Commercial Manager – Channel & Shopper Strategy

We are seeking an experienced Commercial Manager – Channel & Shopper Strategy for our client, a reputable tobacco company based in Dubai. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in commercial management, shopper marketing, and channel strategy, with proven success in driving sales growth and market share. Role Purpose Drive profitable growth across nicotine categories by leading shopper insights, commercial strategy. Translate data into clear, actionable commercial plans, partnering with Market Heads and Marketing to optimise portfolio, channels and in-market execution. Key Responsibilities

• Shopper & Market Insights

• Lead collection, consolidation and analysis of market, shopper and customer data across all markets.
• Translate insights into clear recommendations on portfolio, pricing, promotions and distribution.
• Monitor category and SKU trends; identify risks, gaps and growth opportunities.

• Channel Strategy & Performance

• Define and refine channel strategies (retail, wholesale, eCom, B2B) in line with brand and commercial objectives.
• Translate market briefs into channel-specific plans and activation grids.
• Orchestrate regular performance forums with Market Heads to review KPIs, diagnose issues and agree actions.

• Trade Marketing & Toolkits

• Develop best-in-class trade marketing toolkits: guidelines, POSM, visibility standards, activation playbooks.
• Ensure consistent implementation across markets and channels, within regulatory parameters.
• Manage and optimize channel assets and coordinate execution
• Support sell-in with customers through data-backed stories, category arguments and performance use cases.

• Portfolio & Revenue Management

• Lead granular portfolio and SKU-level analysis (mix, availability, rotation, profitability).
• Recommend assortment, listing, pricing and promotion decisions to maximise ROI and share.
• Support commercial budgeting, forecasting and target-setting with fact-based inputs.

  Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Data/Analytics or related field; advanced degree a plus.
• 6–8 years’ experience in Commercial / Revenue Growth Management roles.
• Strong track record in retail and new nicotine categories (essential).
• Advanced analytical skills: comfortable with large datasets, dashboards, forecasting and scenario modelling.
• Proven ability to turn data into sharp, practical commercial and channel actions.
• Experience defining and executing channel strategies and trade marketing plans.
• Strong cross-functional influencing skills; confident presenting to senior stakeholders.
• High level of ownership, rigor and bias for action in a fast-paced, performance-driven environment.
• Fluent in English; Arabic an advantage.

Salary: Competitive package aligned with current market standards.