Chief Commercial Officer — Aftermarket And Services Unit

The mandate

Customer and operating evidence now point to commercial execution varying materially across markets within a multinational-owned multi-site industrial manufacturing group. The immediate arena is the aftermarket and services unit during an automation investment cycle. For mandate 498, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The Chief Commercial Officer operating perimeter covers approximately ¥7,150 billion in manufacturing and commercial portfolio, with activity spanning several aftermarket and services unit customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The Chief Commercial Officer Manufacturing remit carries direct influence over roughly 3,125 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The group board and the relevant risk and people committees want a Chief Commercial Officer who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the aftermarket and services unit. The Chief Commercial Officer Manufacturing seat must resolve an automation investment cycle, while preserving the underlying strengths of the aftermarket and services unit. For mandate 498, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The Chief Commercial Officer’s first year on the aftermarket and services unit is expected to end with repeatable growth, price realisation and strategic-account depth. In mandate 498, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

This is a newly created Chief Commercial Officer — Aftermarket And Services Unit seat, established because an automation investment cycle now requires one accountable executive rather than distributed ownership. The board has classified the appointment as urgent and intends to move from qualified shortlist to offer within 6–8 weeks. Interim governance protects the aftermarket and services unit, but it is not a substitute for a permanent appointee. The external search remains confidential to avoid unnecessary disruption before the appointment is agreed.

What you will own

• Set the Chief Commercial Officer value-creation thesis for the aftermarket and services unit, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately ¥7,150 billion in manufacturing and commercial portfolio, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the Chief Commercial Officer Manufacturing organisation of about 3,125 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the aftermarket and services unit economics and execution constraints created by an automation investment cycle, with Chief Commercial Officer-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one Chief Commercial Officer operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the aftermarket and services unit; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Have led price, pipeline and strategic-account decisions with direct responsibility for profitable revenue in mandate 498.
• Build the Chief Commercial Officer’s three-year succession and capability plan for the aftermarket and services unit, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Manufacturing organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the aftermarket and services unit baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to commercial execution varying materially across markets, assess the leadership team, stabilise immediate delivery risks and agree a board-owned scorecard with explicit decision gates.
• Months 4–9: Make the principal Chief Commercial Officer portfolio and organisation choices for the aftermarket and services unit, install the new operating cadence, fill critical leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable release of cash, capacity or customer value.
• Months 10–12: Demonstrate a repeatable aftermarket and services unit trend against repeatable growth, price realisation and strategic-account depth, lock the following year’s capital and talent plan, evidence control sustainability and present a credible three-year value case with downside actions.

What the board will measure

• Delivery of the Chief Commercial Officer’s agreed first-year aftermarket and services unit value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A Chief Commercial Officer forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the aftermarket and services unit’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the Chief Commercial Officer mandate’s highest-priority aftermarket and services unit risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical aftermarket and services unit talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the Chief Commercial Officer’s direct reports.
• A quantified Chief Commercial Officer-owned improvement in the aftermarket and services unit operating constraint behind an automation investment cycle, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 498: no unresolved high-severity escalation older than 30 days and no material surprise withheld from its agreed governance forum.

The person

You are currently a Chief Commercial Officer, Sales President or Business Unit Head in a multinational-owned Manufacturing or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the aftermarket and services unit, your Chief Commercial Officer track record includes a transition where the original plan was no longer sufficient; you can explain your choices, evidence and numerical impact. Candidates from industrial manufacturing, engineering, chemicals, automotive components or process industries will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this Chief Commercial Officer brief.

As a Chief Commercial Officer candidate, you bring 22–28 years of progressive Manufacturing or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 22-28 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of ¥4,150 billion and led an organisation of at least 2,200 people.

For mandate 498, the board wants two transitions: a difficult aftermarket and services unit portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during an automation investment cycle. As the prospective Chief Commercial Officer for this aftermarket and services unit, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 498 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The Chief Commercial Officer must be based in Osaka; international relocation is supported, but this Manufacturing role is not designed as a remote appointment.

Non-negotiables

• Current or recent accountability at the level of Chief Commercial Officer, Sales President or Business Unit Head, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Manufacturing governance forum.
• Proven Chief Commercial Officer ownership of at least ¥4,150 billion and leadership of no fewer than 2,200 employees in a comparable aftermarket and services unit context.
• One completed Manufacturing or adjacent-sector example of commercial execution varying materially across markets with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from industrial manufacturing, engineering, chemicals, automotive components or process industries; experience that is purely functional and lacks Chief Commercial Officer-level aftermarket and services unit consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Osaka location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 498.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated Chief Commercial Officer package is ¥52–72 million base + annual incentive and LTI, calibrated to the final aftermarket and services unit scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 498 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The Chief Commercial Officer appointment in Osaka, centred on the aftermarket and services unit, offers regular exposure to the group board and the relevant risk and people committees. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 498.

Confidentiality

This search is being conducted without naming the client for mandate 498. Identifying information will follow only when both sides elect to proceed under confidentiality; nothing in the published mandate should be treated as a clue to ownership or brand for mandate 498.