Account Manager

MillerKnoll; London Colney; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

MillerKnoll is seeking a Wholesale Account Manager to drive profitable growth across the UK & Europe wholesale channel, building strategic retail partnerships and uncovering new opportunities. You’ll manage term negotiations, pricing, and cross-functional collaboration with internal teams to deliver sales success.

This fixed-term maternity-cover role requires a commercial mindset, strong relationship skills and experience across European wholesale markets.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in wholesale, retail, account management or commercial sales.
• Experience working directly with retail buying and commercial departments.
• Strong understanding of retail pricing, margins, discount structures and promotional mechanics.
• Demonstrable experience negotiating commercial terms and managing customer expectations.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to interpret sales and margin data.
• Experience developing account plans and delivering against sales targets.
• Strong negotiation, communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to build credibility and influence senior customer stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple accounts and priorities.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple functions and influence without direct authority.
• Experience working across European markets is advantageous.
• A proactive, entrepreneurial approach with the confidence to identify opportunities and take ownership.

Responsibilities

• Deliver agreed annual sales and profitability targets across the UK and European wholesale retailer network.
• Develop and execute strategic account plans for key retail partners.
• Identify opportunities to grow existing accounts through increased ranging, distribution, product penetration and customer engagement.
• Identify, prospect and develop new wholesale and retail opportunities across the region.
• Develop longer-term strategies for priority markets and accounts.
• Develop trusted relationships with buyers, commercial teams and senior stakeholders across key retail partners.
• Understand each customer’s business model, buying strategy, margin requirements, customer proposition and commercial objectives.
• Lead regular customer meetings and business reviews, using performance data and market insight to identify opportunities and address challenges.
• Represent MillerKnoll professionally and confidently with customers and external partners.
• Negotiate wholesale pricing, discount structures, margins, promotional support and commercial terms.
• Balance customer expectations with MillerKnoll’s profitability and commercial objectives.
• Evaluate requests for additional discount, promotional investment or other commercial support.
• Use sales, margin, retail pricing and market data to inform commercial recommendations.
• Challenge and influence customers where required, whilst maintaining strong long-term relationships.
• Work with retail buying teams to develop appropriate product ranges and SKU selections.
• Support new product introductions and launches across wholesale accounts.
• Identify opportunities for new ranges, exclusivity and increased product distribution.
• Work with customers to develop appropriate launch, promotional and merchandising plans.
• Ensure customer requirements are communicated effectively to internal stakeholders.
• Develop annual and longer-term business plans for strategic accounts.
• Manage customer sales forecasts and identify risks and opportunities against target.
• Develop promotional calendars in partnership with customers and internal teams.
• Monitor account performance and proactively identify actions required to deliver growth.
• Evaluate the commercial performance and effectiveness of customer initiatives.
• Partner with Marketing to develop customer-specific campaigns, promotions and commercial initiatives.
• Work closely with Operations and Supply Chain to manage availability, lead times and customer expectations.
• Partner with Finance on pricing, margin analysis, forecasting and commercial reporting.
• Collaborate with Product and other internal teams on new product launches and customer requirements.
• Influence internal stakeholders by delivering customer commitments and commercial objectives.
• Monitor retail trends, competitor activity, pricing and promotional activity across the region.
• Develop a strong understanding of the European wholesale landscape.
• Use market and customer insight to identify opportunities for growth.
• Share relevant market intelligence internally to support broader business strategy.

Skills

Wholesale sales

Account management

Negotiation

Pricing & margins

Relationship building

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

CRM

Job description

Why join us?

Our purpose is design for the good of humankind. It’s the ideal we strive toward each day in everything we do. Being a part of MillerKnoll means being a part of something larger than your work team, or even your brand. We are redefining modern for the 21st century. And our success allows MillerKnoll to support causes that align with our values, so we can build a more sustainable, equitable, and beautiful future for everyone.

Why join us?

Our purpose is design for the good of humankind. It’s the ideal we strive toward each day in everything we do. Being a part of MillerKnoll means being a part of something larger than your work team, or even your brand. We are redefining modern for the 21st century. And our success allows MillerKnoll to support causes that align with our values, so we can build a more sustainable, equitable, and beautiful future for everyone.

Wholesale Account Manager

This is a Fixed Term Maternity Cover. As Wholesale Manager – UK & Europe, you will be responsible for driving profitable growth across Herman Miller wholesale channel, managing and developing strategic retail partnerships and identifying new business opportunities across the region.

