Commercial Lead

Sohar, Sultanate of Oman | Posted on 05/22/2025

• Major or specification: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
• Nationality: Omani
• Country: Sultanate of Oman

SOHAR Port and Freezone is a deep-sea port and freezone in the Sultanate of Oman, managed by SOHAR Industrial Port Company (SIPC), a 50:50 joint venture between the Port of Rotterdam and the Sultanate of Oman.

Account Management and Strategy

• Act as the primary point of contact for key clients, ensuring their needs are met efficiently.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing and potential customers.
• Address client concerns and work proactively to enhance customer satisfaction.
• Identify opportunities for business expansion with existing customers.
• Collaborate with the Business Development team to attract new clients.
• Monitor trends in the market, customer behavior, and industry shifts; assess how these developments impact tenant operations and long-term sector viability.
• Communicate key market insights and potential risks or opportunities to the line manager and executive management, supporting proactive decision-making.
• Negotiate and manage client contracts in alignment with company policies.
• Ensure contractual obligations are met by both the company and clients.
• Work closely with legal and finance teams to maintain contract compliance.
• Develop and maintain operational standards within the department.
• Assess tenant lifecycle maturity and propose tailored support or upgrades to retain and expand key accounts.
• Develop account development plans for strategic clients to deepen engagement, identify cross-selling opportunities, and drive long-term revenue growth.
• Monitor early warning signals in client behavior, feedback, or financials; flag risks to service continuity and propose mitigation plans.
• Lead root-cause analysis for recurring client issues and recommend structural improvements.
• Represent the Account Management function in executive meetings, cross-departmental initiatives, and high-level client forums.
• Act as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders by sharing account insights that influence service delivery, innovation, and policy updates.
• Develop a strong talent pipeline within the team by identifying high-potential staff and ensuring succession plans are in place for key roles.

Leadership

• Provide overall direction for the effective achievement of department objectives through leadership of the account management team, including setting individual goals, managing performance, and ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality service to tenants.
• Oversee the work of account managers to ensure client interactions are professional, responsive, and aligned with company standards.
• Monitor and guide team performance to maintain quality, consistency, and accountability in all customer-facing processes.
• Mentor, coach, and motivate team members, offering feedback and identifying development opportunities to raise capability and service standards.
• Ensure account managers are equipped with tools, training, and information to deliver excellence in account servicing and relationship management.
• Collaborate with colleagues in the Heads of Departments community to synergize efforts across SIP Group for the successful achievement of strategic objectives.
• In collaboration with functional experts, seek and establish ways to develop talent across SIP Group, championing talent solutions.

Systems and Processes

• Design and improve departmental systems, processes, and procedures relating to all relevant stakeholders.
• Champion the LEAN / Continuous Improvement culture within the department.
• Implement departmental policies, systems, processes, procedures, and controls to fulfill all relevant procedural and legislative requirements while delivering a quality, cost-effective service.
• Ensure business continuity within the department.
• Drive knowledge sharing and ensure consistent documentation practices across the team.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant quality, health, safety, and environmental policies, procedures, and controls to guarantee employee safety, legislative compliance, and responsible environmental attitude.

Innovation & Digitalization

• Champion the department's digitalization journey.
• Leverage technology (CRM, others) to enhance accessibility, responsiveness, and overall efficiencies.
• Promote digital adoption within the team and integrate automation where applicable to enhance scalability.

Management Reports

• Develop and maintain dashboards, reports, and KPIs to track business performance.
• Identify gaps in data collection and reporting processes and recommend solutions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Communications, Finance, Strategy, IT) to define data needs.
• Incorporate market intelligence and client impact assessments into management reports to inform strategic decisions.
• Ensure all departmental reports are completed timely and comply with SIP Group policies and standards.
• Prepare periodical management and progress reports to inform senior management and facilitate decision-making.

Customer Experience

• Instill a customer-first mindset within the account management team.
• Hold account managers accountable for delivering high-quality customer experiences and address systemic service gaps.
• Lead periodic service quality reviews and implement corrective actions to uphold customer satisfaction.
• Ensure all processes and policies align with delivering exceptional customer value.
• Define and monitor key CX metrics (response time, resolution rate, satisfaction scores).
• Translate client feedback into service enhancements and operational improvements.
• Lead Voice of the Customer initiatives and advocate internally for client-driven improvements.
• Address systemic issues impacting CX (e.g., billing, onboarding, support).

• Bachelor's degree in Business Studies, Commercial Management, Logistics, Industrial Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive experience in account management, business development, or related roles, preferably within logistics, port, or free zone sectors.
• Proven track record in managing strategic client relationships, negotiations, and driving revenue growth.
• Familiarity with port and free zone regulations, trade policies, and commercial operations is highly advantageous.
• Solid understanding of contract structures, legal compliance, and client-facing documentation standards.
• Experience in using CRM systems and digital tools to manage customer interactions and performance data.
• Strong commercial acumen and ability to align client needs with business objectives.