Job Description:

COMMERCIAL MANAGER

Salary: Competitive Basic (depending on experience) + Bonus & Benefits

Location: Thrapston, Northamptonshire
Working pattern: Office-based (flexible timings)
Reports to: Regional Director
Direct reports: 1 team member

ABOUT SAICA PACK

Select Talent Group is partnering with Saica Pack to appoint a Commercial Manager for its manufacturing facility in Thrapston.

Saica Pack is part of the Saica Group, one of Europe’s leading businesses in sustainable paper, corrugated packaging and waste management. The Thrapston plant is a high-volume manufacturing operation supplying corrugated packaging solutions across the food, consumer, retail and industrial markets.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Commercial Manager is an internally facing role responsible for the commercial analysis and creation of accurate pricing and costings for customer specifications and tenders.

Working directly with the Regional Director, the Commercial Manager will also maintain close relationships with the Regional Sales Director and FSM. The position manages one team member and is an active member of the Regional Management Team.

This role requires someone who understands the importance of developing a complete and commercially informed costing rather than simply arriving at a price. While strong numerical and analytical capabilities are essential, successful costing also requires judgement, commercial awareness and an appreciation of the wider factors influencing the business and its customers.

Approximately 75% of the role will focus on working in the business and delivering day-to-day commercial outputs, with 25% focused on improving the business through strategic planning, analysis and longer-term development.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Produce commercial analysis, pricing and detailed costings for customer specifications, tenders and business opportunities.
• Ensure costings reflect materials, manufacturing processes, operational requirements, commercial risk and expected returns.
• Create, maintain and regularly review regional costing tables.
• Work closely with the Regional Director, Regional Sales Director and FSM to support effective commercial decisions.
• Gather and interpret information from sales, manufacturing, finance and other internal functions.
• Manage and develop one team member, setting clear priorities and ensuring the timely delivery of results.
• Use SAP-based systems, CRM platforms and Excel to analyse information and maintain accurate commercial records.
• Manage fluctuating workloads and deliver accurate outputs within tight timescales.
• Contribute actively as a member of the Regional Management Team.
• Play an active role in regional strategic planning and continuous improvement.
• Consider economic conditions, market trends and other external influences when developing costings and recommendations.
• Apply strategic tools such as Porter’s Five Forces and PESTEL where appropriate.

ABOUT YOU

You will be a highly analytical and commercially aware professional with experience in a manufacturing environment. You will be comfortable working with complex information and understand that effective costing involves more than simply setting a price.

Strong numerical skills are essential, but you must also be able to apply judgement and consider the wider commercial, operational and market factors influencing each opportunity.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

• Experience in commercial analysis, costing, pricing, tendering or a closely related role.
• Previous experience working within a manufacturing environment.
• Proven high-level competence in Microsoft Excel.
• Experience using SAP-based systems and knowledge of CRM platforms.
• Strong mathematical capability, supported by relevant educational qualifications; statistics-based qualifications would be advantageous.
• The ability to analyse complex information and produce accurate commercial recommendations.
• Experience working to tight timescales and managing peaks and troughs in customer-led demand.
• The ability to prioritise effectively and deliver results through others.
• Previous people-management or team-leadership experience.
• An understanding of the difference between developing a complete costing and simply setting a price.
• Awareness of macroeconomic, market and competitive factors that can influence commercial decisions.
• Familiarity with Porter’s Five Forces, PESTEL or similar strategic tools would be advantageous but is not essential.

BEHAVIOURS AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Open-minded, positive and comfortable working collaboratively as part of a team.
• Confident communicator who can build effective relationships with senior stakeholders and colleagues.
• Naturally organised, able to manage competing priorities and comfortable taking ownership.
• Analytical and commercially aware, with strong attention to detail and sound judgement.
• Understands that positive attitudes and behaviours are critical to success in the role.