Apac Commercial Director

**ROLE**

The objective of the role is to provide commercial and legal leadership and partner with the regional and local office management of Burson to assist them in achieving their business goals, managing risk and maximising opportunitities. This role can be based anywhere in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai or Australia.

**RESPONSIBILITIES**

**Negotiation**
- Lead major regional client negotiations and provide support for offices on major local negotiations.
- Commercial lead for regional RFP submissions for new and existing clients.
- Support the global commercial team on major global pitches/ RFPs.
- Negotiate major regional client contracts and provide ad hoc contract review and advice in conjunction with in house and external legal support.

**Legal & contractual**
- Systematically review T&Cs and provide advice/ guidance for all major contracts, understanding the risks and obligations for the firm and support these negotiations, obtaining the best deal in light of these.
- Support the business in understanding and managing risks related to conflicts of interest vs its exposure to client competitive forces. Supporting teams in client negotiations and advocating for non-exclusive controls and other creative risk mitigations.

**Commercial acumen**
- Lead the pricing strategy for the region with a focus on maximising profitability and ensuring topline growth. This will involve taking a contract by contract, office by office and portfolio view.
- Develop pricing methodology and share best practice related to options pricing and value pricing as well as understanding strategies to ensure maximum margin and efficiencies from high volume implementation-based contracts.
- Play a key role in promoting and providing training on new pricing initiatives and pricing models for new services (e.g. data/tech and AI tools)

**Business consulting**
- Once contracts are signed, systematically review all opportunities to identify and support negotiating change orders. Drive programme and culture of continuous expansion with the team.
- Support regional and local leadership by consulting on client operational issues and deliver innovative strategies for managing growth.
- Partner with CEOs and other regional leaders on business development initiatives, pitches and client innovation or expansion projects.
- Lead initiatives to improve the understanding of our commercial performance and to drive improved commercial sense in our decision-making.
- Provide commercial training and support global commercial training initiatives across the region.

**Day-to-day support**
- Liaise closely with global commercial team to ensure that approaches are consistent and coordinated.
- Provide ongoing commercial advice and support to local CEOs, CFOs and management boards.

**Requirements**:
**SKILLS & COMPETENCIES**

**People**
- Build and maintain effective working relationships across the network
- Communicate complex legal, commercial and contractual issues clearly
- Provide training in new and existing tools
- Be proactive and tenacious
- Work effectively as part of the APAC management team
- Ability to interact and communicate at all levels of the company
- Networking with office management, client leaders at all levels and the commercial/ financial community
- Awareness of cultural and political sensitivities.

**Consulting**
- Ensure quality and consistency in all work
- Balance and prioritize conflicting demands appropriately
- Strong and flexible time management to meet team and client needs
- Use initiative and creative analytical approaches in addressing commercial issues.

**Business acumen**
- Good knowledge and understanding of a project-based professional service firm (PR agency network background a plus)
- Able to see the big picture and provide detailed relevant financial analysis.

**QUALIFICATIONS**:

- Graduate degree
- Proven ability to negotiate successfully complex, multi-market contracts with professional client procurement specialists and legal teams
- Strong analytical and advanced negotiation skills; has preferably attended or completed courses in advanced negotiation
- High level Excel skills (to include macros, pivot tables, complex formulas, etc.) as well as PowerPoint skills
- Knowledge of financial and other business systems (SAP and Maconomy) a plus
- Excellent standard of English and Chinese: knowledge of at least one other language useful
- International work experience is a plus