Director, Strategy & Commercial Excellence, Middle East & Africa (MEA)

Work ScheduleStandard (Mon-Fri)Environmental ConditionsOfficeJob DescriptionDirector, Strategy & Commercial Excellence, Middle East & Africa (MEA)At Thermo Fisher Scientific, our mission is clear: to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. In the Middle East & Africa (MEA), this means unlocking growth in complex, high-potential markets while strengthening commercial execution and customer impact.The Director, Strategy & Commercial Excellence, MEA is responsible for driving commercial performance, execution rigor, and scalable growth across the Middle East & Africa region.This role serves as the primary commercial excellence leader for MEA, translating APMEA strategy into country-level execution, strengthening direct and channel effectiveness, and improving performance visibility and decision quality across highly diverse markets.Operating in a complex, developing-market context, the role focuses on practical execution, standard work, cadence, analytics, and capability building, while partnering closely with country leaders, channel teams, and regional functions. A strong understanding of Thermo Fisher’s operating model and portfolio is essential.Key ResponsibilitiesCommercial Excellence & Execution (MEA)Lead the Commercial Excellence agenda across MEA, ensuring consistent execution of regional priorities.Embed standard work across:Sales performance managementForecasting and pipeline rigorFunnel health, win-rate, and productivity analyticsElevate the quality of commercial reviews (MBRs / QBRs) from reporting to decision-making.Support country leaders with structured problem-solving (A3s, recovery plans, deep dives).Strategy & Marketing (MEA)Translate APMEA strategy into MEA-specific priorities, initiatives, and execution plans.Support MEA country STRAPs (strategy plans) by:Ensuring clarity, rigor, and comparabilityTracking execution progress and risksAbility to develop marketing plans and strategy including digital, e-commerce and execute through country teams and COE’s driving demand.Well versed with alla aspects of digital marketing, ecommerce and lead generation.Identify cross-country themes, constraints, and growth opportunities unique to MEA and escalate appropriately.Channel Management & Partner EffectivenessDrive Channel Management Standard Work across MEA, including:Partner segmentation and coverage modelsPartner performance scorecards and reviewsGovernance, cadence, and accountabilityPartner with country leaders to optimize direct vs. channel GTM models by market.Improve partner productivity, execution consistency, and customer experience through disciplined channel management.Act as the regional connector between APMEA channel frameworks and local execution realities.Commercial Analytics & Performance VisibilityEstablish strong commercial performance visibility across MEA:Revenue, funnel, win rates, pipeline qualityChannel vs. direct performancePartner with Finance and Digital teams to improve forecast accuracy and transparency.Use data to drive fact-based decisions, prioritization, and resource allocation.Capability Building & EnablementBuild commercial capability across MEA sales and channel teams through:Training, tools, and playbooksBest-practice sharing across countriesSupport adoption of regional tools and programs (e.g., sales effectiveness tools, incentive apps, win-room mechanisms).Strengthen commercial maturity while respecting local market constraints and realities.Stakeholder Management & GovernanceAct as a trusted commercial partner to MEA country leaders.Represent MEA in regional/ global Commercial Excellence forums and reviews.Ensure alignment between MEA execution and regional/ divisional governance, cadence, and expectations.Qualifications & ExperienceBachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.15+ years of experience across commercial operations, sales excellence, strategy execution, or consulting.Demonstrated experience working across emerging and developing markets, ideally within MEA.Strong understanding of direct and channel-based GTM models.Proven ability to drive execution in resource-constrained, high-variance environments.Strong analytical, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.Experience within life sciences, healthcare, industrials, or adjacent sectors preferred.Originally posted on Himalayas