Commercial Lead SEA Region

Job Description

The successful candidate must be based in Kenya

The SEA Region comprises of the following: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Mauritius

Description

Reporting to the Director of SSA, the Commercial lead, will be responsible for managing commercial operations, inclusive of all partnerships, alliances, tenders, projects and agreements within the regional realm, thus working closely along with marketing teams, and respective support functions to ensure implementation of strategies and KPI's as set forth in the annual marketing plan.

The role mainly focuses around:

• Managing the Alliance management operations: Financial forecasting, Inventory management, Data, Reporting, Governance, CRM, Digital integration, Contracting, Pricing, Projects, Promotional oversight and management. 
• Leading the in-market Distributor Operations: Financial Forecasting, Inventory,  Working capital, Projects.
• Leading the Pricing : Leads the team to develop the pricing strategies to meet customers' needs while providing a profit for the organization.
• Tender Management : Leads the preparation of bids and tenders to national, regional or local governments, including private market tenders, and ensures that the organization's bids are fully compliant.
• Leads Implementation of Strategy and Projects: Oversight of Alliance partner resources. Managing in market sales especially in top account, Implementation of structured commercial processes to develop business in different trade customers etc.  (Point of Sales Operations)
• Financials: Responsible for effectiveness & efficiency of commercial terms, ensuring proper governance and SOPs in place.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Establish a structured framework for engaging with local partners in a way that serves the mutual objectives & act as the face of our company to the relevant strategic alliances
• Identify and align key stakeholders across internal and partner functions, put in place alliance governance and ensure that it functions efficiently
• Develop a clear understanding for the trade environment of different trade customers in the market and support the execution of structured commercial processes in compliance with laws and regulations to maximize our business by driving topline and bottom-line.
• Articulate a clear strategy for the market covering both retail & public channel that is focusing on capturing trade opportunities with clear operational & financial KPIs; switch, availability/distribution and affordability.
• Active engagement and participation in CFT to mutually develop and deliver marketing strategy for priority franchises and markets.
• Establish CRM integration and digital capability in priority markets. 
• Top  level  communication  skills  to  ensure  cross  functional  collaboration  among different internal stakeholders
• Experienced trade customer negotiation skills to ensure trade negotiation with top accounts are managed in a structured and effective manner.
• Establish analytics  procedure  that  evaluates,  quantifies,  identifies  and  prioritizes revenue growth opportunities utilizing external & internal data resources and based on solid research data.
• Strict Governance and compliance to our company's Policies, Procedures and SOP's

Qualifications

The successful candidate will be a status quo changer & entrepreneurial. He/she should have the following competencies:

• Track record of strategic and executional commercial achievements in a complex trade environment.
• Strong business and commercial acumen and leadership capabilities.
• Deep experience with externally facing partners/3rd parties
• Experience  influencing  senior  leaders  with  business  rationale  both  internally and externally
• High level of understanding on managing top accounts in retail channel with clear set of KPIs.
• Ability to take rapid decision with calculated risks.
• Accustomed  to  working  in  a  diverse  and  rapidly  changing  workload,  delivering projects across several teams, timelines and within a matrix structure
• Innovative strategic thinker with exceptional process and project management skills.
• Commercially astute, proactive and self-starter
• Strategic thinker; Innovative and creative; problem solver
• Demonstrates  expert  skills  in  pushing  boundaries  &  setting  the  tone  for  hard negotiations, using indirect strategies to persuade such as establishing alliances.
• Analytical skills with an ability to synthesize data/insights into actionable business recommendations
• Superior collaborative skills, with an ability to work across cultural, geographic, and hierarchical boundaries

Education:

•    BSc., Commerce Degree or international equivalent from an accredited university, MBA is a plus.

•    Oral and written communication proficiency in English. French is an added advantage.

Personal Characteristics:

•    To have a passion for achievement; strong negotiating/influencing skills, integrity and drive with a strong desire to make things happen.

•    Flexible mindset, Interpersonal and organization skills; strong customer focus and service orientation and communication skills.

•    Confident;  team  player,  can  do  multi-tasks,  strong  coordination,  implementation skills.

•    Resilient with an ability to deal with ambiguity and complex operating environments

•    Drive results & foster collaboration

•    Entrepreneurial mentality – willing to take reasonable risks

•    Mix of strategic thinker capabilities and strong operational and executional knowledge

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED :

•  Minimum 10 years of multinational experience with at least 3 years of commercial experience within a leading pharmaceutical company. Experience in Export markets (SSA) is an added advantage

•    Experienced in managing top accounts (customers, distributors) in different channels with different therapeutic area experience

•    Minimum 5 years of leadership role and people management experience

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Required Skills:

Account Management, Business Management, Collaborative Development, Market Analysis, Marketing Strategies, Project Management, Revenue Maximization, Sales Forecasting, Sales Operations, Sales Strategy Development, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Collaborations

 Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

10/6/2025

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:R364384

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