General Trading Manager

Preferred Candidate Profile Nationality Philippines Residence Location Dubai United Arab Emirates License Valid UAE Driving License Required What We re Looking For Experience 7 years of experience in international trading automotive sales or supply chain management with at least 3 years in a senior management capacity Department Building Proven track record of hiring building and managing crossfunctional teams specifically sales procurement or logistics Industry Knowledge Deep understanding of the global automotive trade Specific experience with Electric Vehicles EVs or the automotive export market is highly preferred Geographic Expertise Prior experience or familiarity with the dynamics of trading doing business with either China or African markets Startup DNA You are handson comfortable with ambiguity and willing to execute the groundlevel work while simultaneously building the strategic vision Language Fluent English is required Proficiency in Arabic is highly desired Additional language skills e g Tagalog Mandarin or French are a strong plus given our crossborder operations and diverse team Skills Technical Hard Skills 1 International Automotive Trade Customs EV Logistics Knowledge Understanding the specific complexities of shipping Electric Vehicles particularly UN38 3 compliance for handling and transporting large lithiumion batteries via ocean freight Trade Documentation Mastery of international trade documents such as Letters of Credit L Cs Bills of Lading B L Certificates of Conformity CoC and Incoterms e g FOB CIF African Customs Regulations Familiarity with the varied import regulations age restrictions on vehicles and lefthand vs righthand drive requirements across different African regions 2 Supply Chain Procurement Management Chinese Sourcing Networks Experience negotiating directly with Chinese automotive OEMs trading houses or wholesalers e g BYD Geely Changan or independent export agents P L and Pricing Architecture Ability to build pricing sheets that account for volatile ocean freight rates local African tariffs currency fluctuations and startup profit margins 3 Localization Regulatory Compliance UAE Corporate Literacy Deep understanding of Dubai UAE free zone and mainland trade laws exportreexport procedures and managing corporate bank accounts for international trade Soft Skills Leadership 1 CrossCultural Negotiation The ChinaAfrica Bridge The unique ability to adapt communication styles They must be able to navigate the relationshipdriven business culture Guanxi of Chinese suppliers while simultaneously building hightrust partnerships with African B2B buyers 2 0to1 Team Architecture Startup DNA Talent Scouting Because you plan to hire Procurement Logistics and Sales teams next this manager must have a proven eye for talent and the ability to design KPIs from scratch High Adaptability Grit Startups are chaotic They need the mental agility to solve sudden roadblocks e g a port delay in Mombasa or a sudden policy change in China without a corporate playbook 3 Multilingual Agility Language Blending The ability to use English as the primary business language Arabic to navigate local UAE documentation and North African clients and potentially Tagalog to build a strong cohesive culture with any future operational staff