Director, Commercial Planning

Job Description: Design, implement, and operate USAR's monthly four-week S&OP cycle across all three business units — Mining (Round Top), LCM Metals (UK), and Magnets + Future Acquisitions.Facilitate BU-level supply and demand reviews in Weeks 1–2, ensuring each BU ops and commercial team runs its own review on a shared calendar and common data templateLead the Week 3 enterprise integration meeting: reconcile material balance across the mine-to-magnet chain, consolidate transfer pricing and margin, and flag cross-chain risks and decisionsPrepare and present the Week 4 executive S&OP package for CCO, CFO, and ELT. Partner with FP&A a monthly board operating reportWork closely with embedded supply chain managers in each BU to ensure data quality, on-time submission, and consistency of assumptionsLeverage AI tools heavily [e.g., Claude Enterprise] to automate data consolidation, scenario modelling, and draft package preparation, freeing the role to focus on analysis and decision supportFacilitate the development of commercial plans for each BU using consistent analytical frameworks: market sizing, competitive positioning, strategic options, financial modelling, and risk/downside scenariosBuild board-ready commercial planning packages with rigorous financial models co-developed with embedded FP&A resources in each BUMaintain and synthesize market intelligence from Fastmarkets, Argus Media, ADAMAS Intelligence, and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence to anchor commercial assumptions in external dataManage relationships with external advisors and industry specialists engaged on specific work streamsWork closely with Legal on contract structures, offtake terms etc.Partner with Finance/CFO office on transfer pricing, margin modelling, and financial narrative for board presentationsCoordinate with BU commercial and sales leads to ground plans in customer pipeline reality and pricing feasibilityPrepare ELT and board-level materials that are analytically rigorous, visually clear, and decision-readyRequirements: MBA or equivalent advanced degree required8–12 years of relevant experience, with a combination of management consulting (top-tier strategy or Big 4 strategy practice) and in-house commercial planning, S&OP, or business developmentDemonstrated track record of building commercial or go-to-market plans from scratch in a resource-constrained environmentExperience presenting to senior executive and board-level audiencesWillingness to travel to USAR's operating sites (Round Top TX, Serra Verde Brazil, Lacq France, UK, and Stillwater OK) as requiredDeep understanding of S&OP process design and execution in a multi-site industrial or commodities business; experience running enterprise integration cycles across P&LsStrong commercial acumen with the ability to build, challenge, and communicate financial models — comfortable working alongside FP&A without being dependent on themExperience developing go-to-market or commercial plans in a B2B industrial context; familiarity with offtake structures, pricing mechanisms, and long-term supply agreementsExcellent executive communication and storytelling skills — able to build board-ready presentations that translate complex commercial dynamics into clear decisionsProficiency with leading AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot) as productivity multipliers for analysis, modelling, and document preparationAdvanced PowerPoint and Excel; familiarity with BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) a plusKnowledge of rare earth, critical minerals, or energy transition supply chains preferredCollaborative and low-ego operator — comfortable facilitating without directing, and influencing without authority across BU GMs and functional leadersBenefits: Health insurance401(k) matchingPaid time offFlexible work arrangements