Commercial Operations Manager

About the Role

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Commercial Operations Manager to drive commercial excellence and maximize business value through end-to-end ownership of tender management, contract governance, Gross-to-Net performance, and revenue execution. This pivotal role will serve as a trusted business partner across Commercial, Market Access, Finance, Supply Chain, and external stakeholders, ensuring that strategic opportunities are transformed into compliant, sustainable, and profitable outcomes. The ideal candidate will combine commercial acumen, financial stewardship, and operational execution to enhance patient access, optimize business performance, and strengthen our organization’s position in both public and private healthcare channels.

Key Responsibilities

The Commercial Operations Manager will be responsible for the following core functions:

Commercial Tender Management

• End-to-End Tender Ownership: Lead the complete tender lifecycle, from initial opportunity assessment and bid strategy development to submission, award management, contract implementation, and post-award performance monitoring.
• Strategic Alignment: Ensure tender outcomes align with portfolio, market access, and financial objectives while maintaining full compliance with internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
• Annual Tender Strategy Execution: Develop and execute an annual tender strategy through meticulous planning, accurate forecasting, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Institutional Procurement Leadership: Act as the primary business owner for institutional procurement opportunities, maintaining comprehensive visibility of upcoming tenders, renewals, and potential award risks.
• Bid Optimization: Facilitate data-driven decision-making to enhance bid positioning, pricing strategies, and commercial outcomes, leveraging competitive insights and performance analytics.
• Continuous Improvement: Analyze tender performance and market dynamics to refine future bidding strategies and increase win rates.

Contracting & Commercial Governance

• Commercial Agreement Management: Oversee the development, execution, and management of commercial agreements in alignment with company policies, compliance standards, and business objectives.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner with key stakeholders to design contracting approaches that balance customer requirements, market access goals, and commercial performance targets.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure robust contract governance, including lifecycle management, renewals, milestone tracking, and performance monitoring, while maintaining audit readiness and supporting compliance reviews.
• Process Enhancement: Drive continuous improvements in contracting processes and governance frameworks to elevate standards and operational efficiency.

Gross-to-Net Management, Revenue Protection & Commercial Governance

• Gross-to-Net Governance: Own the Gross-to-Net process, ensuring accurate forecasting, visibility, and management of all commercial deductions to safeguard revenue integrity.
• Financial Risk Mitigation: Identify, monitor, and mitigate financial risks associated with rebates, contractual commitments, penalties, product expiries, and other revenue deductions.
• Penalty & Expiry Risk Reduction: Lead cross-functional initiatives to proactively eliminate avoidable penalties and expiry-related losses through strategic planning, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Financial Transparency: Partner with Finance and commercial teams to ensure Gross-to-Net assumptions are accurately reflected in business forecasts and financial plans, driving accountability and profitability.
• Performance Optimization: Continuously evaluate commercial performance drivers and recommend strategic actions to enhance financial outcomes while fostering sustainable customer partnerships.

Order-to-Revenue Execution

• Revenue Realization: Own the end-to-end purchase order execution process, ensuring seamless conversion of commercial awards into delivered, invoiced, and recognized revenue.
• Operational Oversight: Maintain full visibility of orders, fulfillment performance, revenue capture, and promptly escalate execution risks to mitigate disruptions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Supply Chain and distribution partners to resolve issues impacting customer service, product availability, invoicing, or revenue recognition.
• Performance Tracking: Develop and maintain operational dashboards to monitor order management performance and ensure business continuity.
• Process Innovation: Drive process improvements that enhance operational efficiency, reduce revenue leakage, and strengthen overall business resilience.

Qualifications & Experience

To excel in this role, candidates should possess the following:

• A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Supply Chain, or a related field; an MBA or advanced degree is a plus.
• A minimum of 7+ years of progressive experience in commercial operations, tender management, contract governance, or revenue execution within the healthcare, pharmaceutical, or life sciences industry.
• Proven expertise in Gross-to-Net accounting, financial risk management, and contract lifecycle management.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in financial modeling, forecasting, and data-driven decision-making.
• Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management abilities, with a track record of collaborating across functions to drive commercial success.
• In-depth knowledge of tender processes, healthcare procurement, and regulatory compliance in public and private sectors.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence senior leadership and external partners.
• Proficiency in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, CRM tools, and business intelligence platforms.