Business Unit General Manager

 

Our client is seeking a commercially led Business Unit General Manager to take responsibility for the growth, performance and strategic direction of a major retail business unit in Saudi Arabia.

This is not a traditional store operations GM role. The successful candidate will need to bring strong commercial judgement across concept development, range strategy, buying, design, pricing, margin, supplier relationships and operational execution.

The role requires someone who can own the business end to end, working closely with central support functions while driving the commercial agenda, customer proposition and overall performance of the business unit.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the overall strategy, direction and performance of the business unit.

Develop and refine the customer proposition, ensuring the concept remains commercially relevant, competitive and aligned to market opportunity.

Own the commercial strategy across product, range, pricing, margin, promotional planning and category performance.

Work closely with buying, design and product teams to shape commercially successful ranges.

Identify growth opportunities across categories, stores, channels and customer segments.

Lead business planning, budgeting and performance management for the business unit.

Drive revenue growth, margin improvement, stock productivity and profitability.

Work with operations teams to ensure strong store execution, service standards and commercial discipline.

Partner with central functions including HR, Finance, E-commerce, Marketing and Supply Chain to deliver the business plan.

Build strong supplier, brand and stakeholder relationships.

Lead, develop and align cross functional teams around clear commercial priorities.

Use market insight, customer behaviour and trading data to improve decision making.

Ensure the business unit is structured for sustainable growth, operational consistency and long term profitability.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have senior leadership experience within retail, consumer brands, lifestyle, fashion, home, food, value retail or another commercially driven retail environment.

They must bring a strong commercial background, ideally with direct exposure to buying, range development, product strategy, merchandising, pricing, margin management or category leadership.

This role will suit someone who has progressed beyond a single function and can now lead a wider business unit across commercial, product, customer and operational delivery.

Required Experience

Senior retail leadership experience at Business Unit, General Manager, Commercial Director, Buying Director, Category Director or similar level.

Strong commercial background across buying, range, product, pricing, margin and trading performance.

Experience working closely with design, product development, sourcing or supplier teams.

Ability to lead operational execution without being a purely operations led profile.

Strong understanding of retail P&L, budgeting, trading performance and business growth.

Experience working in a fast moving, commercially demanding retail environment.

Ability to lead cross functional teams and influence central support functions.

Strong stakeholder management skills and the confidence to operate at senior leadership level.

Middle East or Saudi Arabia experience would be advantageous, but is not essential for candidates with the right commercial and leadership background.

Personal Attributes

Commercially sharp and performance driven.

Strong product and customer instinct.

Strategic but close enough to the detail to improve trading performance.

Confident working across buying, design, operations and central functions.

Comfortable in a growth environment.

Able to lead with pace, clarity and accountability.

Practical, hands on and commercially resilient.

Location

Saudi Arabia

Reporting Line

The role will report to the Chief Executive Officer or senior group leadership.

Package

Competitive executive package, including salary, benefits and relocation support where appropriate.