Commercial Lead – Middle East

The Commercial Lead – Middle East is a strategic member of the Middle East Leadership Team, accountable for translating cluster strategy into disciplined commercial execution across institutional and private-market channels.

The role ensures sustainable delivery of revenue and IBA objectives by leading account management, tender strategy, distribution contracting, innovative go-to-market models and the performance of non-promoted brands.

The Commercial Lead also sponsors cluster-wide strategic initiatives and builds a high-performing commercial organization with clear accountability, strong capabilities and an enterprise mindset.

Core Accountabilities

1. Commercial Strategy & Cluster Performance

• Translate the Middle East commercial strategy into clear market, channel and customer priorities aligned with the cluster operating plan.
• Lead delivery of revenue, IBA and profitable-growth objectives across institutional and private-market channels.
• Shape and execute innovative go-to-market models that improve reach, access, market share and customer experience.
• Assess market potential, channel dynamics and portfolio opportunities to guide resource allocation and commercial choices.
• Lead priority Middle East strategic projects with the Cluster Leadership Team and cross-functional partners.

1. Account Management & Customer Engagement

• Build a customer-centred account-management organization that operates with integrity, compliance and enterprise accountability.
• Ensure account teams maintain high-quality account plans informed by customer priorities, market dynamics, decision pathways and stakeholder mapping.
• Develop trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders and align internal and external decision makers around shared objectives.
• Advance value-based engagement and innovative contracting approaches that support sustainable patient access to Pfizer medicines.
• Represent the full spectrum of Pfizer value to customers and ensure consistent service excellence across priority accounts.

1. Tender & Contracting Leadership

• Set and implement the Middle East tender and contracting strategy in close collaboration with market account teams, Category Leads and regional partners.
• Ensure timely, accurate and compliant bid preparation, governance and submission, with effective coordination across Finance, Access & Value, Supply, Regulatory, Legal, Commercial and distribution partners.
• Establish a robust tender calendar, reporting discipline and market-intelligence capability to anticipate customer behavior, pricing trends, risks and opportunities.
• Align tender plans with the operating plan, forecasting and supply-planning processes, and monitor revenue and profitability at market level.
• Aggregate demand where appropriate, strengthen supply reliability and drive effective use of global tender and contracting tools.

1. Distribution & Partner Management

• Own the distribution, promotion and commercial-plan contracting agenda across the Middle East cluster.
• Define governance, performance standards, review cadence and escalation requirements for distribution partners.
• Maintain effective monitoring of distribution metrics and KPIs, escalating exceptions and initiating corrective actions.
• Identify opportunities to improve gross-to-net, channel efficiency, inventory performance and private-market execution.
• Ensure contracts remain current, compliant and fit for business needs in partnership with Legal, Finance, Safety, Quality, Supply and Commercial stakeholders.

1. Portfolio P&L Accountability

• Manage the P&L for non-promoted brands, ensuring sustainable and profitable growth.
• Set portfolio priorities, monitor performance and make disciplined investment and resource choices in line with approved governance.

1. People & Culture Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop commercial, account-management and tender teams to build deep functional expertise and a high-performance culture.
• Create clarity of goals, fair performance expectations and effective development plans, including assignments and cross-functional growth opportunities.
• Strengthen leadership capability, succession depth, inclusion and colleague engagement across a geographically diverse organization.
• Model Pfizer’s values and maintain uncompromising standards of ethics, compliance and responsible business leadership.

Decision Rights

• Sets commercial priorities and execution standards across Middle East markets within approved cluster and enterprise governance.
• Recommends channel, go-to-market, tender and distribution-model choices for approval through applicable governance.
• Defines account-management, partner-governance and performance-review standards.
• Recommends allocation of approved resources and investment based on patient need, market opportunity, risk and expected value.
• Holds direct teams and relevant external partners accountable for execution quality, compliance, financial performance and customer outcomes.

Capabilities & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, Life Sciences, Business or a related field; an MBA or equivalent advanced degree is preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of pharmaceutical sales, commercial, key-account or tender-management experience, with meaningful leadership exposure across Middle East markets.
• Successful track record leading commercial or account-management organizations and delivering through complex, cross-functional and multi-market environments.
• Strong expertise in customer engagement, tender strategy, contracting, distribution management and pharmaceutical channel dynamics.
• Demonstrated commercial and financial acumen, including P&L management, forecasting, investment choices and gross-to-net improvement.
• Strong strategic judgment, analytical capability, project leadership and change-management skills.
• Proven ability to influence across organizational boundaries, simplify ambiguity and establish disciplined processes.
• Fluency in written and spoken English; Arabic is an advantage.

Critical Leadership Behaviors

• Connects portfolio, market and customer priorities to create value for the total Middle East cluster.
• Builds trusted relationships with senior customers and partners through evidence, integrity and commercial insight.
• Balances patient access, growth, profitability, supply, risk and compliance across diverse markets.
• Creates clear accountability, develops commercial capability and enables collaboration across markets and functions.

Key Organizational Relationships

• Middle East Cluster Lead and Middle East Leadership Team
• Category Leads and market, sales and commercial leaders across Middle East markets
• Access & Value, Medical, Regulatory, Policy & Public Affairs, Finance, Supply, Legal, Compliance, Safety and Quality teams
• Regional and global commercial, tender, trade and supply partners
• Distributors, healthcare institutions, procurement stakeholders and other priority customers within approved engagement responsibilities