National Account Manager – Grocery

Are you interested in considering a new, exciting career challenge in 2021?

Would you welcome the opportunity to work for one of the world’s leading consumer goods businesses?

Do you possess a background in food/drink and/or consumer goods sales at national accounts level?

Are you numbers driven & analytical in your ability to create additional shelf space within the grocery sector?

If your answer is yes to all of the above then we would love to hear from you.

The Role:

This newly created national accounts role will manage the day-to-day and long-term relationship (in conjunction with the Head of Sales) with my clients major retailers – namely the grocers.  The NAM will lead relationship with customers, driving an intimate understanding of the customer’s goals, focus areas and processes, building plans that align with customers while ensuring the best possible execution of those plans.

You will be responsible for:

• Customer Strategy and Implementation
• Develop key customer sales strategies and plans to deliver retail goals and support the overall UK strategy, leveraging;
  • Category Management, marketing, finance and supply chain
  • Market intelligence and insights
  • Competitor analysis
  • Customer knowledge - having a deep understanding of the customer go to market strategies – from order to sell through at store level to enable successful planning and compliance
• Develop initiatives to drive customer performance
  • Proactively develop solutions to increase our sales and a range of contingencies that cover any potential shortfalls versus budget.  Constantly looking for opportunity to build sales and profits
• Achieving Financial Performance Measures
  • Gross Margin, Net Sales and Volume
  • Trade investment %
  • Market share and growth
• Undertake appropriate administration to support strategic delivery
• Conduct customer reviews as required to identify opportunities and refine initiatives
• Develop innovative in-market plans to successfully drive and support growth
• Administer all aspects of the accounts – Trade Spend, Forecasting, Promotional plans, Return on Investment
• Identify new customers and formulate plans to establish products within them
• Identify, plan and implement promotional programmes for each customer

The Person:

• Minimum of 3 years’ experience within a FMCG supplier managing a major grocery retailer
• Experience working autonomously and as a member of a small team
• Ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines in a timely manner
• A demonstrable history of first-rate management of customers in the FMCG channel
• Customer Management experience of at least one major grocery retailer
• Sales activation in the FMCG channel, or within the emerging customers
• Experience in other channels – ideally emerging/online channels
• Strong negotiation and relationship building skills

• Excellent communication skills positioning you as a proficient influencer and builder of important relationships creating pathways to “get things done” through formal and informal channels.
• Microsoft office (Excel and PowerPoint)

The Company

• A household name in consumer goods and market-leader in its category. This is a blue-chip business with ambitious plans for the future. The company has fared well during 2020 while other businesses have struggled and has a positive and optimistic outlook for 2021. This is reflected in its creation of this new position within the UK sales team.

The Package

• The business will create a package designed to attract their chosen candidate. The salary will reflect the experience and skills of the individual selected.

Interested in learning more?

To apply to this role please send your CV along with a brief cover note and your salary expectations to Shelley Velati at Cavendish Maine using the following email shelley@cavendishmaine.com

Reference: SV/3461

Candidate care:

By responding to this advert you consent to Cavendish Maine processing the personal data included within this application.

If your application is successful we will contact you to discuss the opportunity in more detail, within 48 hours of receiving your application.

Should you not hear from us within 3 working days please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Please be advised that if unsuccessful for this role we may keep your details in our hold file for 6 months, during which time you may be contacted for other suitable vacancies.  If you do not want us to do this please call us to advise.

In the meantime, we would like to thank you for your interest in Cavendish Maine.