Job Purpose:
The Commercial and Sales Manager is accountable for developing, leading and executing the commercial and sales strategy for DP World’s freight forwarding business in Lebanon, delivering sustainable revenue and gross profit growth, increasing market share, acquiring new customers and strengthening strategic customer relationships. The role leads the full commercial and sales cycle, including business development, customer acquisition, key account management, pipeline governance, solution development, pricing, quotations, tenders, commercial negotiations and contract closure across ocean, air and road freight, customs clearance, warehousing and related logistics solutions.
Working closely with the Country Head and regional/global Freight Forwarding leadership, the role translates the business plan into clear market, trade-lane, customer and team priorities; ensures disciplined forecasting and CRM management; and drives competitive, customer-focused solutions while protecting sustainable profitability, service quality, credit discipline and compliance.
Key Accountabilities:
Commercial Strategy and Business Development
- Develop and execute the annual commercial and sales strategy for freight forwarding services in alignment with the Lebanon business plan and regional/global priorities.
- Identify growth opportunities across import, export, cross-trade and multimodal freight forwarding, including priority customer segments, industry verticals and trade lanes.
- Monitor market trends, competitor activity, freight rates and customer requirements, and establish strategic partnerships with carriers, agents and logistics providers.
Sales Management and Revenue Growth
- Lead the full sales cycle from prospecting and customer meetings through solution development, quotations, negotiation and contract closure, and deliver approved revenue, gross profit, margin, customer-acquisition and retention targets.
- Build and maintain a qualified pipeline, ensure accurate forecasting and drive disciplined use of CRM systems.
- Develop senior relationships with key customers and secure profitable, long-term agreements.
- Ensure timely and disciplined follow-up of quotations, tenders, proposals and customer enquiries.
Key Account and Customer Management
- Develop strategic account plans and integrated logistics solutions for major customers and high-potential prospects.
- Build and maintain relationships with key customer decision-makers across procurement, supply chain, logistics and senior management.
- Monitor customer satisfaction, service performance, retention and account expansion.
- Coordinate with Operations and Customer Service to resolve commercial escalations and identify cross-selling and upselling opportunities across freight forwarding, customs clearance, transportation, warehousing and contract logistics.
Pricing, Tendering and Profitability
- Coordinate with Pricing, Procurement, carriers, agents and Operations to develop competitive and profitable rates.
- Ensure quotations appropriately reflect market conditions, service requirements, operating costs and target profitability.
- Lead RFQs, RFPs, tenders and major proposals, and approve quotations only within delegated authority.
- Monitor gross profit, yield, customer profitability and compliance with pricing, credit and contractual policies.
- Review customer contracts, commercial terms and service-level commitments in coordination with the relevant functions.
Sales Team Leadership
- Recruit, lead, coach and develop the sales and business-development team.
- Set targets, KPIs and account ownership; conduct pipeline and performance reviews; and address capability gaps.
- Strengthen team capability in negotiation, solution selling and freight-forwarding knowledge.
- Build an inclusive, accountable and performance-driven sales culture.
- Ensure effective coordination across Sales, Pricing, Customer Service, Operations, Finance and Procurement.
Commercial Planning and Reporting
- Prepare budgets, sales forecasts, business plans and management reports.
- Track revenue, gross profit, pipeline, conversion, customer acquisition, retention, forecast accuracy and receivables performance.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date customer, quotation, opportunity and sales-activity records in CRM and designated systems.
- Provide management with appropriate visibility of commercial performance, market developments, risks and growth opportunities.
- Recommend corrective action where performance deviates from target
Governance, Risk and Compliance
- Ensure compliance with DP World policies, Lebanese law and applicable customs, trade, sanctions and anti-bribery requirements.
- Coordinate with Finance and Credit Control on credit limits, payment terms, overdue receivables and collection risk.
- Ensure appropriate commercial documentation and contractual approvals are in place.
- Assess customer, pricing, credit and other commercial risks before committing DP World to significant business.
- Ensure commercial commitments do not compromise safety, legal compliance, service integrity or responsible business standards.
- Coordinate with People and Regional Rewards on any sales incentive, performance bonus, reward or recognition arrangement; no such commitment may be designed, promised, amended or communicated without the required approvals.
Qualifications, Experience & Skills:
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration, International Business, Logistics, Supply Chain Management or a related discipline. A relevant professional qualification is an advantage.
Experience:
- Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in freight forwarding logistics or international transportation.
- At least 3–5 years in commercial management, sales leadership or senior business development, with accountability for a team and sales budget.
- Demonstrated track record of achieving revenue, gross profit, margin and new-business targets.
- Proven experience in customer acquisition, strategic account management, freight pricing, tendering and commercial negotiations.
- Strong understanding of air freight, ocean freight, road freight, customs clearance and international trade processes.
- Strong knowledge of the Lebanon market, with established industry relationships and familiarity with regional and international logistics networks preferred.
Skills:
- Strong commercial acumen and business-development capability.
- Excellent sales leadership, negotiation, closing and solution-selling skills.
- Strong knowledge of freight-forwarding products, pricing structures and international trade lanes.
- Ability to develop and maintain senior-level customer relationships.
- Strong financial understanding of revenue, gross profit, margin, pricing, customer profitability, budgeting and credit risk.
- Excellent communication, presentation, influencing and interpersonal skills.
- Strong analytical, planning, forecasting and problem-solving abilities.
- Customer-focused mindset with an emphasis on solutions and long-term partnerships.
- Ability to operate effectively under pressure and deliver ambitious commercial targets.
- Strong CRM discipline and proficiency in Microsoft Office.
- Fluency in English and Arabic; French is an advantage.
About DP World
DP World is reshaping the future of global trade to improve lives everywhere. Operating across six continents with a team of over 125,000 employees, we combine global infrastructure and local expertise to deliver seamless supply chain solutions. From Ports and Terminals to Marine Services, Logistics and Technology, we leverage innovation to create better ways to trade, minimising disruptions from the factory floor to the customer’s door.
WE MAKE TRADE FLOW
