WHAT DOES A COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR DO?

Published: August 05, 2024 - The Commercial Director oversees the execution of capital projects, enhances project controls for cost and schedule management, and develops robust procedures ensuring deliverable completion. This position negotiates contracts and manages commercial relationships with consultants, contractors, and vendors while maintaining firm control over internal budgets, cash flow, and financial plans. This role provides leadership and mentorship to the team, champions effective talent development strategies, and navigates the complexities of Asia Pacific supply chain management.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Commercial Director

1. Commercial Director Duties

  • Revenue Growth: Leads on new business opportunities and commercial activity, driving the College’s approach to employer-related income.
  • Income Generation: Generates, creates, and optimizes commercial and other partnership opportunities, ensuring relevant income generation targets are achieved.
  • Strategic Planning: Shapes and refines a whole College commercial plan that explores potential new revenue streams to deliver profitable revenue growth.
  • Profit Increase: Drives increased revenue and profit to achieve the College’s ambitious growth of new commercial business opportunities.
  • Leadership: Provides leadership and day-to-day line management to teams within the scope of responsibility including Business Development and Marketing, and ensures targets are set, monitored, and achieved.
  • Strategy Development: Develops and implements commercial strategies in line with company goals and objectives, aiming to accelerate growth.
  • Business Planning: Develops detailed business plans on commercial opportunities.
  • Relationship Management: Builds relationships across the business and with customers to ensure customer needs are met.
  • Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborates with internal stakeholders to ensure business growth.
  • Partnership Maintenance: Builds and maintains profitable partnerships with key stakeholders.
  • Negotiation Support: Assists in negotiations to facilitate the placing of Major Contracts.
  • Contract Negotiation: Negotiates and clarifies contractual requirements in meetings with consultants and contractors.
  • Team Management: Manages a team of both pre and post-contract commercial staff.
  • Talent Development: Invests in the growth and development of the talent within the organization..

2. Commercial Director Details

  • Customer Advocacy: Be the voice of the beef customer for the organization by helping the commercial team sustain deep customer relationships and drive collaborative growth opportunities for customers and prospects.
  • Innovation Leadership: Identify and work with relevant industry and Cargill stakeholders to unlock innovation that solves everyday problems for customers.
  • Growth Leadership: Lead a growth focus across the organization by moving seamlessly from strategy to actions that balance short-term business performance with long-term needs around commercial capabilities, assets, and people.
  • Operational Planning: Leverage processes to build annual operating plans, integrated business planning, and continuous improvement across the beef portfolio.
  • Financial Integration: Integrate business knowledge and financial acumen across market requirements to deliver on bottom-line commitments.
  • Systems Thinking: Use a systems thinking approach to drive growth and maximize performance across a broad customer base in the pasture and feedlot segments.
  • Leadership Development: Provide leadership and develop talent for the sales organization.
  • Team Performance: Foster and build a high-performing team with a culture of accountability.
  • Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead and influence across functions within Cargill with direct accountability for the Beef P&L.
  • Influential Leadership: Proven ability to influence across teams and organizations with a view beyond the commercial system.
  • Digital Optimization: Leverage data and digital solutions to improve the customer experience, processes, and systems.
  • Procurement Strategy: Establish robust procurement strategies for Major Works on a challenging time frame using different methodologies.
  • Tender Management: Review and prepare invitations to tender for Major Works including specialist disciplines.
  • Tender Evaluation: Review tender submissions and assist in the evaluation of the same for recommendation to the Employer.
  • Talent Management: Ensure the organization has the necessary outstanding talent to deliver the Company’s strategy.
  • Inclusion Promotion: Promotes and sponsors an environment of inclusion and diversity and engages in personal development.

