A commercial manager fills a non-technical, business-oriented position within a company. Their main function is to oversee revenue and expenses used to create financial returns. This mostly is done through policy-level work, creating rules or practices to determine the steps that the business takes when conducting commercial business.
The commercial manager often fills several sub-roles depending on the size of the company. Some of these can include individual sales responsibilities, marketing, contracting, negotiating, financial administration, contract laws, and even property management. In a smaller company, it is likely that the commercial manager fulfills pieces of all of these responsibilities; in a larger company, it is more likely that a commercial manager oversees others that specialize in these roles or limits their specialty to specific areas while other staff handle remaining roles.
Commercial managers are usually expected to have some kind of secondary education, as well as a large amount of experience in areas such as market research. Other needed skills include interpersonal communications skill, the ability to negotiate, and the ability to make decisions effectively. They must also be able to understand all aspects of the company and its operations.