General Manager, Commercial Operations at a Reputable Company

We are seeking an entrepreneurial, commercially astute General Manager, Commercial Operations to lead and scale commercial strategy, sales, distribution networks, commodity trading, and P&L profitability for a company involved in palm oil production, sale, and marketing.

Key Responsibilities:

• Commercial Strategy & Revenue Growth: Develop and execute the overall commercial strategy across domestic and export markets. Set annual volume and revenue targets, establish dynamic pricing and margin architectures, and drive market expansion for both own-production output and third-party traded commodities.
• Sales & Key Account Management: Build and manage a strong pipeline of institutional, industrial, and wholesale off-takers (refiners, food processors, consumer goods manufacturers, major distributors, and modern retail). Negotiate long-term supply contracts, framework agreements, and volume offtake commitments while maximizing contribution margins.
• Palm Oil Trading & Aggregation: Establish and direct a bulk palm oil trading desk. Identify reliable origination sources (mills, aggregators, and smallholders), exploit regional price arbitrage, evaluate buy-sell margins factoring all carrying and shrinkage costs, and implement disciplined risk-management controls to safeguard working capital.
• Distribution & Route-to-Market: Design and optimize the direct and indirect distribution footprint across priority markets. Appoint and manage distributors, evaluate regional consolidation hubs and tank farms, oversee third-party logistics (3PL) performance, and minimize transit times, freight costs, and inventory shrinkage.
• Commercial Governance & Financial Control: Drive integrated business planning by aligning sales targets with mill production and procurement schedules. Establish customer credit evaluation procedures, set credit limits, enforce strict payment terms alongside Finance, and deliver regular commercial reports on revenue, margins, trading positions, and receivables days.

Required Qualifications & Key Skills:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, Finance, Supply Chain Management, Agriculture, or a related discipline. An MBA or relevant professional qualification is an added advantage.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of commercial experience in agribusiness, edible oils, FMCG distribution, or commodity trading, with at least 5 years in a senior commercial or business development leadership role.
• Industry Knowledge: In-depth understanding of the commercial agricultural value chain (sourcing, storage, logistics, bulk sales, and cash collection) and a strong network of bulk buyers, industrial processors, or commodity distribution channels.
• Technical Skills: Strong financial acumen in commodity margins, price-risk management, working-capital cycles, and commercial contract negotiation. High proficiency in sales pipeline management and commercial forecasting.
• Core Competencies: Commercial deal-maker mindset, sharp analytical capability, executive leadership, strong negotiation skills, and high ethical standards in managing trading and credit risks.