Chief Commercial Officer — Vehicle-Software Programme

The mandate

Customer and operating evidence now point to commercial execution varying materially across markets within a multinational-owned integrated automotive and components manufacturer. The immediate arena is the vehicle-software programme during a supplier-resilience gap. For mandate 298, 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 ¥9,150 billion in regional revenue and programme portfolio, with activity spanning several vehicle-software programme customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The Chief Commercial Officer Automotive remit carries direct influence over roughly 2,300 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 vehicle-software programme. The Chief Commercial Officer Automotive seat must resolve a supplier-resilience gap, while preserving the underlying strengths of the vehicle-software programme. For mandate 298, 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 vehicle-software programme is expected to end with repeatable growth, price realisation and strategic-account depth. In mandate 298, 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 — Vehicle-Software Programme seat approved as part of the next operating model; it is not an incumbent replacement. The board is running a planned 4–6 month search so the appointee can join ahead of the next capital and talent cycle. Current leaders retain their existing accountabilities until the vehicle-software programme remit is formally activated. Confidentiality protects organisation design choices while the board compares external and adjacent-sector talent.

What you will own

• Set the Chief Commercial Officer value-creation thesis for the vehicle-software programme, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately ¥9,150 billion in regional revenue and programme portfolio, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the Chief Commercial Officer Automotive organisation of about 2,300 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the vehicle-software programme economics and execution constraints created by a supplier-resilience gap, 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 vehicle-software programme; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Have led price, pipeline and strategic-account decisions with direct responsibility for profitable revenue in mandate 298.
• Build the Chief Commercial Officer’s three-year succession and capability plan for the vehicle-software programme, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Automotive organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the vehicle-software programme 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 vehicle-software programme, 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 vehicle-software programme 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 vehicle-software programme 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 vehicle-software programme’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the Chief Commercial Officer mandate’s highest-priority vehicle-software programme risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical vehicle-software programme 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 vehicle-software programme operating constraint behind a supplier-resilience gap, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 298: 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 Automotive or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the vehicle-software programme, 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 automotive, industrial manufacturing, mobility, components or engineering services 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 Automotive 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 ¥5,300 billion and led an organisation of at least 1,600 people.

For mandate 298, the board wants two transitions: a difficult vehicle-software programme portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during a supplier-resilience gap. As the prospective Chief Commercial Officer for this vehicle-software programme, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 298 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The Chief Commercial Officer must be based in Tokyo; international relocation is supported, but this Automotive 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 Automotive governance forum.
• Proven Chief Commercial Officer ownership of at least ¥5,300 billion and leadership of no fewer than 1,600 employees in a comparable vehicle-software programme context.
• One completed Automotive 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 automotive, industrial manufacturing, mobility, components or engineering services; experience that is purely functional and lacks Chief Commercial Officer-level vehicle-software programme consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Tokyo location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 298.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated Chief Commercial Officer package is ¥52–72 million base + annual incentive and LTI, calibrated to the final vehicle-software programme scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 298 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The Chief Commercial Officer appointment in Tokyo, centred on the vehicle-software programme, 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 298.

Confidentiality

This search is being conducted without naming the client for mandate 298. 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 298.