Commercial Lead Sea Region

Msd; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 700 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pharmaceutical company is seeking a Commercial Lead to manage operations and partnerships within the SEA region. Ideal candidates will have significant experience in commercial roles, strong negotiation skills, and a proven ability to drive results in complex environments. A minimum of 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical field is required along with a commerce degree. The position is primarily based in South Africa, Gauteng.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of multinational experience, 3 years in commercial within pharmaceuticals.
• Experience managing top accounts with clear KPIs.
• Experience in export markets is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Manage commercial operations within the SEA region.
• Lead pricing and tender management efforts.
• Engage with local partners effectively to meet mutual objectives.

Skills

Strategic negotiation

Commercial acumen

Leadership

Analytical skills

Project management

Education

BSc. Commerce Degree

MBA (preferred)

Job description

Overview

Job DescriptionThe successful candidate must be based in Kenya. The SEA Region comprises of the following: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Mauritius. Reporting to the Director of SSA, the Commercial lead will be responsible for managing commercial operations, inclusive of all partnerships, alliances, tenders, projects and agreements within the regional realm, thus working closely along with marketing teams, and respective support functions to ensure implementation of strategies and KPI's as set forth in the annual marketing plan. The role mainly focuses on:

• Managing Alliance management operations: Financial forecasting, Inventory management, Data, Reporting, Governance, CRM, Digital integration, Contracting, Pricing, Projects, Promotional oversight and management.
• Leading the in-market Distributor Operations: Financial Forecasting, Inventory, Working capital, Projects.
• Leading Pricing: Leads the team to develop the pricing strategies to meet customers' needs while providing a profit for the organization.
• Tender Management: Leads the preparation of bids and tenders to national, regional or local governments, including private market tenders, and ensures that the organization's bids are fully compliant.
• Implementation of Strategy and Projects: Oversight of Alliance partner resources.
• Managing in-market sales especially in top accounts, Implementation of structured commercial processes to develop business in different trade customers etc.
• (Point of Sales Operations) Financials: Responsible for effectiveness & efficiency of commercial terms, ensuring proper governance and SOPs in place.

Major Responsibilities

• Establish a structured framework for engaging with local partners in a way that serves the mutual objectives & act as the face of our company to the relevant strategic alliances.
• Identify and align key stakeholders across internal and partner functions, put in place alliance governance and ensure that it functions efficiently.
• Develop a clear understanding for the trade environment of different trade customers in the market and support the execution of structured commercial processes in compliance with laws and regulations to maximize our business by driving topline and bottom-line.
• Articulate a clear strategy for the market covering both retail & public channel that is focusing on capturing trade opportunities with clear operational & financial KPIs; switch, availability / distribution and affordability.
• Active engagement and participation in CFT to mutually develop and deliver marketing strategy for priority franchises and markets.
• Establish CRM integration and digital capability in priority markets.
• Top level communication skills to ensure cross functional collaboration among different internal stakeholders.
• Experienced trade customer negotiation skills to ensure trade negotiation with top accounts are managed in a structured and effective manner.
• Establish analytics procedure that evaluates, quantifies, identifies and prioritizes revenue growth opportunities utilizing external & internal data resources and based on solid research data.
• Strict Governance and compliance to our company's Policies, Procedures and SOP's.

Qualifications & Competencies

He / she should have the following competencies:

• Track record of strategic and executional commercial achievements in a complex trade environment.
• Strong business and commercial acumen and leadership capabilities.
• Deep experience with externally facing partners / 3rd parties.
• Experience influencing senior leaders with business rationale both internally and externally.
• High level of understanding on managing top accounts in retail channel with clear set of KPIs.
• Ability to take rapid decision with calculated risks.
• Accustomed to working in a diverse and rapidly changing workload, delivering projects across several teams, timelines and within a matrix structure.
• Innovative strategic thinker with exceptional process and project management skills.
• Commercially astute, proactive and self-starter.
• Strategic thinker; Innovative and creative; problem solver.
• Demonstrates expert skills in pushing boundaries & setting the tone for hard negotiations, using indirect strategies to persuade such as establishing alliances.
• Analytical skills with an ability to synthesize data / insights into actionable business recommendations.
• Superior collaborative skills, with an ability to work across cultural, geographic, and hierarchical boundaries.

Education & Experience

• BSc., Commerce Degree or international equivalent from an accredited university. MBA is a plus.
• Minimum 10 years of multinational experience with at least 3 years of commercial experience within a leading pharmaceutical company.
• Experience in Export markets (SSA) is an added advantage.
• Experienced in managing top accounts (customers, distributors) in different channels with different therapeutic area experience.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership role and people management experience.

Personal Characteristics

• Passion for achievement; strong negotiating / influencing skills, integrity and drive with a strong desire to make things happen.
• Flexible mindset, interpersonal and organizational skills; strong customer focus and service orientation and communication skills.
• Confident; team player, can do multi-tasks, strong coordination, implementation skills.
• Resilient with an ability to deal with ambiguity and complex operating environments.
• Drive results & foster collaboration.
• Entrepreneurial mentality – willing to take reasonable risks.
• Mix of strategic thinker capabilities and strong operational and executional knowledge.

Employee Status: Regular. Relocation: VISA Sponsorship: Travel Requirements: Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable. Shift: Valid Driving License: Hazardous Material(s) Required Skills: Account Management, Business Management, Collaborative Development, Market Analysis, Marketing Strategies, Project Management, Revenue Maximization, Sales Forecasting, Sales Operations, Sales Strategy Development, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Collaborations. Preferred Skills: Job Posting End Date: 10/6.

Application Information

Current Employees apply HERE. Current Contingent Workers apply HERE.