The Role:
As our Head of Commercial Platforms, you will be the senior leader accountable for the ETS Commercial Platforms domain within Information Systems. This role provides strategic leadership across the technology landscape that enables commercial growth, customer engagement, digital customer experience, sales effectiveness, and measurable business value across ETS. You will lead the Commercial Platforms domain across business analysis, platform strategy, vendor management, delivery governance, digital customer experience, website technology governance, commercial technology roadmaps, and the ongoing evolution of technology capabilities. While you will provide leadership to a team of Business Analysts, the scope of this role is broader: you will shape the direction, governance, adoption, and value realisation of the platforms and services that support ETS customers, partners, sales teams, marketing teams, and commercial operations.
Your Responsibilities:
- Responsible for leadership, governance, roadmap direction, delivery oversight, adoption, and ongoing improvement of systems supporting:
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) solutions
- Customer and partner digital platforms
- Website and web platforms technology¹
- Website technology advisory, governance, and platform alignment
- Sales transaction systems, including EDI and order automation
- Sales support systems
- Customer Experience (CX) and Voice of Customer platforms
- Marketing automation platforms
- Customer lifecycle management systems
- Quotation and opportunity management systems
- Creative and digital content platforms
- Customer-facing AI, intelligent automation, and agentic AI capabilities supporting sales and commercial teams
- ¹ Where non-standard website hosting or web technologies are in place, the role will own the technology roadmap and develop transition plans to align with approved Group standard web hosting technologies, security requirements, architectural principles, and support models.
Strategic Leadership
- Develop a deep understanding of ETS business strategy, commercial objectives, customer needs, and capability gaps within the Commercial Platforms domain.
- Develop and maintain a Commercial Platforms technology roadmap aligned with ETS business priorities, Group Digital strategy, and broader Spirax Group digital transformation objectives.
- Collaborate closely with Group Digital to ensure ETS customer-facing platforms, websites, digital services, AI-enabled services, and commercial technology roadmaps are aligned with Group standards and long-term roadmap direction.
- Ensure any agentic AI technologies implemented to support ETS sales organisations complement, rather than duplicate or conflict with, wider Group Digital initiatives.
- Provide governance and strategic oversight for customer-facing websites, digital platforms, commercial applications, and emerging digital capabilities.
- Influence business process standardisation and platform adoption across global regions and business units.
- Identify opportunities to improve customer engagement, operational efficiency, sales effectiveness, and commercial performance through technology.
Team Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of Business Systems Analysts across multiple experience levels.
- Establish standards for business analysis, discovery, documentation, delivery, and continuous improvement.
- Ensure consistent application of Information Systems delivery frameworks, governance, and best practices.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, accountability, and customer obsession.
Operational Execution
- Own delivery outcomes across the Commercial Platforms domain from discovery through implementation, adoption, benefit realisation, and measurement.
- Balance resources and priorities across strategic initiatives, business-as-usual activities, lifecycle management, and capability development.
- Manage platform investment and operational budgets, ensuring effective prioritisation and return on technology investment.
- Manage relationships with strategic technology vendors, implementation partners, and service providers.
- Maintain visibility of customer-facing web technologies across ETS businesses, including risks, technical debt, lifecycle status, cyber and security considerations, and alignment to Group standards.
- Ensure customer-facing AI, automation, and agentic capabilities are deployed in a governed, scalable, secure, and business-aligned manner.
- Coordinate with Engineering, Product, Data & Analytics, Cyber Security, Architecture, PMO, and other Information Systems leaders to ensure alignment, resilience, scalability, and supportability.
- Monitor platform performance, adoption, service health, delivery governance, and business benefit realisation.
Relationship Management
- Act as the primary Information Systems partner for ETS commercial leaders and stakeholders within the Commercial Platforms domain.
- Build and maintain strong partnerships with Group Digital, representing ETS commercial platform requirements in Group Digital forums.
- Align ETS technology and services roadmaps with Group Digital roadmaps, standards, governance models, and long-term strategic direction.
- Ensure ETS digital customer experience and AI initiatives are coordinated with Group-level initiatives to maximise reuse, consistency, governance, and business value.
