Commercial Manager - South America at Bakelite… · Concepción

Commercial Manager
Summary
The Commercial Manager will be responsible for leading the commercial strategy and the Sales area for the Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay markets, ensuring profitable business growth. The role includes defining pricing, margins, and commercial agreements; developing customers and products; and managing economic results, actively contributing to strategic planning and the achievement of the company’s financial objectives.
The role also includes actively identifying and developing new business opportunities, expanding into adjacent markets and product segments to support long-term growth and reduce dependency on existing industries.

Functions
• Identify, develop, and execute new business opportunities, including expansion into adjacent markets, new product applications, and strategic segments to drive sustainable growth and diversification.
• Lead market intelligence and opportunity assessment, proactively identifying trends, customer needs, and competitive dynamics to anticipate and capture growth opportunities.
• Drive customer development beyond the current portfolio, expanding relationships, increasing share of wallet, and positioning the company as a strategic partner.
• Promote innovation and value-driven solutions, working cross-functionally (R&D, Operations, Supply Chain) to develop differentiated offerings aligned with market opportunities.
• Lead and define the structure of the commercial area, enhancing team performance, competency development, and talent, aligned with the company’s strategic objectives.
• Lead strategic negotiations with customers, including supply contracts and long-term agreements, ensuring sustainable commercial conditions and properly managing commercial, contractual, and credit risks.
• Define and execute the pricing strategy, considering cost structure, market conditions, value proposition, target margins, and competitive environment.
• Prepare and execute monthly and annual commercial plans, incorporating a structured pipeline of growth initiatives and new business opportunities, systematically tracking results and preparing performance reports for General Management.
• Define, monitor, and control key commercial and financial KPIs (sales, margins, mix, pricing, collections, market share, among others), timely reporting deviations and action plans.
• Be responsible for the preparation of the commercial budget and ongoing sales forecast tracking, ensuring consistency with the company’s financial objectives.
• Ensure efficient management of the customer portfolio, including credit evaluation, limits, payment terms, and financial risk control, in coordination with the relevant areas.
• Define and execute strategies to defend, consolidate, expand the business, and actively identify and capture new growth opportunities and develop new business segments aligned with market conditions and corporate strategy.
• Evaluate, develop, and structure new business opportunities, segments, applications, and customers, in close coordination with technical, operations, and support areas.
• Directly manage strategic customers and key accounts, maintaining continuous follow-up, conducting commercial visits, and strengthening long-term relationships.
• Ensure collaborative work and effective communication with supporting areas across the organization (operations, finance, supply chain, technical, quality, among others).
• Evaluate commercial team performance, define individual and collective objectives, develop key capabilities, and propose succession and talent development plans.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, internal policies, commercial compliance guidelines, and ethical standards of the organization.
• Availability for frequent travel, including overnight stays outside the city, according to business needs and commercial management requirements.
• Maintain smooth, efficient, and effective communication and interaction with headquarters and units linked to the commercial function, ensuring strategic alignment and information consistency.

Knowledge and Experience
• Engineering professional (Chemical, Industrial, or related), with strong financial, commercial, and process knowledge, enabling leadership and analysis of costs, margins, and financial results.
• Demonstrated ability to manage the business with a P&L perspective, understanding the impact of commercial decisions on EBITDA and margins, with experience in volatile markets and indexed contracts and passthrough mechanisms typical of the chemical industry.
• Proven experience in industrial B2B sales, ideally within the chemical, materials, or specialty industries, serving industrial customers and technical applications.
• Ability to develop long-term relationships with industrial customers, manage profitability and product mix under price pressure, and anticipate relevant market trends in the chemical industry.
• Experience leading commercial teams, including objective setting, performance tracking, capability development, and managing change and professionalization processes.
• Ability to align commercial commitments with operational capabilities, working closely with operations and other key areas, with a leadership style based on accountability, proximity, and decisive decision-making.
• Experience in multinational corporate environments, including matrix reporting structures, alignment between corporate objectives and local commercial plans, and familiarity with internal policies and compliance standards.
• Experience managing markets or customers in more than one country, effectively interacting with different regulatory, cultural, and commercial environments.
• Strong capability for preparing and presenting executive- and board-level reports, focused on analysis, conclusions, and decision-support.
• High influence capacity and techno-commercial credibility, pressure tolerance, and effective handling of complex situations, with a practical, structured, and data-driven decision-making approach.
• An MBA or postgraduate studies in management are desirable, as well as SAP knowledge in commercial and financial management.
• Fluency in both Spanish and English are mandatory, spoken and written, for interaction with customers, headquarters, and international stakeholders.
• Valid driver’s license and availability to travel according to role requirements.