Commercial Director (Modern Trade)

A reputable retail giant (Supermarket) is currently in search of a Commercial Director to lead and drive overall commercial performance across the business.

This role will play a critical leadership position, owning category strategy, trading performance, supplier partnerships, and commercial execution across in‑store and omnichannel platforms.

The successful candidate will work closely with the CEO and senior leadership team to deliver sustainable growth, margin improvement, and customer relevance in a highly competitive retail environment.

Key responsibilities:

Commercial Leadership & Strategy

• Define and execute the overall commercial and category strategy aligned with the supermarket’s growth objectives
• Translate high‑level strategy into executable plans across pricing, promotions, assortment, and supplier partnerships
• Balance short‑term trading performance with long‑term category and brand development

Category & Trading Management

• Oversee end‑to‑end category management across fresh and grocery (and/or relevant categories depending on scope)
• Drive sales growth, margin optimisation, and inventory efficiency through disciplined commercial decision‑making
• Lead promotional planning, pricing architecture, and range optimisation using customer and market insights

Supplier & Partner Management

• Own senior supplier relationships and commercial negotiations, ensuring strong partnerships and sustainable value creation
• Identify new sourcing, innovation, and private‑label opportunities to strengthen differentiation and profitability
• Ensure governance and consistency in trading terms, rebate structures, and promotional funding

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead, develop, and inspire a high‑performing commercial and category team
• Build strong commercial capability, ensuring teams are data‑driven, customer‑focused, and execution‑oriented
• Act as a key cross‑functional partner to operations, supply chain, marketing, and digital team

Transformation & Continuous Improvement

• Play an active role in driving commercial transformation initiatives, including new ways of working, systems, or operating models
• Champion customer‑centric thinking and commercial agility in response to changing consumer behaviour and market dynamics

Candidate profile:

• Senior commercial leadership experience within large‑scale grocery / food retail, supermarket, or closely related FMCG environments
• Proven track record of owning category management, trading performance, and supplier negotiations at scale
• Strong commercial acumen with hands‑on execution capability — comfortable moving between strategy and detail
• Experience leading sizeable teams and operating at senior leadership or executive committee level
• Data‑driven, customer‑focused, and resilient in fast‑moving, high‑pressure retail environments
• Experience with transformation, change, or growth initiatives is highly valued

What's next:

If you are ready to take on this influential role shaping commercial strategy for a leading retailer—apply now!