JOB DESCRIPTION:

Commercial Development Lead (CDL) – Iraq

Department: Sales & Commercial

Location: Baghdad, Iraq

Reports To: Commercial Development Manager (Dubai)

Functional Reporting: Director – Global Sales & Commercial Growth

Travel Requirement:

Approximately 70% of domestic travel across Iraq (including KRG).

Position Purpose:

The Commercial Development Lead (CDL) serves as GTI's dedicated commercial representative in Iraq, responsible for driving the execution of the company's commercial strategy through close collaboration with the appointed distributor.

The role focuses on strengthening distributor capabilities, expanding distribution, improving in-market execution, generating commercial insights, supporting portfolio development, and ensuring alignment between GTI's strategic objectives and day-to-day market execution.

The CDL acts as the primary bridge between GTI headquarters and the local distributor, ensuring opportunities are identified early, challenges are addressed proactively, and commercial initiatives are effectively executed to deliver sustainable business growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Commercial Strategy & Business Development:

Execute GTI's commercial strategy and annual business plan within the Iraqi market.
Identify growth opportunities across channels, regions and customer segments.
Develop market-specific action plans to accelerate sales, distribution, and market penetration.
Monitor market trends, regulatory developments, and competitive activities to identify commercial opportunities and risks.
Support the launch of new products and commercial initiatives in coordination with HQ.

Distributor Management:

Build strong day-to-day working relationships with distributor teams.
Conduct regular business review meetings to monitor performance against agreed objectives.
Track implementation of agreed commercial initiatives and follow up on outstanding actions.
Support the distributor in implementing agreed commercial initiatives.
Act as the primary communication channel between GTI and the distributor's organization.

Sales Execution & Route-to-Market:

Conduct regular market visits with and without distributor sales teams.
Evaluate route-to-market effectiveness and recommend improvements to sales coverage and territory management.
Monitor product availability and distribution across wholesalers and retail channels.
Identify opportunities to improve numeric and weighted distribution.
Support the implementation of trade-related initiatives and sales tools.

Trade Marketing & Brand Execution

Monitor execution of merchandising standards and visibility initiatives.
Support deployment of displays, POS materials, and promotional materials.
Conduct retail audits to evaluate execution quality and compliance.
Identify opportunities to strengthen brand visibility and shopper engagement.
Work closely with GTI Marketing and Trade Marketing teams during campaign execution.

Portfolio & Pricing Management

Monitor portfolio performance across all channels.
Identify opportunities for portfolio expansion.
Conduct regular price monitoring of GTI and competitor products.
Recommend pricing or trade support actions based on market dynamics.
Support evaluation of new product introductions and test launches.

Market Intelligence:

Monitor competitor activities, pricing, promotions, and product launches.
Conduct regular retail and wholesale market audits.
Gather consumer and trade feedback to support business decisions.
Provide market insights and recommendations to HQ.
Identify emerging trends and changing consumer preferences.

Planning & Reporting:

Prepare weekly market updates highlighting key developments.
Submit monthly commercial performance reports and action plans.
Maintain accurate records of distributor performance and market activities.
Monitor agreed KPIs and report deviations with corrective action recommendations.
Support demand planning by providing market intelligence and sales forecasts.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

The Commercial Development Lead will be evaluated against the following key performance indicators:

Commercial Performance:

Implementation of market-proposed initiatives.
Distribution expansion (numeric and weighted distribution).
Market share growth in priority categories.
Successful execution of cycle commercial plans.

Distributor Development:

Timely implementation of agreed action plans.
Improvement in distributor commercial capabilities.
Business review completion and follow-up effectiveness.

Execution Excellence:

Trade marketing execution compliance.
Product availability across key channels.
Retail visibility and merchandising standards.
Successful implementation of new product launches.

Market Intelligence:

Accuracy and timeliness of market reporting.
Competitive intelligence quality.
Identification of commercial opportunities and risks.
Forecast accuracy.

Qualifications & Experience:

Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Commerce or a related field.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years of experience in FMCG, tobacco or consumer goods.
Experience managing distributors or indirect sales channels.
Strong understanding of the Iraqi retail and wholesale landscape.
Experience in route-to-market, trade marketing, or commercial development is needed.

Languages:

Arabic – Native/Fluent
English – Professional proficiency
Kurdish – Advanced

Core Competencies:

Commercial Acumen
Distributor Management
Relationship Building
Negotiation & Influencing Skills
Analytical Thinking
Execution Excellence
Problem Solving
Planning & Organization
Communication Skills
Results Orientation
Adaptability & Resilience
Integrity & Professionalism

Commercial Development Lead (CDL) – Iraq

About the Job