Building strong relationships with retail buying and commercial teams, developing account strategies, negotiating commercial terms and working cross-functionally to deliver sales, margin and customer objectives.

This is a highly commercial and relationship-led role, requiring a strong understanding of the retail environment, customer buying behaviour, pricing and margin structures, promotional activity and the broader market landscape.

You will act as a key link between our wholesale partners and internal teams, ensuring customer needs are understood and translated into commercially viable plans that support both customer and MillerKnoll objectives.

How You’ll Do It

Drive Wholesale Growth

• Deliver agreed annual sales and profitability targets across the UK and European wholesale retailer network
• Develop and execute strategic account plans for key retail partners.
• Identify opportunities to grow existing accounts through increased ranging, distribution, product penetration and customer engagement.
• Identify, prospect and develop new wholesale and retail opportunities across the region.
• Develop longer-term strategies for priority markets and accounts.

Build Strategic Customer Relationships

• Develop trusted relationships with buyers, commercial teams and senior stakeholders across key retail partners.
• Understand each customer’s business model, buying strategy, margin requirements, customer proposition and commercial objectives.
• Lead regular customer meetings and business reviews, using performance data and market insight to identify opportunities and address challenges.
• Represent MillerKnoll professionally and confidently with customers and external partners.

Lead Commercial Negotiation

• Negotiate wholesale pricing, discount structures, margins, promotional support and commercial terms.
• Balance customer expectations with MillerKnoll’s profitability and commercial objectives.
• Evaluate requests for additional discount, promotional investment or other commercial support.
• Use sales, margin, retail pricing and market data to inform commercial recommendations.
• Challenge and influence customers where required, whilst maintaining strong long-term relationships.

Develop Customer & Product Opportunities

• Work with retail buying teams to develop appropriate product ranges and SKU selections.
• Support new product introductions and launches across wholesale accounts.
• Identify opportunities for new ranges, exclusivity and increased product distribution.
• Work with customers to develop appropriate launch, promotional and merchandising plans.
• Ensure customer requirements are communicated effectively to internal stakeholders.

Create & Deliver Account Plans

• Develop annual and longer-term business plans for strategic accounts.
• Manage customer sales forecasts and identify risks and opportunities against target.
• Develop promotional calendars in partnership with customers and internal teams.
• Monitor account performance and proactively identify actions required to deliver growth.
• Evaluate the commercial performance and effectiveness of customer initiatives.

Collaborate Across MillerKnoll

• Partner with Marketing to develop customer-specific campaigns, promotions and commercial initiatives.
• Work closely with Operations and Supply Chain to manage availability, lead times and customer expectations.
• Partner with Finance on pricing, margin analysis, forecasting and commercial reporting.
• Collaborate with Product and other internal teams on new product launches and customer requirements.
• Influence internal stakeholders by delivering customer commitments and commercial objectives.

Understand the Market

• Monitor retail trends, competitor activity, pricing and promotional activity across the region.
• Develop a strong understanding of the European wholesale landscape.
• Use market and customer insight to identify opportunities for growth.
• Share relevant market intelligence internally to support broader business strategy.

What You Bring

• Proven experience in wholesale, retail, account management or commercial sales.
• Experience working directly with retail buying and commercial departments.
• Strong understanding of retail pricing, margins, discount structures and promotional mechanics.
• Demonstrable experience negotiating commercial terms and managing customer expectations.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to interpret sales and margin data.
• Experience developing account plans and delivering against sales targets.
• Strong negotiation, communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to build credibility and influence senior customer stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple accounts and priorities.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple functions and influence without direct authority.
• Experience working across European markets is advantageous.
• A proactive, entrepreneurial approach with the confidence to identify opportunities and take ownership.

Who You Are

You are commercially minded, curious and relationship focused. You are comfortable having challenged commercial conversations and can balance the needs of the customer with the wider objectives of MillerKnoll.

You are confident working autonomously but understand the importance of collaboration with internal teams to deliver results.

You can move comfortably between strategic thinking and day-to-day account management, using data and insight to make informed decisions.

Most importantly, you are someone who builds trusted relationships, takes ownership and looks for opportunities to create sustainable, profitable growth.

Who We Hire?

Simply put, we hire qualified applicants representing a wide range of backgrounds and abilities. MillerKnoll is comprised of people of all abilities, gender identities and expressions, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, veterans from every branch of military service, and more. Here, you can bring your whole self to work. We’re committed to equal opportunity employment, including veterans and people with disabilities.

MillerKnoll complies with applicable disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact MillerKnoll Talent Acquisition at [e-mail].