Commercial Manager - Mining mineral trading (Jos)

Company Description

Our Client is a prominent player in the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry, the company’s operations span across major businesses in the Oil and Gas value chain. The Company is presently recruiting for its rapidly expanding mining subsidiary in Jos, Nigeria.

Job Description

The Commercial Manager is responsible for driving the commercial viability, profitability, and market.
expansion of the company’s tin and technology minerals portfolio. The role combines strategic commercial management (pricing, sales, contracts, off-take) with hands-on field operations — specifically the responsible sourcing, aggregation, and procurement of base/precious metals (Tin, Lead, Gold, Lithium, Tantalum, etc.) from licensed Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners (ASM), cooperatives, and aggregators in strict compliance with Nigerian Mining Act, ESG principles, and responsible sourcing standards.

Commercial Strategy and Business Development
Develop and implement commercial strategies for tin, lead, and associated mineral products.
Lead price discovery, negotiation, and closing of domestic and export sales, including off-take agreements, spot sales, and forward contracts.
Identify new domestic and international markets, customers, smelters, mineral traders, and offtake partners.
Develop business plans, revenue forecasts, sales targets, and profitability objectives.
Evaluate new commercial opportunities, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and long-term supply agreements.
Monitor global tin and lead prices, market demand, exchange rates, and industry trends to
guide pricing and sales decisions.
Provide commercial recommendations to senior management on investment opportunities and
market expansion.
Prepare weekly commercial reports, sales forecasts, and profitability analysis for the Board.

Field Sourcing & Aggregation from Small-Scale Miners
Design and manage a robust, traceable, and compliant field sourcing network for
Base/precious metals from ASM, cooperatives, and licensed buying centres across Nigeria.
Lead field expeditions to mining sites to directly source, assess, and aggregate tin and other
precious metals.
Establish and manage relationships with miners, village heads, cooperative leaders, and state mineral buying centres to ensure consistent, ethical supply.
Assess and mitigate potential risks associated with supplier relationships, supply chain disruptions, and regulatory compliance.

Mineral Sales and Marketing
Manage the sale and marketing of tin and lead concentrates and other approved mineral
products.
Negotiate sales prices, payment terms, delivery schedules, quality specifications, and offtake agreements.
Maintain strong relationships with buyers, smelters, traders, and strategic customers.
Coordinate product sampling, laboratory analysis, grade certification, weighing, and quality assurance.
Ensure that mineral pricing reflects grade, recoverable metal content, moisture, impurities, treatment charges, refining charges, freight, and applicable market benchmarks.
Monitor customer payments, outstanding invoices, sales performance, and collection risks.
Ensure that all mineral sales are supported by appropriate documentation and traceability
records.
Ensure all field procurement adheres to Responsible Sourcing, KYC (Know Your Customer),
and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) protocols. Zero tolerance for conflict minerals or child
labour.
Supervise on-site assaying, weighing, grading, and documentation using modern equipment
(XRF Analyzer, Testing Kit, Precision Scales).
 
Production and Commercial Planning
Work with the mine manager, geologists, and processing plant team to align production plans
with market demand and sales commitments.
Review mine production forecasts, ore grades, concentrate output, recovery rates, and
stockpile levels.
Develop production-to-sales plans to minimise inventory holding costs and maximise cash
flow.
Evaluate the commercial impact of changes in ore grade, processing recovery, operating
costs, and product quality.
Ensure that production targets are aligned with customer requirements and contractual
obligations.