3. Commercial Director Responsibilities

  • Commercial Oversight: Responsible for all commercial activities across the intelligence business to ensure sustainable and profitable growth.
  • Strategy Development: Developing, defining, and leading commercial strategies in line with the objectives of the intelligence business.
  • Strategic Implementation: Implementing the strategic aims across the 4 business streams, which include: Defence, National Security and Intelligence (NS&I), Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), and Immigration, Borders and Law Enforcement (IB&LE).
  • Team Management: Managing a team of Account Directors leading the 4 business streams, Account Managers, and a Bid Manager.
  • Financial Oversight: Assisting with setting, managing, and monitoring financial targets and budget development.
  • Performance Monitoring: Monitoring performance of commercial activities using key metrics.
  • Stakeholder Support: Providing escalation points for customers/stakeholders on commercial issues.
  • Deal Development: Working with Account Directors and the Legal department to develop appropriate commercial deals.
  • Contract Negotiation: Negotiate ongoing contracts with suppliers and customers.
  • Contract Management: Manage and review contracts and make recommendations regarding commerciality.
  • Marketing Collaboration: Working with the Marketing team to develop brand recognition and go-to-market strategies.
  • Relationship Building: Build positive ongoing business relationships with key potential partners and clients.

4. Commercial Director Job Summary

  • Capital Governance: Provide governance over the execution of capital project investment.
  • Project Controls Development: Develop the breadth and depth of the Project Controls function for Cost and Schedule management.
  • Process Leadership: Lead the project controls process - cost & schedule by developing robust, project-specific procedures and controls ensuring deliverables are met.
  • Contract Management: Manage the commercial aspects of contracts/sub-consultants and sub-contractors for engineering and construction.
  • Agreement Negotiation: Negotiate agreements with Consultants, Contractors, and Vendors.
  • Financial Ownership: Own the financial and cost plans, strong management of internal budgets and cash flow.
  • Cost Monitoring: Manage, monitor, and report on project cost performance and ensure all reporting is accurate for any change management, claims, etc.
  • Legal and Supply Collaboration: Work with the legal team to develop and manage contracts and with the supply-chain team on vendor procurement and management.
  • Procurement Management: Manage all the contractors' and sub-consultants procurement and agreements to the stages of Purchase Order and Invoicing.
  • Risk Management: Overview of risk management and mitigation of potential exposure.
  • Team Leadership: Lead the team and provide them with mentorship and the rightful training.
  • Regional Supply Chain Insights: Understand Asia Pacific Supply Chain Management peculiarities, trends and how companies should set up their infrastructure to benefit from the Region’s rapid pace of transformation.
  • Confidentiality Maintenance: Maintain confidentiality of all documents and information.
  • Talent Development: Create an environment where talent is developed through effective coaching, performance management, talent evaluation systems, and utilization of people

5. Commercial Director Accountabilities

  • Strategic Planning: Develop and implement the short and long-term strategic and operating plans for LPE to deliver and exceed revenue growth targets for the LPE portfolio in APAC.
  • Market Strategy Optimization: Work with country commercial teams in APAC, optimize and update the go-to-market strategy for the LPE portfolio including the appropriate mix between direct and distribution partners.
  • Initiative Leadership: Lead short-mid-long term initiatives in conjunction with sales to drive execution of product strategy and tactics to achieve growth.
  • Market Opportunity Analysis: Identify and evaluate market opportunities for growth, and engage cross-division capabilities to drive business development opportunities for key and emerging vertical market segments.
  • Key Account Strategy: Drive key account strategy by working collaboratively with country commercial leaders to accelerate top-line growth and strengthen the pipeline of large opportunities by leveraging company scale and value proposition.
  • Marketing Localization: Localize global marketing campaigns to drive revenue.
  • Marketing Support: Leverage global and regional marketing teams to support local sales strategies and markets.
  • Customer Intelligence Collection: Collect the regional Voice of the Customer & Voice of Commercial and Market Intelligence.
  • Customer Advocacy: Advocate for regional customer needs and requirements and ensure Product Management has the relevant input for the development of new products and solutions.
  • Budget Management: Plan and manage the business’s budget appropriately including revenue, margin, and operating expenditure.
  • Team Leadership: Lead and develop a strong commercial management team and develop a pipeline for leadership and pivotal positions.
  • Organizational Design: Provide input to organizational design to fully realize both operational and strategic goals.
  • Sales Organization Development: Provide input to the sales organization to create jobs with strong accountability and development responsibility opportunities in the pursuit of sales capability excellence.
  • Talent Management: Provide input to key account managers and area sales managers to effectively create and fill openings with the appropriate mix of internal promotions and external recruitment to satisfy near-term performance, and longer-term succession needs.

