performing commercial teams.
• Strong commercial, financial and analytical judgement, with negotiation and stakeholder-management skills that hold up at board and customer level.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and ERP systems — SAP S/4HANA preferred; experience with Power BI and digital collaboration platforms is a plus.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili.