Commercial Manager - Polymers and Coatings

Job Description

LKAB Minerals UK is looking to recruit a suitable candidate to fill the post of Commercial Manager - Polymers and Coatings. As part of the LKAB Minerals Commercial Team and working for the Commercial Director – Mineral Products, an ambitious, driven and experienced Commercial Manager will have full responsibility and accountability for leading and managing the Polymers & Coatings business area.

Building a sustainable growth strategy and developing a deep understanding of how our products perform within customers’ formulations and manufacturing processes, you will focus on profitable business to ensure both direct and indirect customers are fully supported, generating leads and ensuring that budget targets are met. The successful candidate will work closely and collaboratively with the Operations and Technical teams to realise new product opportunities that support our business targets.

As part of the role you will identify the key decision-makers across the value chain, including formulators, compounders and R&D professionals, ensuring LKAB Minerals is recognised as a trusted and credible partner during the specification and qualification stages, long before purchasing decisions are made. The candidate will gain market feedback and market intelligence on new product developments, trends and applications to ensure we are maintaining product excellence and identifying new product/market opportunities.

The ideal candidate will drive the P&C team to promote sales, growth and innovation of the business and identify and develop new customers and seek opportunities for future growth in line with LKAB’s goals. The candidate will also gain market feedback and market intelligence on new product developments, trends and applications to ensure we are maintaining product excellence and identifying new product/market opportunities.

The incumbent will be a strategic leader with a proven sales background that will drive growth, development, and the retention of the business into the future.

As this role incorporates some products which are sold extensively outside of the UK, the role necessitates regular travel to Europe with occasional continental travel also forming a part of the overall role responsibilities. The possibility exists for this role to be based outside of the UK (in which case, regular travel to the UK would be required)

About the team

The Commercial Manager – Polymers & Coatings position currently includes a single direct report but with ambition to grow the team in line with business expansion. Growth of this product area is a key business target and a combination of increased sales of existing products, new product development, potential acquisitions and team expansion will drive this strategy forward. This role, therefore, is seen as a critical appointment.

Responsibilities & key work tasks

• Line management and leadership responsibility for teams, including performance reviews, departmental meetings, day to day people management and general performance management
• Product Management – working with the Commercial Director to help in aligning sales, operations, technical, marketing, SOP, finance and management
• Key Account Management – providing over-arching support to the team, whilst also being a visible presence in the market – both in the UK and wider European area.
• Analysis of Business, competitors and market data to continually monitor, analyse and understand organisational positioning and translate that into proactive actions to protect and grow the business
• Develop and establish in-depth knowledge about the industry structure/logic, players and stakeholders
• Develop strategic relations with global accounts/stakeholders
• Account based sales development
  • Set organic growth strategies from existing customers and known product/ applications
  • Able to clearly set sales targets and expectations
  • Monitor and track performance, including maintaining of focus on opportunities that scale
• Develop value-based selling capacity
• Own the 5-year strategic commercial plan for P&C, new business development, tactics and prioritisation
• Identify technical and business development opportunities to develop NBD opportunities and prospects
• Promote LKAB and its team members to act as industry and thought leaders
• Act safely and responsibly in accordance with LKAB policies and values, and promote a positive image of LKAB in the marketplace. Drive your team and colleagues towards continual improvement on safety performance
• Other duties in accordance with LKAB’s business processes and systems

Candidate requirements

Required education, experience and qualifications

• Demonstrable experience of leading teams across multiple locations
• Experience of the Polymers and/or Coatings industries
• Proven experience in building and managing relationships with key clients to establish strong partnerships.
• Experience of developing new markets for existing products and new product opportunities for existing markets.
• Experience of formulating sales budgets, project plans and performance reporting
• Experience of working with customers outside of the UK
• Holding a valid UK driving licence
• Willingness to travel regularly in Europe, and occasionally outside of Europe

Characteristic requirements

• A conscientious individual who will actively contribute in our drive towards zero harm
• A team player who is able to work closely with colleagues to achieve a shared vision and goal.
• Ability to lead and motivate sales teams, including remote and multiple site organisations
• A structured and organized methodology, expert in meeting deadlines
• A proven track record of developing new business, target-oriented, energetic and driven to deliver results
• An entrepreneurial mentality who is adaptable to new opportunities
• Commercial awareness and strong business acumen – knows and owns the numbers
• An analytical approach to drive decision making and problem solving
• A highly motivated comfortable speaker and presenter and a highly effective communicator
• A customer-focused individual with an ability to build rapport with existing and potential customers alike, through all levels of an organisation to identify areas of opportunity.
• Professional conduct (integrity of action completion, communication style, behaviours, punctuality and standards of work).

Location and commitments

Whilst this role is determined as home-based – there is an expectation that the post holder will be required to spend most of their time across the relevant customer and business sites including site-based presence with direct reports and wider team.

What we offer

• Company pension increasing in employer contributions after 5 years service
• Employee Assistance Programme for employee, partner and family
• Salary Extras - Store discount scheme
• 5 Days volunteer leave
• Reframe cancer support
• My Menopause centre