6. Commercial Director Functions

  • Strategy Alignment: Developing and delivering supply and insurance strategies in line with the overall CarTrawler strategy.
  • Relationship Building: Developing constructive relationships with car and insurance suppliers and building long-term value for both parties.
  • Commercial Negotiations: Managing commercial negotiations of contracts, rates, incentives, rebates, and terms/conditions in a timely fashion ensuring the commercial incentives are at a minimum aligned with those of the peers.
  • Supplier Collaboration: Working with the suppliers in an effective and consistent manner with the two-way exchange of insight that can enhance ours and their businesses.
  • Innovation Roadmap: Developing a roadmap of compelling supplier-related product enhancements and innovations and working with stakeholders across the business to ensure delivery of the same.
  • Supply Optimization: Monitoring, expanding, and optimizing the quality and availability of car and insurance supply.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring insurance and supplier regulation and compliance requirements are met.
  • Content Integration: Ensuring that the supplier content is integrated, maintained, and optimized to the highest standards at all times.
  • Team Management: Management of the team and providing leadership.
  • Performance Awareness: Ensure agency teams are aware of the performance of their clients and how they are tracking toward forecasts.
  • Resource Guidance: Support the Agency in ensuring that the organization is staffed appropriately, guiding appropriate resourcing.
  • Revenue Alignment: Ensuring this matches revenue forecasts/risks and delivers appropriate bottom-line returns to the group.
  • Resource Planning: Support functional team leads on resource planning for their teams.
  • Compliance and Best Practices: Work with GroupM/WPP Risk and Compliance teams on ensuring best practices in internal controls and a robust control environment

7. Commercial Director Job Description

  • Budget Management: Manage and coordinate the annual budgeting process and the quarterly re-forecast process, in collaboration with GroupM finance, agency commercial teams, FinancePlus, and regional brand teams.
  • Brand Reporting: Responsible for regional and global brand reporting, analysis, and oversees recharges and cost allocations.
  • Performance Tracking: Track and forecast monthly performance across all states, identifying sources of growth or challenges, client risks and opportunities, and proactively working up solutions to improve performance.
  • Business Reviews: Conduct monthly and quarterly business reviews with State MDs, Client Leads, and Investment/Product Leads.
  • Commercial Guidance: Provide ongoing guidance on future commercial performance of the businesses, identifying opportunities and potential headwinds.
  • Talent Strategy Support: Support the Exco on future-facing talent optimization strategies, balancing offshoring and local talent to deliver best-in-class outcomes for clients.
  • Contract Management: Lead Commercial and Client contract activities, from pitch/RFP pricing proposals and submissions to contract negotiation, reporting, renewal, updates, incentives, and audits for all Clients.
  • Compliance Monitoring: Monitor compliance to client contracts, including preparation and appropriate handling of client audits – following the GroupM Client Audit guidelines.
  • Sales Procedures Definition: Define sales procedures by defining the various steps in dealing with inquiries for rooms and C&C Sales, establishment and control of same day 24/hrs response time commitment.
  • Business Procurement: Procure new and repeat business by monitoring contact with commercial houses, meeting planners, travel agencies, wholesalers, private clubs, professional associations, and airlines within local, domestic and key international markets.
  • Key Contact Maintenance: Maintain contact with key decision-makers in all segments through sales calls, telephone contact, and written communication.
  • Standards Review: Undertake all reviews of standards & procedures.
  • Sales Planning: Plan and execute sales trips to major market areas and establishment of 3 months Sales rolling plan.