- Engage regularly with ETS senior leadership to communicate platform strategy, investment priorities, risks, delivery outcomes, and value realisation.
- Facilitate prioritisation, investment decisions, and resource alignment with key stakeholders across global regions and business units.
- Represent Information Systems in business strategy, planning, transformation, and customer experience initiatives.
Who You'll Be Working With
- Initially, you will work closely with your team of Sales Business Systems Analysts, the Marketing team and the Commercial Excellence Lead.
- You will work within the ETS Information Systems organisation, collaborating with Business Systems Analysts, Data & Analytics, the PMO, and multiple development teams.
- You will partner closely with Business Process teams and Global Process Owners (GPOs) to ensure systems are used effectively and consistently across the organisation.
- You will regularly engage with global business leaders, including divisional directors, sales leaders, marketing teams, product management, customer service leaders, and Group Digital.
- You and your team will interact regularly with colleagues across the wider ETS business, developing a deep understanding of business operations and identifying opportunities to improve processes and outcomes through technology.
- On occasion, you may be required to present to the ETS Executive Leadership Team.
Key Skills & Experience
- 8-12+ years of experience in commercial systems, technology leadership, digital transformation, product management, customer engagement platforms, or related roles.
- 3+ years of leadership experience, ideally leading Business Systems Analysts, platform teams, product teams, or cross-functional commercial technology teams.
- Experience leading CRM, CPQ, customer engagement, marketing, web, or other customer-facing technology platforms in a global organisation.
- Experience defining digital platform strategies, including web technologies, customer engagement platforms, AI-enabled services, and emerging digital capabilities.
- Experience working with enterprise digital, architecture, cyber security, data governance, and Group-level technology teams.
- Experience managing third-party technology partners, software vendors, implementation partners, and service providers.
- Experience developing technology roadmaps, investment cases, and transition plans from non-standard platforms to enterprise standards.
- Strong commercial and operational understanding of customer-facing business processes, sales effectiveness, customer lifecycle management, and digital customer experience.
- Proven track record of delivering technology solutions that drive measurable business outcomes, adoption, efficiency, and value realisation.
- Strong understanding of systems architecture, business process improvement, change management, governance, risk management, and user adoption.
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills at senior leadership and executive levels.
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Head of Commercial Platforms employer: Chromalox
Chromalox is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work environment in the heart of Cheltenham. With a strong focus on employee growth, we offer accelerated learning opportunities and support for career advancement, making it an ideal place for professionals eager to make a meaningful impact in high-technology sectors. Join us to be part of a team dedicated to delivering cutting-edge thermal solutions while enjoying a culture that values creativity and teamwork.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Commercial Platforms
✨Get to Know Your E-commerce Community
Dive into specific e-commerce forums and groups on platforms like Reddit or Facebook. Engaging with these communities can open up opportunities and give you insights into what companies like Chromalox are looking for when hiring for a Head of Commercial Platforms.
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✨Attend E-commerce Events and Conferences
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Don’t forget to check out Chromalox’s career page for any unique application processes or opportunities that might not be listed on job boards. Applying directly through their website might give your application a bit more visibility, especially for a Head of Commercial Platforms.
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your E-Commerce Savviness:When you're applying for an e-commerce role at Chromalox, make sure your CV reflects your familiarity with online retail platforms, digital marketing, and user experience. Highlight any relevant tools and technologies you've used, like Shopify or Google Analytics, to demonstrate that you’re well-versed in the industry.
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Tailor Your Application:Don’t forget to customise your CV and cover letter for the specific position at Chromalox. Use keywords from the job description, and address the unique challenges the company may face in the e-commerce space. A personalised application helps us see that you're not just applying everywhere but are genuinely interested in being part of our team.
How to prepare for a job interview at Chromalox
✨Show Off Your E-commerce Know-How
In a sector like e-commerce, having a strong grasp of current trends and technologies is crucial. Let’s make sure you’ve brushed up on key platforms that Chromalox uses—think about popular e-commerce software, digital marketing strategies, and how these affect consumer behaviour. Being able to discuss these intelligently can really set you apart.
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✨Engage in a Conversational Style
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