Operations, Logistics & Compliance
Coordinate with Operations, Security, and Logistics teams for safe evacuation, transportation,
and storage of aggregated minerals from field to secure vaults / refinery.
Ensure full compliance with Ministry of Solid Minerals, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office (MCO)
and Nigeria Customs Service regulations for possession, movement, and export.
Maintain accurate records of all field purchases, assay reports, receipts, and traceability
documents (Mine-to-Market).
Ensure contractual compliance, accurate documentation, and timely fulfilment of obligations.
Assess commercial risks relating to price volatility, currency fluctuations, credit exposure,
logistics, product quality, and counterparty performance.
Establish controls for stock reconciliation, product custody, weighing, sampling, and dispatch.
Investigate commercial discrepancies and recommend corrective measures.
Work with Finance for timely payment to miners (via approved banking channels) and
reconciliation of field cash advances.

Regulatory Compliance and Responsible Mining
Ensure commercial transactions comply with applicable mining laws, mineral trading and
export requirements, tax obligations, customs rules, and environmental regulations.
Maintain accurate records of mineral production, purchases, sales, transportation, and
exports.
Support responsible sourcing, mineral traceability, anti-bribery controls, and applicable antimoney-laundering requirements.
Work with the company's regulatory and compliance teams to maintain relevant licenses,
permits, certificates, and export documentation.
Promote ethical business practices, transparency, and responsible mineral supply chains.

Stakeholder & Client Management
Build and manage relationships with local and international off-takers, refineries, bullion banks etc.
Represent the company at mining conferences, including LME Week, Mining Indaba, and
Nigeria Mining Week.
Manage relationships with government regulators, traditional institutions, and host
communities.

Financial Management and Cost Control
Prepare and manage the commercial department's annual budget and business forecasts.
Monitor operating costs, sales margins, working capital, cash flow, and commercial performance.
Conduct cost-benefit analyses and profitability assessments for mining and processing activities.
Track key financial indicators, including cost per tonne mined, cost per tonne processed, cost per tonne of concentrate produced, and revenue per tonne sold.
Work with the finance team to reconcile production records, stock movements, sales invoices, customer payments, and supplier accounts.
Identify opportunities to reduce costs, improve margins, and increase the company's return on
investment.

Reporting and Performance Management
Prepare monthly commercial performance reports for the Managing Director or CEO.
Report on sales volumes, revenue, gross margins, inventory, procurement savings, customer performance, and market trends.
Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for the commercial team.
Provide timely market intelligence and recommendations to support management decisions.
Lead, supervise, and develop commercial, sales, procurement, and logistics personnel.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Mining Engineering, Geology, Metallurgy, Mineral Economics, Business
Administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance, or a related discipline.
A postgraduate qualification or MBA in Business Administration, Finance, or Commercial
Management is an advantage.
At least 7–10 years of relevant experience in mining, mineral trading, metals marketing,
procurement, or commercial management, including 3–5 years in a senior or managerial role.
Demonstrable experience in tin, lead, zinc, or other base-metal mining and mineral sales is highly desirable.
Proven experience negotiating mineral sales contracts, offtake agreements, supplier contracts,and logistics arrangements.
Deep knowledge of TIN grading, assaying (fire assay, XRF), weighing systems, and identifying adulterated tin and other precious metals.
Strong knowledge of mineral pricing, concentrate specifications, grade analysis, smelter
terms, and international commodity markets.
Experience in budgeting, financial modelling, cost control, and commercial performance
reporting.
Strong understanding of Nigeria’s mining laws, Knowledge of relevant mining and mineral
trading regulations in the company's operating jurisdiction.

REQUIRED SKILLS & COMPETENCIES
Commercial Acumen: Exceptional negotiation, pricing, and deal-closing skills.
Good understanding of mining operations, mineral processing, and metallurgical recovery.
Integrity & Ethics: Highest level of integrity — this role handles high-value assets.
Field Resilience: Willingness and physical ability to travel extensively to remote mining
locations under difficult terrain.
Language: Fluency in English; proficiency in Hausa and/or Yoruba is a major advantage.
Digital Literacy: Proficient in MS Excel for commercial modeling, ERP/commodity trading
systems.
Leadership: Proven ability to lead and manage a dispersed field sourcing team.

Additional Information

Competitive renumuneration