Commercial Manager

About the Role

Tas'Helat Marketing, a prominent fuel stations chain, is seeking a highly experienced Commercial Manager to join its team in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This full-time role is central to leading the commercial strategy and category planning across the company's multi-site network. The Commercial Manager will be responsible for driving net sales growth, optimizing margins, and enhancing product availability to achieve business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement commercial strategy and category planning.
• Oversee categorization, range architecture, and assortment selection.
• Manage store clustering, formats, and space allocation.
• Lead supplier negotiation and define trading terms.
• Manage pricing strategies and margin optimization.
• Plan and execute promotions and supplier-funded activities.
• Drive development in fresh food, beverages, and food service categories.
• Ensure product availability, optimize supply chain, and manage inventory performance.
• Conduct performance management, analytics, and reporting.
• Provide team leadership and foster cross-functional collaboration.

Key Performance Indicators

• C-Store net sales and growth, segmented by category, format, and cluster.
• Gross margin rate, gross profit, and gross profit after supplier income.
• Basket size, items per basket, and forecourt to store conversion rate.
• Supplier income secured against target and income realization rate.
• On-shelf availability at store level.
• Shrink and waste as a percentage of sales, by category and cluster.
• Stock cover, stock ageing, and total inventory value.
• Range productivity measured as sales and gross profit per linear metre and per stock keeping unit.
• Fresh, food service, and coffee share of sales and of gross profit.
• Planogram compliance, range compliance, and price file accuracy.
• Supplier scorecard performance and value of cost price increases avoided or deferred.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• University degree in Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Economics, or a related discipline. A postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• 10 to 15 years of experience in retail commercial roles, including at least 4 years leading category management or buying.
• Proven track record in convenience, forecourt, grocery, or food service retail with direct accountability for category profit and loss.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating trading terms and supplier income with national suppliers and distributors.
• Practical experience in range architecture, store clustering, space management, and planogram governance within a multi-site network.
• Experience with the Saudi landscape, including direct store delivery models, is strongly preferred.
• Experience in a transformation or turnaround environment is an advantage.

Technical Skills and Competencies

• Proficiency in category management disciplines, including role of category, range review, assortment optimization, and space-to-sales analysis.
• Familiarity with space planning and planogram tools such as Blue Yonder, JDA, Relex, or equivalent.
• Advanced Excel and commercial modelling skills, with working knowledge of Power BI or an equivalent analytics platform.
• Experience with ERP and merchandising systems, including item master, pricing, and purchasing modules.
• Retail accounting literacy covering margin, markdown, accruals, supplier income treatment, and stock valuation.
• Working knowledge of Saudi regulatory requirements affecting food retail, labelling, excise goods, and invoicing.
• Strong negotiation and influencing capability, demonstrating commercial resilience under pressure.
• Analytical rigor and ability to work from raw transaction data through to decision-making.
• Structured execution and calendar discipline across multiple suppliers, categories, and sites.
• Collaborative leadership style, effectively working across Operations, Finance, Marketing, and Supply Chain.
• People development orientation, with the ability to build and mentor a category team.
• Bias for action and comfort operating within a changing organizational environment.

Work Environment and Travel

The role is based in Riyadh and requires a willingness to travel regularly across the network for site visits and supplier meetings. This position offers an opportunity to contribute significantly to a leading fuel stations chain.