Strategic Pricing & Commercial Excellence Leader, Thermal
Vertiv · Westerville
POSITION SUMMARY
The Strategic Pricing & Commercial Excellence Leader exists to monetize growth. This role ensures that the Thermal Regional Business Unit (RBU), for the Americas captures the full value of its portfolio through pricing governance, strategic deal leadership, commercialization support, and advanced pricing analytics.
Reporting to the VP & General Manager of the Americas RBU, this position owns strategic deal pricing, commercial package development, Deviation of Policy (DOP) management, margin and price realization analysis, win rate analysis, and deal desk operations. The role operates within K2 software for pricing governance and partners with Portfolio and Business Segment leaders on business case analysis for strategic deals.
The Strategic Pricing & Commercial Excellence Leader works across Sales, Product Management, Operations, Engineering, Finance, and Supply Chain to protect margins, accelerate deal velocity, and ensure commercial discipline across the region.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Deal Pricing & Business Case Analysis
- Lead strategic deal pricing for the Thermal Regional Business Unit (RBU), developing pricing positions that balance competitiveness with margin targets.
- Support business case analysis in partnership with Portfolio or Business Segment leaders, validating commercialization assumptions, cost structures, and return profiles.
- Own deal desk leadership: intake, triage, pricing development, cross-functional review, and final recommendation for strategic and non-standard deals.
- Drive win rate analysis on Must Win Deals, identifying patterns in wins and losses to sharpen pricing strategy and competitive positioning.
Pricing Governance & Commercial Approvals
- Own pricing governance for the Americas RBU within K2 software, ensuring all pricing actions follow established approval workflows and policy requirements.
- Manage Deviation of Policy (DOP) requests for the RBU – reviewing, routing, approving, or escalating pricing exceptions against defined thresholds and authority levels.
- Manage commercial approvals for discounts, exceptions, and non-standard terms, ensuring each decision is documented, justified, and aligned with Variable Contribution Margin (VCM) targets.
- Establish and enforce discount guardrails that protect margin while giving Sales the flexibility to compete on strategic opportunities.
- Commercial Package Development & Commercialization
- Develop commercial packages that translate product capabilities into customer-facing pricing structures, bundles, and value propositions.
- Validate commercialization assumptions (volume, mix, cost, competitive positioning) before new products or solutions go to market.
- Partner with Product Management and Sales to align regional pricing with global list prices, channel strategies, and segment-specific requirements.
Margin, Price Realization & Analytics
- Conduct margin and price realization analysis to measure actual vs. target pricing performance across products, segments, and channels.
- Build and maintain pricing analytics that track Variable Contribution Margin (VCM) attainment, deal profitability, discount trends, and competitive price positioning.
- Deliver pricing accuracy reporting that quantifies forecast-to-actual variance and identifies root causes of pricing leakage.
- Track and report win rate and Must Win Deal performance, providing leadership with actionable insights on competitive dynamics and deal outcomes.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in commercial finance, pricing strategy, deal management, or business analytics within industrial, manufacturing, or technology companies.
- Demonstrated expertise in pricing strategy, profitability analysis, and financial modeling for engineered or configured products.
- Hands-on experience with pricing governance systems (K2 or equivalent workflow/approval platforms).
- Proven track record managing deal desks, pricing exceptions, and commercial approval processes at scale.
- Advanced skills in Excel, business analytics tools, and pricing analytics platforms.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and executive communication capabilities.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) or equivalent advanced degree.
- Experience supporting manufacturing, engineered products, critical infrastructure, data center, or industrial technology businesses.
- Experience with Power BI or equivalent business intelligence platforms for pricing dashboards and analytics.
- Familiarity with Variable Contribution Margin (VCM) frameworks and cost-plus/value-based pricing models.
- Experience working within a matrixed, multi-site regional organization with Global Business Unit (GBU)/RBU or similar global-regional operating models.
- Track record of improving win rates and deal profitability through data-driven pricing interventions.
PHYSICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS
- No specific demands.
TIME TRAVEL REQUIRED
- Up to 15% as needed
The successful candidate will embrace Vertiv’s Core Principals & Behaviors to help execute our Strategic Priorities.
OUR CORE PRINCIPLES: Safety. Integrity. Respect. Teamwork. Inclusion.
OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
- Customer Focus
- Operational Excellence
- High-Performance Culture
- Innovation
- Financial Strength
OUR BEHAVIORS
- Own It
- Act With Urgency
- Foster a Customer-First Mindset
- Think Big and Execute
- Lead by Example
- Drive Continuous Improvement
- Learn and Seek Out Development
About Vertiv
Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) brings together hardware, software, analytics and ongoing services to enable its customers’ vital applications to run continuously, perform optimally and grow with their business needs. Vertiv solves the most important challenges facing today’s data centers, communication networks and commercial and industrial facilities with a portfolio of power, cooling and IT infrastructure solutions and services that extend from the cloud to the edge of the network. Headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, USA, Vertiv employs around 34,000 people and does business in more than 130 countries. Visit Vertiv.com to learn more.
Work Authorization
No calls or agencies please. Vertiv will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States. This is not a position for which sponsorship will be provided. Individuals with temporary visas such as E, F-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J, or TN or who need sponsorship for work authorization now or in the future, are not eligible for hire.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Vertiv is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We promote equal opportunities for all with respect to hiring, terms of employment, mobility, training, compensation, and occupational health, without discrimination as to age, race, color, religion, creed, sex, pregnancy status (including childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity / expression (including transgender status or sexual stereotypes), genetic information, citizenship status, national origin, protected veteran status, political affiliation, or disability. If you have a disability and are having difficulty accessing or using this website to apply for a position, you can request help by sending an email to help.join@vertiv.com.