8. Commercial Director Overview

  • Group Marketing Leadership: Being responsible for group marketing initiatives for B2B and B2C.
  • Infrastructure Development: Developing the required infrastructure to drive fleet solutions, including Apps, Payment systems, QR codes, or ANPR etc.
  • Strategic Online Promotion: Building a strategic plan for online promotional activity and generation of new business.
  • Strategic Contribution: Contributing to the strategic development of the group.
  • Concept Development: Creating a concept and developing it through to fruition.
  • Monetization Responsibility: Responsible for the monetization of Agoro assets and capabilities, either through the sales of carbon credits for the voluntary market, or as Scope 3 emissions.
  • Relationship Building: Build relationships with large carbon credit buyers.
  • Market Insights: Provide insights on evolving carbon market trends, value, and relevant regulatory developments.
  • Project Financing: Identify and structure project financing opportunities to accelerate and de-risk the growth of Agoro.
  • System Development: Develop, alongside the finance and digital teams, initial systems/structures including carbon repository, financial analysis, commercial risk monitoring, and projections.
  • Partnership Proposals: Work in coordination with country teams in structuring proposals for partnerships and demand for large clients.
  • Contract Management: Work with the Legal and Contracts team, to establish a variety of contracts (ex. with buyers), and guide internally on contracting policies and procedures.
  • Industry Representation: Represent Agoro in industry events and other outreach opportunities, to create new business opportunities.
  • Value Optimization: Integrate pricing logic upstream to optimize value maximization.

9. Commercial Director Details and Accountabilities

  • Sales Supervision: Communicates with assigned sales representatives regularly to supervise the account pipeline, ensure there is an active sales funnel, and ensure core proficiency requirements are met.
  • Sales Strategy Implementation: Communicate, strategize, plan, and implement sales efforts with assigned team members to ensure quarterly/annual goals are achieved and exceeded.
  • Market Trend Analysis: Communicate effectively with the Global Sales and Services Director regarding business trends for the region including risks to the business, potential opportunities, and competitive information within the territory.
  • Inclusive Environment Creation: Create an inclusive environment across team members, not only within their region but with both the rest of the global commercial organization and the internal sales channels.
  • Channel Collaboration: Work effectively with Channel Manager, which includes distribution sales channels to implement Regional Sales Strategies.
  • Sales Training: Assists with the hiring, coaching, training, and mentoring of sales representatives, including corrective actions, through the Thermo Performance Management and Development program.
  • CRM Management: Works extensively with CRM to accurately manage revenue and bookings forecast and key performance indicators.
  • Pricing Strategy Development: Work with sales representatives to build customer pricing strategies and proposals that assure growth and profitability.
  • Account Management: Responsible for developing major account relationships at the executive level to grow sales.
  • Partner Interaction: Interacts with key business partners, like marketing and product strategy teams to identify improvement opportunities to align with a long-term sales strategy.
  • Cultural Leadership: Continually helps to improve the company culture leading by example to the 4i values of Thermo Fisher Scientific – Integrity, Intensity, Innovation, and Involvement.
  • Project Coordination: Being accountable for the proper coordination and consistency of the legal, tax, financial, and funding aspects of live projects and pipelines.
  • Finance Support: Supporting the corporate finance and finance advisory teams in developing and implementing project funding strategies.

10. Commercial Director Tasks

  • Business Strategy Contribution: Fully contribute to the design of the hotel’s business strategy.
  • Management Participation: Actively participate in the key management issues in the property (e.g., planned refurbishment, training, customer service improvement campaigns).
  • Staff Support: Actively support the General Manager by providing advice, support, and training in upselling and cross-selling skills to the Front Desk and F&B staff.
  • Promotional Activities: Actively promote restaurant reservations and analyze the performance of existing customers.
  • Competitive Analysis: Analyze competitors’ activities and pricing strategies.
  • Market Share Analysis: Analysis of fair market share with 5 major competitors on a monthly and YTD basis.
  • Trend Analysis: Analyze trends of business by market segment, channel, and GOB – coordinate all activities to maintain and increase revenue through added business volume and increased rate.
  • Action Planning: Schedule detailed action plans to support the Revenue Proposal for all sections of the business.
  • Market Identification: Identification of the capabilities of the hotel to serve the various types of business and programming of hotel sales efforts to solicit those sources the hotel is best qualified to serve, profitably.
  • Sales Monitoring: Monitors production and profitability of sales packages and is responsible for the creation of Events to fill need periods.
  • Sales Tool Development: Creation and ongoing update of a photo book to be used as a key sales tool for events.
  • Team Oversight: Oversee the appointment of key professional team members and be responsible for the procurement, preparation, review, and compilation of project control documents at key stages.
  • Risk Management: Ensure that appropriate risk management processes are established, maintained, and integrated into project workstreams.
  • Project Leadership: Ensuring that relevant project and transaction teams are briefed, targeted, and led to achieve specific commercial objectives.
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