Head Of Commercial Excellence

Alfa Laval; Dubai; On-site; AED 600,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Sonihull, part of Alfa Laval, seeks a Head of Commercial Excellence to lead global sales capability, governance, and collaboration with regional teams. The role requires hands-on leadership in the field with RBMs and shaping the sales agenda as Sonihull scales globally.

You will work closely with the Head of Sales – Sonihull to raise professionalism, drive performance, and align regional sales activity with Alfa Laval standards while traveling extensively to engagements worldwide.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of international B2B sales leadership experience.
• Experience coaching distributed sales teams across a multi-regional structure.
• Proven ability to diagnose and redesign sales operations and governance.
• Fluent English (spoken and written) and willingness to travel extensively.

Responsibilities

• Field Leadership & capability building across regional RBMs.
• Partner with Regional Business Managers to sharpen commercial execution.
• Design coaching, onboarding, and capability development for global RBM network.
• Identify skill gaps and implement improved sales operations model.
• Establish standards for forecasting, pipeline management, and reporting.
• Align global sales leadership with regional sales networks and agendas.

Skills

Sales leadership

Coaching in the field

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Travel willingness

Education

University degree in business, engineering, or related field

MBA advantageous

Tools

CRM systems

Sales analytics tools

Job description

Job Description:

Head of Commercial Excellence – Sonihull

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Sonihull, a member of the Alfa Laval group, is a global leader in ultrasonic antifouling and agitation systems. Our award-winning technology is in use on thousands of vessels worldwide, with a growing footprint in industrial applications such as energy, steel, and dairy.

As Sonihull continues to scale within Alfa Laval, we are creating a new senior global role: Head of Commercial Excellence. Reporting to the Head of Sales – Sonihull and acting as his senior partner, you will take a hands‑on, field‑based role working directly with our global network of Regional Business Managers (RBMs) to sharpen commercial execution, strengthen sales operations and governance, and deepen collaboration between Sonihull and Alfa Laval's regional sales teams.

Purpose of the Role

This is a newly created, high‑impact global role for a proven, hands‑on sales leader ready to take the next step in their career. Working alongside the Head of Sales – Sonihull, you will play a critical role in raising the professionalism, capability, and effectiveness of Sonihull's global sales organisation – spending significant time in the field with RBMs, reviewing how the commercial function operates, and strengthening the partnership between Sonihull and Alfa Laval's regional sales network. This is a high‑visibility role with significant scope to grow in line with Sonihull's continued expansion.

Key Responsibilities

• Field Leadership & Capability Building
• Partner directly with Regional Business Managers in the field, shadowing customer and sales engagements to sharpen commercial execution and coach best practice.
• Design and roll out a structured coaching, onboarding, and capability‑development approach for the global RBM network.
• Identify and close skill gaps across the regional sales organisation, working region by region.
• Commercial Governance & Sales Operations
• Conduct a comprehensive review of Sonihull's current sales operations and governance framework – CRM usage, pipeline reporting, quoting and pricing approval workflows, and KPI structure.
• Design and implement an improved sales operations model that supports consistent, scalable execution across all regions.
• Establish clear standards and cadence for sales forecasting, pipeline management, and performance reporting.
• Global-to-Regional Alignment
• Work in close partnership with the Head of Sales – Sonihull to strengthen the operating rhythm, communication, and decision‑making structures between global sales leadership and the regional network.
• Provide senior, hands‑on support to the Head of Sales in shaping and driving the global sales agenda.
• Develop evidence‑based recommendations on how the sales leadership structure and cadence can be optimised as the business scales.
• Alfa Laval Partnership & Technology Adoption
• Investigate the drivers behind variable Sonihull adoption across Alfa Laval's regional sales organisations – including competency, training, incentives, and awareness.
• Design and implement targeted interventions, in partnership with regional Alfa Laval sales leadership, to close adoption gaps and build sustained demand.
• Build stronger day‑to‑day working relationships between Sonihull and Alfa Laval's regional sales teams.
• Strategic Contribution
• Contribute directly to the ongoing development of Sonihull's global commercial strategy.
• Represent Sonihull sales leadership in key stakeholder discussions across the Alfa Laval Ocean Division.

Key Competencies & Attributes

Coaching & Field Leadership

Skilled at developing sales talent through hands‑on coaching and shadowing, not just directing from the centre.

Diagnostic & Analytical Rigour

Able to assess complex organisational and operational structures objectively, and translate findings into practical, workable improvements.

Stakeholder Influence

Builds trust quickly across regional, functional, and seniority lines; operates with credibility in a matrixed, multicultural organisation.

Who You Are

You are a commercially sharp, hands‑on sales leader who thrives on getting into the detail, coaching in the field, untangling operational complexity, and building trust across a diverse, global organisation. You are comfortable challenging the status quo and operating with a broad, still‑evolving mandate. Most of all, you are motivated by measurable impact: stronger RBM performance, cleaner sales operations, and a closer working relationship between Sonihull and Alfa Laval's regional sales teams.

What You Know

• University degree in business, engineering, or a related field; MBA advantageous.
• 10+ years of international B2B sales leadership experience, ideally within industrial, maritime, or technical solution sales.
• A track record of coaching and developing distributed sales teams across a matrixed, multi‑regional structure.
• Experience diagnosing and redesigning sales operations, governance, or organisational structures – a background in sales operations, commercial excellence, or management consulting is a strong plus.
• Strong influencing and relationship‑building skills, with the ability to work effectively alongside senior leadership and field teams alike.
• Willingness to travel extensively and spend substantial time in the field with regional teams.
• Fluent English (spoken and written) is essential; additional languages are an advantage.

Key Working Relationships

Stakeholder

Collaboration Purpose

Head of Sales – Sonihull

Senior partnership in setting and driving the global sales agenda; day‑to‑day collaboration on priorities and decisions.

Regional Business Managers (Global)

Field coaching, capability building, and operational support across all regions.

Alfa Laval Regional Sales Leadership

Joint diagnosis of adoption gaps; alignment on go‑to‑market approach and training.

Sonihull Leadership Team

Strategic alignment on sales operations findings and recommendations.

HR & Talent Acquisition

Organisational design input; talent development and recruitment.

Why Join Sonihull?

Join a pioneering technology company backed by a global engineering leader. This role offers a rare combination of strategic scope and hands‑on impact – you will work across the full breadth of Sonihull's global commercial organisation, shaping how it operates while directly strengthening the people and relationships that drive its growth. You will benefit from the stability, reach, and career opportunities that come with being part of Alfa Laval.

Note

We care about diversity, inclusion and equity in our recruitment processes. We also believe behavioural traits can provide important insights into a candidate's fit to a role. To help us achieve this we apply Pymetrics assessments, and upon application you will be invited to play the assessment games.

Requirements: