Reporting to the UK Head of National Accounts the National Account Manager (NAM) will be tasked with driving the full P&L management of the Grocery & Convenience channel, this incorporates existing accounts such as; Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons as well as a small portfolio of existing key convenience customers, there will also be a strong strategic emphasis on business development in convenience, to define a route to market and execute on the strategic plans.

The NAM  will work cross functionally with marketing, category, insights and Sales Force Excellence teams leading NPD and category initiatives for your customers. The NAM will proactively manage the relationship between Nelsons and a portfolio of accounts to develop and manage the sales plan as well as executing plans driven by insights and category data.

The NAM will strategically define the long term plans within Grocery & Convenience and have a direct impact on the future success of this channel.

Sales and Planning

• Business Plan – to prepare and implement an annual business plan for each account, carrying out regular reviews to ensure key sales and marketing objectives are achieved
• Prepare a Joint Business Plan (JBP) in conjunction with the Key retailer & internal teams
• Identify short, medium and long term opportunities to develop and implement plans to maximise the sales opportunities
• Competitor Brands / Activity – using information from trade press and market visits keep abreast of competitor brands / products and counter as required
• Strategy and Planning - Develop the portfolio strategy, in conjunction with the Head of National Accounts and fully deliver against the agreed plans
• Plan and implement strategies in accordance with business needs e.g. project implementation
• Collaborate with Group and UK category management and insights lead to deliver a longer-term ambition of category captaincy within Grocery.

Commercial

• Forecast – prepare value and volume forecasts by products and update on a rolling monthly basis. Liaise with the Supply Chain Organisation (SCO) on specific requests and issues
• Implement and manage the appropriate trading terms and price changes within the company guidelines
• Range – develop the optimum range of new and core product distribution in accounts, ensuring NPD is listed and launched effectively
• Customer Meetings – maintain regular face-to-face meetings with Buying and Supply contacts. Organise and lead annual strategy meetings with key contacts

• Manage the agreed expenditure budgets for their customers and work closely with the marketing team to develop trade marketing activities
• Work with the UK Head of National Accounts on annual budgeting process

Internal Reporting

• Provide Customer P&L and ROI for each key activity in their accounts and gain approval from UK Head of National Accounts
• Engage internal stakeholders in the JBP process 
• Work with the Customer Service team to resolve any complaints/issues.
• Work with Sales Support Executive to develop reporting on account EPOS weekly, identifying key areas for action and development
• Take ownership of sales reports and reviewing to make sure these are effective and meaningful

 Person Specification

Qualifications

• Ideally educated to Degree Level
• English and Maths to GCSE Grade C or above (or equivalent)

Skills & Experience

• Experience as a National Account Manager within the Grocery & Convenience sector, ideally within a Pharmacy, FMCG or Personal Care branded supplier business
• Experience of developing JBP’s essential
• Experience of collaborating with Shopper insights  and category management teams highly desirable
• Strong record of building and maintaining customer relationships
• Experience of setting, maintaining and achieving budgets both in turnover and in profit
• Experience of managing margins, customer profitability and sales targets
• Strong understanding of P&L’s
• Proven track record in Sales
• Ability to build and maintain good internal relationships
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
• Negotiation and account management skills
• IT literate, including Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise own workload
• Excellent attention to detail
• Full, clean and valid driving licence

Desirable

• Classical sales training
• Experience in the discount channel would be beneficial