Position Title: Business Head - Pipes & Fittings

Location: Nigeria

Job Summary:

The Business Head will have overall responsibility for the business growth, commercial performance, profitability, strategic direction, and overall performance of the Pipes & Fittings business.

The primary focus of this position will be on Business Development, Revenue Growth, Market Expansion, Customer Development, Sales Strategy, Product Portfolio Development, and P&L Management.

The Business Head will oversee multiple manufacturing units through the respective Factory Managers, who will be responsible for day-to-day plant operations and will report regularly to the Business Head on production, quality, maintenance, manpower, costs, and operational performance.

The ideal candidate should have strong industry experience in PVC, uPVC, PPR and HDPE Pipes, along with Injection Moulding of Pipe Fittings, and should have proven experience in Nigeria or another African country.

Primary Responsibility Description:

A. Business Development & Market Expansion:

- Develop and execute the overall business growth strategy for Pipes & Fittings.

- Take ownership of revenue growth, market expansion, customer acquisition, and profitability.

- Identify and develop new markets, territories, distributors, dealers, contractors, project customers, and institutional customers.

- Develop strong relationships with key customers, distributors, dealers, consultants, contractors, developers, and government/institutional clients.

- Identify new business opportunities across Nigeria and other African markets.

- Conduct regular market analysis covering competitor pricing, market share, customer requirements, product demand, new product opportunities, and competitor activities.

- Drive expansion into new geographical markets and customer segments.

- Develop and implement effective sales and distribution strategies.

- Review sales performance against targets and take corrective action.

- Work closely with the Sales Team to establish monthly, quarterly, and annual business targets.

- Develop strategies for increasing volume, revenue, margins, and customer retention.

- Build long-term relationships with major customers and strategically important accounts.

- Negotiate major commercial agreements, pricing, contracts, and business terms where required.

- Identify opportunities for new products, product variants, and value-added solutions based on market demand.

B. P&L and Commercial Management:

- Take overall responsibility for the P&L of the Pipes & Fittings business.

- Drive revenue and profitability while maintaining healthy margins.

- Monitor sales, gross margins, contribution margins, EBITDA, and operating costs.

- Develop annual business plans, budgets, sales forecasts, and profitability targets.

- Review actual performance against budget and prepare corrective action plans.

- Control major business costs including raw materials, production costs, logistics, manpower, utilities, wastage, and other operating expenses.

- Identify opportunities for cost optimization and margin improvement.

- Monitor working capital, inventory, receivables, and cash-flow requirements in coordination with Finance.

- Ensure commercial decisions are aligned with overall business profitability.

C. Management of Factory Managers:

- The Business Head will not be responsible for managing every day-to-day plant activity directly. The respective Factory Managers will manage the individual factories and report their performance to the Business Head.

- Factory Managers will report to the Business Head on production achievement, capacity utilization, machine utilization, production planning, raw material consumption, wastage, product quality, maintenance, manpower, factory expenses, inventory, dispatch, safety, operational challenges, CAPEX, and cost-saving initiatives.

- Business Head's Responsibilities Towards Factories include reviewing performance against KPIs, conducting regular reviews, identifying operational issues, ensuring production capacity meets demand, ensuring optimum efficiency, and reviewing factory budgets.

D. Manufacturing & Technical Oversight:

- The candidate must have strong technical knowledge of Extrusion, PVC/uPVC/PPR/HDPE Pipes, Extrusion Lines, Dies and tooling, Process parameters, Cooling and sizing systems, Production efficiency, Injection Moulding, Plastic Pipe Fittings, Moulds, process optimization, cycle-time improvement, and material utilization.

- The Business Head will use this technical knowledge to review Factory Manager performance, identify improvement opportunities, support capacity planning, and make strategic manufacturing decisions.

E. Sales & Commercial Strategy:

- Set annual, quarterly, and monthly sales targets in coordination with Management.

- Develop pricing strategies in line with market conditions and required margins.

- Monitor competitor pricing and market movements.

- Strengthen the distributor and dealer network.

- Develop strategies for key accounts and major projects.

- Review sales pipeline and order booking regularly.

- Ensure timely conversion of business opportunities into actual sales.

- Monitor customer receivables in coordination with Finance and Sales.

- Develop strategies to improve customer retention and repeat business.

- Identify opportunities for exports to other African countries.

F. Product & Market Development:

- Analyze market demand and identify products with high growth potential.

- Recommend new products and product variants.

- Work with Technical, Production, Quality, and Factory teams for new product development.

- Identify gaps in the current product portfolio.

- Develop strategies for premium, standard, and project-specific product segments.

- Monitor industry trends and technological developments in plastic pipes and fittings.

G. Strategic Planning:

- Prepare and present the Annual Business Plan to Group Management.

- Develop short-term and long-term growth strategies.

- Prepare market expansion plans for Nigeria and other African countries.

- Evaluate new investment, capacity expansion, machinery, and CAPEX opportunities.

- Assess new business opportunities and provide recommendations to Management.

- Support strategic decisions relating to new factories, product lines, markets, and investments.

H. People & Leadership:

- Lead Factory Managers, Sales Managers, Commercial, and other senior functional teams.

- Establish clear KPIs and accountability across the business.

- Develop a performance-driven culture.

- Mentor and guide Factory Managers and senior management team members.

- Ensure strong coordination between Commercial and Manufacturing teams.

Required Experience:

- 15+ years of relevant experience in the plastic pipes and fittings manufacturing industry, with significant experience in a senior management/business leadership role.

- Strong hands-on experience in Extrusion Lines.

- Proven experience in manufacturing PVC/uPVC, PPR, and HDPE Pipes and Pipe Fittings.

- Strong experience in Injection Moulding of plastic pipe fittings.

- Experience managing a complete manufacturing plant/business unit with responsibility for production, sales, commercial operations, finance, and people.

- Proven experience in P&L management and business profitability.

- Nigerian work experience is strongly preferred.

- Candidates with significant experience in other African countries may also be considered.

- Experience in developing and managing distributors, dealers, project customers, and institutional clients will be an advantage.

Educational Qualification:

- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Polymer/Plastic Engineering, Production Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.

- MBA / PGDM in Business Management or Operations will be an added advantage.

Key Skills & Competencies:

- Strong knowledge of Plastic Extrusion & Injection Moulding

- PVC / uPVC / PPR / HDPE manufacturing expertise

- Pipe fittings manufacturing expertise

- P&L and financial management

- Business development and commercial acumen

- Production planning and operational excellence

- Cost reduction and productivity improvement

- Supply chain and inventory management

- Quality management

- Strong leadership and people management

- Strategic planning and decision-making

- Problem-solving and analytical skills

- Excellent communication and negotiation skills

- Ability to work in a multicultural African business environment