Country Manager – Iraq
Client : Leading Lubricant Additives Manufacturer for the Oil & Gas Industry
Area of Responsibility: Iraq
Location: Any Location in Iraq
Reports to: International Business Head, Nigeria/India
Role type: Full-time, senior individual contributor with P&L ownership; team to be built gradually
The Country Manager will be the company’s single point of ownership for Iraq. He or she will manage the existing business and expand it, looking after the full business cycle from finding the customer to collecting payment. The role carries full responsibility for the Iraq cost-centre P&L and for growing both the top line and the bottom line.
Key Responsibilities
- Existing Business Management
- Manage and deepen relationships with the current customers in Iraq, ensuring consistent service, repeat orders and timely payments.
- Act as the main contact between customers and the parent company, handling queries, technical coordination and escalations.
- Track account performance, customer needs and market changes, and report these to the International Business Head.
2. Business Expansion and New Customer Acquisition
- Identify, approach and convert new oil and gas customers in Iraq across upstream and downstream segments.
- Build a pipeline of opportunities, including tenders, framework agreements and long-term supply contracts.
- Extend the product range sold in Iraq.
- Map competitors, pricing trends and customer approval processes, and use these to shape the growth plan.
3. Pricing and Commercial Decisions
- Build pricing proposals using full knowledge of landed cost, logistics, duties, financing and market conditions.
- Recommend prices to headquarters with clear logic, and conclude negotiations and deals within agreed parameters.
- Protect margins while staying competitive, and manage payment terms and credit exposure.
4. Order-to-Payment Process
- Own the entire process in Iraq: order receipt, order confirmation, shipment coordination, delivery and collection.
- Manage import documentation, customs clearance and port work, working with freight forwarders, clearing agents and authorities.
- Coordinate with the parent company’s supply chain, finance and technical teams so shipments are on time and fully documented.
- Follow up on invoices and payments, including letters of credit and other payment instruments, and keep receivables healthy.
5. P&L Ownership
- Own the Iraq cost-centre P&L: revenue, gross margin, logistics and operating costs, and net contribution.
- Prepare budgets, forecasts and periodic business reviews, and take action to improve profitability.
- Grow sales and margins year on year.
6. Team and Organisation Building
- Start as a stand-alone representative, handling the full scope personally.
- As the business grows, recommend and help recruit support staff (for example in logistics, documentation and sales support), and lead them.
7. Reporting
- Report regularly to the International Business Head in Nigeria on sales, pipeline, margins, receivables, risks and market intelligence.
Candidate Profile
Essential
- Experience of working in Iraq: the candidate must have worked or be working in Iraq. Existing knowledge of the market, the customers, the business culture and the regulations is a must.
- At least 12 years of relevant experience in sales, business development or country management in the oil and gas, lubricants, additives or industrial chemicals space (or closely related).
- Proven record of managing existing accounts and winning new ones, with measurable revenue and margin results.
- Hands-on understanding of the import process: customs, port clearance, documentation, shipping and landed-cost calculation.
- Experience owning or contributing to a P&L or cost-centre, with a commercial approach to pricing.
- Comfortable working independently, with strong negotiation, communication and relationship-building skills.
Preferred
- Existing relationships with oil and gas companies and procurement decision-makers in Iraq.
- Engineering or chemistry background (chemical, petroleum, mechanical or similar), or strong technical selling experience.
- Working knowledge of Arabic, in addition to fluent English.
- Experience dealing with tenders, vendor registration and approval processes with oil companies.
- Experience building a small team from scratch.
Key Competencies
- Business ownership and an entrepreneurial mindset
- Commercial and pricing judgement
- Relationship management at senior levels
- Process discipline across logistics, documentation and payments
- Resilience and sound judgement in a complex operating environment
- Clear, structured reporting
What We Offer
- An attractive salary and perks package, in line with the seniority of the role.
- A genuine ownership role: the first senior hire in Iraq, with the chance to build the country business and its team.
- Direct exposure to the International Business Head and the parent company’s leadership.
