General Manager, Commercial

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), this role offers a unique opportunity to lead the commercial function of a prominent modern retail and grocery business in Pakistan. The General Manager – Commercial will be responsible for driving sustainable topline growth, enhancing customer value, and expanding margins through effective management of buying, category management, pricing, assortment, supplier partnerships, and commercial planning. The ideal candidate will be a commercially astute retail leader with a strong customer focus, capable of balancing profitability with a compelling value proposition and high customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Strategy: Develop and translate business targets into comprehensive annual commercial and category plans. Build clear category growth roadmaps focused on sales, profitability, and customer outcomes. Drive growth across core grocery and fresh categories by identifying opportunities for differentiation, mix improvement, and enhanced commercial efficiency.

Buying & Category Management: Lead the buying and category management functions across all product categories. Own the assortment architecture, optimize range productivity, and manage mix decisions. Conduct data-driven category reviews and oversee commercial performance management. Lead supplier negotiations and manage annual commercial agreements. Supervise a commercial team consisting of Category Managers and Master Data personnel.

Pricing & Margin Management: Take ownership of buying and selling price decisions across categories, ensuring a disciplined pricing governance framework. Balance competitiveness, value perception, and profitability to improve front margin, back margin, and overall category profitability. Strategically determine when supplier gains should be retained or passed on to customers, aligning with category strategy and business priorities. Maintain strong value pricing without positioning the business as a discount retailer.

Supplier Partnerships: Establish and nurture strategic relationships with key suppliers, principals, and distributors. Enhance rebates, promotional funding, and joint business planning outcomes. Drive supplier accountability while maintaining a customer-first commercial mindset.

Commercial Planning & Customer Focus: Manage the commercial calendar, promotional planning, and trading rhythm. Improve promotion effectiveness by leveraging performance tracking and customer insights. Ensure commercial decisions consistently enhance customer satisfaction, assortment relevance, and value perception. Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance teams to optimize execution and elevate the customer experience.

Required Qualifications

- 10 to 15+ years of commercial leadership experience within grocery retail, FMCG, or modern trade sectors.
- Strong expertise in buying, category management, pricing, and supplier negotiations.
- Proven track record of delivering sales growth, improving customer satisfaction, and expanding margins.
- Demonstrated commercial acumen combined with a customer-first mindset.
- Hands-on operational approach with strong analytical and execution skills.
- Effective leadership capabilities, negotiation skills, and stakeholder management experience.
- Preferred age profile: under 40 years.

This role is ideal for a dynamic and commercially driven leader who thrives in a fast-paced retail environment and is passionate about creating value for both the business and its customers.