Our people are the heart of our business. As our greatest asset, they make Musgrave a great place to work and in return we aim to be the very best place to work, grow and thrive. We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Commercial Operations to join the Musgrave team.The Head of Commercial Operations will lead and optimise commercial operations, ways of working, engagement, governance and compliance across our hybrid trading teams. As a member of the Central Commercial team, this role works across divisions to drive best practices, implement change, and ensure operational excellence in all commercial functions. The successful candidate will play a strategic leadership role in embedding structured, efficient, and future-fit commercial operations that enhance decision-making and performance across the business.Reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer, the Head of Commercial Operations, will be responsible for:Trading / Commercial Ways of Working, Operations & EngagementLead, facilitate and participate as an active Commercial leader in the Commercial Leadership Team agenda, governance, and engagement, ensuring structured planning and alignment.Drive supplier engagement initiatives, including the Advantage (Voice of Supplier) survey, ensuring supplier insights inform commercial strategy.Develop and implement a structured Trading Engagement framework for Trading across Musgrave, fostering collaboration and alignment across commercial teams.Lead the planning and delivery of quarterly Trading Engagement sessions and the annual Trading Conference.Establish and maintain best-in-class supplier income governance, working closely with Finance and Trading/Buying teams.Commercial Excellence & Continuous ImprovementDefine and implement best-in-class commercial operations and ways of working, ensuring consistency across divisions.Lead the definition and development of Commercial Excellence Training modules for the required Trading/ Commercial specific capabilities e.g. Negotiation skills.Lead the development of Joint Business Planning (JBP) frameworks, supplier engagement standards, and commercial planning processes.Partner with Trading teams to enhance category strategy development, ensuring alignment with customer and business strategies.Oversee the integration of data, AI, and digital tools into commercial operations, ensuring teams have access to the insights needed for optimal decision-making.Drive change management and continuous improvement, ensuring commercial processes remain agile and competitive.Commercial Governance & ComplianceLead Musgrave’s commercial compliance framework, ensuring adherence to all relevant regulations impacting trading and commercial functions.Act as Compliance Liaison Officer, managing relationships with regulators, government bodies, and internal stakeholders.Develop and oversee compliance policies and reporting structures, ensuring full transparency and risk mitigation.Provide strategic guidance on new and evolving legislation, assessing commercial impact and ensuring readiness (e.g., Unfair Trading Practices regulations, EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Alcohol Labelling, Windsor Framework).Partner with Public Affairs and legal teams to monitor regulatory changes and proactively implement best-practice compliance measures.Lead internal compliance training, ensuring teams across the business understand and adhere to Trading and regulatory requirements.Lead supplier education of Trading and Regulatory requirements when needed.Commercial Environment Scanning & Strategic InsightsMaintain a structured approach to monitoring and analysing the external commercial landscape, ensuring Musgrave stays ahead of industry trends and regulatory shifts.Manage key industry insight subscriptions (e.g., IGD, The Grocer, BRC, Retail Ireland) to keep trading teams informed on market developments.Provide commercial leadership with strategic insights and recommendations to support proactive decision-making.Team leadership and developmentLead the team to deliver required objectives and outcomes with required support and empowerment with strong development plans in place that drive growth and performance.Lead and deliver key Commercial programmes across Trading teams and other functions effectively and efficiently.The successful candidate will have/be:10+ years of experience in buying, commercial operations, governance, or trading/buying functions within FMCG, retail, or wholesale.Strong experience in leading commercial compliance and governance across complex trading environments.A proven track record in stakeholder engagement, including managing relationships with regulators, suppliers, and internal leadership teams.Demonstrated expertise in driving operational excellence, implementing best practices, and leading change management across commercial functions.Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to translate strategy into action and optimise trading performance.Excellent leadership, communication, and influencing skills, capable of engaging at all levels from trading teams to board-level executives.A structured, analytical approach with strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.Ability to navigate a fast-paced, matrix organisation and work cross-functionally to drive results.Experience of working with Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSOP) with UK Grocer would be an advantage.Musgrave is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from diverse candidates. If we can make any accommodations to enable you to be the best version of yourself during the interview, please let us know.The location for this is Cork. Musgrave operate a Work Smart hybrid working model where you can alternate your time between connecting and collaborating in the business and working remotely. Occasional business travel to other locations will also be required.
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