Commercial Director

James Jones & Sons Ltd (“JJSL”) is one of the UK’s largest and most progressive timber processing companies that has grown substantially organically and through acquisition during the past 30 years.  With a global sawn timber processing capacity of 1.6Mm3, JJSL is one of the leading producers of sustainably managed timber products. 

Headquartered in Scotland, the Group ‘s global turnover in 2022 totalled £603M from its 25 sites in UK and 13 in Australia and New Zealand. James Jones & Sons Ltd and Hyne Timber are two of the best recognised brands in the UK and Australian timber trades respectively and, combined, have operated for a total of more than 320 years in the timber industry.  Since its creation in 1838, JJSL has remained family owned and managed, currently under its 5th generation, and is well known for its culture and strong values.  

The business has always retained a strong focus on the environment, innovation and technology and, through both acquisition and investment, has spent in excess of £350m in the past decade on state-of-the-art equipment and ways to reduce its carbon footprint. 

After a highly successful 45-year career with JJSL, the Group’s current Sales Director, is retiring. Given the business’s rapid expansion over the past few years and the changing dynamics of its customer base, the Board is now seeking to appoint a new Commercial Director to focus on market developments Group wide. This will therefore require an individual with exceptional acumen and analytical skills, who will assume responsibility for the growth of all products and services covering sawn timber and engineered wood products. 

The Group has a number of acquisitions that are being actively progressed and each of these will bring new challenges and opportunities. As a result, this role will be very dynamic, varied and will contribute fundamentally towards the growth of the Group in the next phase of its long-term development strategy. 

As a main Board Director, you will work within a tight knit and experienced Executive Director team reporting directly to the Chairman.  Your principal responsibilities will include; 

• The development and execution of a Group wide commercial strategy focused on sustainable growth, developing distribution / sales channels, and identifying new opportunities for revenue growth;
• The negotiation and execution of long-term trading partnerships and contractual arrangements with a varied and demanding customer base;
• The improvement of systems to support the overall CRM strategy and client engagement model;
• Overall leadership and team management, with responsibility for a large UK sales, marketing and distribution team, including the development of all team members.

The successful candidate must be a team player who will be an experienced commercial leader and executive, with the ability to motivate and inspire those around them and to develop long term relationships with the customer base. 

It is not essential that the successful candidate has direct experience of operating within the timber industry and its distribution channels, but a successful track record of commercial and market development is paramount.