Group Chief Commercial Officer – Manufacturing

About the role

The Group Chief Commercial Officer – Manufacturing will shape and execute the commercial strategy for a leading East African manufacturing group operating in pharmaceutical and industrial sectors. Reporting to the Group CEO and sitting on the Executive Committee, the role drives market positioning, revenue growth and profitability across the organisation.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership on the Executive Committee to accelerate commercial growth and business development.
• Advise the CEO on market trends, competitive positioning and improvement opportunities.
• Develop and implement the commercial vision, strategy and resource plans to meet P&L targets.
• Lead bidding for large government and NGO tenders across East Africa.
• Oversee branding, sales force effectiveness, product positioning, pricing and market access.
• Manage Gross‑to‑Net profitability by optimizing trade spend, distributor margins and pricing corridors.
• Identify new markets, product diversification, export and value‑added manufacturing opportunities.
• Drive Integrated Business Planning to align demand with manufacturing capacity.
• Lead, mentor and manage the Commercial Department, including KPI tracking and succession planning.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with customers, distributors, regulators and partners.
• Ensure compliance with statutory, regulatory and internal commercial governance policies.

Required profile

• Honours Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, Business, Chemistry, Biotechnology or Science; MBA preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of relevant experience, including at least 5 years at ExCo/Director level in manufacturing or pharma.
• Proven ability to lead large, diverse teams and influence cross‑functional executives.
• Strong financial acumen, analytical and problem‑solving capabilities.
• Excellent negotiation, communication and stakeholder‑influence skills.

Required skills

• Proficiency with ERP systems.
• Advanced use of MS Project.
• Expertise in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong skills in PowerPoint.
• Competence in MS Word.