Senior Director – Commercial

About the role

A leading UAE retail group is seeking a Senior Director – Commercial to drive the commercial agenda of its healthcare and wellness retail business. The role reports to senior leadership and oversees a multi‑banner network covering pharma, wellness and skincare.

Key responsibilities

• Define and lead long‑term commercial strategy with accountability for revenue growth, gross margin and category profitability.
• Own category and portfolio strategy across pharmaceutical, wellness and skincare lines.
• Manage senior supplier and principal relationships, including strategic negotiations, trading terms, rebates, promotional funding, exclusives and joint business plans.
• Lead B2B and institutional partnerships with doctors, clinics, healthcare organisations and insurance partners.
• Set pricing architecture, promotional governance and commercial investment priorities.
• Develop new growth opportunities through brands, exclusive propositions, partnerships and channels such as retail, e‑commerce and quick commerce.
• Partner with planning, supply chain, finance, retail operations, marketing and digital teams to align commercial direction.
• Run commercial performance governance via executive reviews, dashboards and KPIs.
• Build and develop a senior commercial team.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Retail Management or related field; Master’s/MBA preferred.
• 12+ years of senior leadership experience, including 5+ years in pharmacy, healthcare or wellness retail.
• Strong FMCG background with category management and supplier negotiation experience.
• Proven executive‑level supplier negotiation and commercial agreement expertise.
• Deep understanding of retail economics: margin, supplier income, inventory and working capital.
• Experience with B2B, institutional or insurance/payer relationships is a strong advantage.
• Fluent English; Arabic is a plus.