Role: Commercial Director
Reports to: CEO UAE
Industry: Plastic Packaging (B2B, FMCG-focused)
Role Mandate
The Commercial Director will own the growth, profitability, and customer strategy for the packaging business. The mandate is clear: drive profitable growth, deepen key customer relationships, and build a world-class commercial organization tightly aligned with manufacturing execution.
This is a senior leadership role with full accountability for revenue, margins, pricing discipline, and commercial strategy, working closely with the plant leadership and regional stakeholders.
Core Outcomes
- Consistent top-line growth with margin improvement
- Strong, sticky relationships with key FMCG/food/dairy/pharma customers
- Disciplined pricing, forecasting, and pipeline management
- A high-performing, accountable sales and commercial team
- Tight alignment between commercial commitments and plant execution
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Strategy & Growth
- Define and execute the commercial strategy for packaging in the UAE.
- Identify growth segments, key accounts, and portfolio opportunities.
- Drive long-term customer partnerships rather than transactional sales.
Sales Leadership & Key Accounts
- Lead and develop the national sales organization.
- Personally manage and anchor strategic/top-tier customers.
- Lead complex negotiations, long-term contracts, and pricing frameworks.
- Own sales planning, forecasting accuracy, and pipeline discipline.
Pricing, Margins & Profitability
- Full ownership of pricing strategy, contribution margins, and discount governance.
- Work closely with Finance and Operations on costing, mix improvement, and profitability.
- Ensure commercial decisions are data-driven and margin-focused.
Cross-Functional Execution
- Partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Planning, Quality, and NPD teams.
- Ensure sales commitments are executable and aligned with capacity and cost structures.
- Act as the single point of accountability between customers and the plant.
Leadership & Team Building
- Build, coach, and retain a strong commercial leadership bench.
- Drive a culture of accountability, performance, and customer obsession.
- Establish clear KPIs, cadence reviews, and succession plans.
Candidate Profile
Experience
- 1518+ years of B2B commercial experience in manufacturing.
- Strong preference for plastic packaging/plastics/FMCG/Personal Care.
- Proven track record of managing large key accounts and sales teams.
- Direct experience working with manufacturing plants (not pure trading).
Capabilities
- Strong commercial judgment and negotiation skills.
- Deep understanding of pricing, margins, and cost structures.
- Strategic thinker with hands-on execution capability.
- Comfortable operating at Board/CEO level and on the shop-floor.
Leadership Style
- Direct, data-driven, and accountable.
- Customer-centric but operationally grounded.
- Able to challenge, align, and execute across functions.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field.
- MBA or equivalent preferred but not mandatory.
