Commercial Director

Commercial Director

Reporting To: Managing Director

Location: Welham Green, Hertfordshire

Role and Responsibilities

The Commercial Director is responsible for leading the company s commercial strategy to drive sustainable revenue growth, profitability, and market expansion. The role oversees sales, business development, customer relationships, pricing strategy, and contract negotiations while ensuring alignment with the company s operational and manufacturing capabilities.

The Commercial Director plays a key role in identifying new market opportunities, developing strategic partnerships, and strengthening the company s position within gear manufacturing sectors such as aerospace, defence, medical, energy, or industrial manufacturing.

This job description is not intended to be a complete list of responsibilities and tasks and can be amended at any time according to the business requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Strategy:

• Develop and implement the company s commercial strategy to achieve revenue and profit targets.
• Identify new business opportunities, market segments, and strategic partnerships.
• Lead long-term sales planning aligned with company growth objectives.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and emerging technologies within the gear manufacturing sector.

Sales and Business Development:

• Lead and manage the sales and business development team.
• Develop key account strategies for major customers.
• Drive new customer acquisition and contract wins.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with strategic clients and stakeholders.

Pricing and Contract Management:

• Develop competitive pricing strategies aligned with cost structures and margin objectives.
• Lead commercial negotiations for major contracts and framework agreements.
• Ensure all commercial agreements mitigate risk and protect company interests.
• Work closely with legal and finance on contract terms and compliance.

Customer Relationship Management:

• Maintain high-level relationships with key customers and partners.
• Ensure excellent customer experience and long-term client retention.
• Act as the senior escalation point for major commercial issues.

Cross-Functional Leadership:

• Work closely with operations, engineering, and production teams to ensure commercial commitments align with delivery capabilities.
• Collaborate with finance to manage forecasts, budgets, and profitability.
• Support operational planning through accurate sales forecasting.

Financial Performance:

• Deliver revenue growth and margin targets.
• Monitor sales performance and pipeline management.
• Provide regular commercial performance reports to the executive team.

Leadership and Team Development:

• Lead, mentor, and develop the commercial team.
• Build a high-performance sales culture focused on accountability and results.
• Recruit and develop talent within the commercial function.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Order intake
• New business
• Customer retention rate / customer satisfaction (net promoter score)
• Price

Skills and Experience

Essential:

• Significant commercial leadership experience in precision engineering, advanced manufacturing, or industrial sectors.
• Proven track record of delivering orderbook growth and strategic business development.
• Experience managing complex B2B sales cycles and technical products.
• Strong commercial negotiation and contract management skills.
• Experience leading and developing sales teams.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen.
• Own AS9100 processes.

Desirable:

• Experience in sectors such as aerospace, defence and medical devices.
• Knowledge of CNC machining, precision components, or advanced manufacturing processes.
• International sales or export experience.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Business, or related field.
• MBA or equivalent commercial qualification.
• Or by experience.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen.
• Results-driven with strong leadership capability.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Strong relationship builder with customers and partners.
• Ability to operate effectively at all levels.