Commercial Director

Solent Group; Christchurch; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food innovation firm is seeking a Senior Commercial Director to drive growth in their Nutrition & Wellness portfolio. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in FMCG, leading teams and managing retail relationships to ensure profitable growth. This hybrid role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and excellent communication skills. Benefits include competitive salary, flexible hours, and extensive perks.

Benefits

Competitive salary & car allowance

25 days holiday increasing with service

Extensive benefits programme

Flexible hours and work from home

Yearly bonus structure

Pension Scheme Contribution

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience as a FMCG Commercial Director or equivalent role, ideally within food & nutritional wellness.
• Proven track record of leading commercial teams and delivering profitable growth.
• Exceptional leadership style and highly effective influencer.

Responsibilities

• Develop & lead the commercial strategy aligned to growth ambitions.
• Deliver full P&L ownership for sales globally.
• Monitor market shifts to deliver consumer relevant NPD.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Commercial acumen

Relationship management

Analytical skills

Education

5+ years’ experience in FMCG or equivalent role

Job description

Company Description

Solent Group work with a diverse portfolio of Retailers and supply bespoke products within various categories, including Health & Beauty, Household Impulse Snacking and Reusable Bags. We are proud to be best-in-class when it comes to own-label product innovation. Our Categories are fast-paced with ever-evolving trends and a host of ground-breaking products coming to market on a regular basis – we add value to retailers by leading and owning each category.

Here at Solent we want people to be extraordinary. We pride ourselves on creating and producing amazing products and brands for our Global Customers. You will be joining a company with offices globally across South Africa, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Vietnam, and the UK.

Position

REPORTS TO: CCO

LOCATION: HYBRID / CHRISTCHURCH / DINNINGTON

TRAVEL: LARGELY DOMESTIC TRAVEL REQUIRED

Purpose of the role

This senior commercial leadership role requires an experienced, results-driven, collaborative professional with expertise in managing relationships within the UK & Internationally across all retail formats including Grocers, Health & Wellness outlets, e-commerce & B2B. Reporting to the CCO, this role is a key contributor to the company’s ambitious growth trajectory, playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of Solent’s Nutrition & Wellness Portfolio through identification & delivery of clear, focused, commercial strategies.

Requirements

Scope & Key Relationships

• Identify & execute the Nutrition & Wellness strategy to deliver long term profitable growth
• Lead & manage the UK-based commercial teams
• Collaborate with Product, Technical, Marketing, Ops & Finance to deliver customer centric plans
• Establish yours & the teams contact matrix to influence key customer relationships
  
  

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop & lead the commercial strategy aligned to Solent’s double digit growth ambitions
• Deliver full P&L ownership for sales globally, with current revenue responsibility of £22m
• Champion new category, channel & Intl expansion, identifying trends & whitespace opportunities
  
  

Customer & Market Development

• Place Solent as a category leader within Food, working with brand & retailers to expand the range
• Monitor market shifts, competitive dynamics & consumer trends to deliver consumer relevant NPD & Best-In-Class execution
• Build & deepen relationships with key UK/International retailers & health-focused distribution partners
  
  

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead & mentor commercial team with a focus on category management, customer development, & performance excellence
• Promote a high-performance culture grounded in accountability, collaboration & innovation
• Develop future leadership through structured capability programs & succession planning
  
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Product & Marketing teams to ensure NPD meets evolving consumer / market needs
• Align with Ops & Technical teams to ensure quality, compliance & operational excellence
• Collaborate with Finance to optimise pricing, margins & profitability in line with group targets
• Work with other Commercial Directors to drive shared opportunities for growth and ensure consistency in reporting, tools, processes & sharing of best practice.
  
  

Governance & Reporting

• Ensure full compliance with regulatory, legal & commercial agreements
• Establish structured reporting on Division KPIs, proactively manage risk, cost & growth metrics
• Uphold Solent’s commitment to sustainability & transparency across all food-related activities
  
  

About You

• 5+ years’ experience as a FMCG Commercial Director or equivalent role, ideally within food & nutritional wellness
• Proven track record of leading commercial teams, building strategic retail relationships (existing & new) & delivering profitable category growth through consumer relevant ranges
• Exceptional leadership style - emotionally intelligent & highly effective influencer that encourages collaborative working & delivery of projects & results
• Strong strategic thinker with broad commercial acumen, analytical rigour & leadership presence
• Excellent communicator with the ability to operate at executive and customer board level
• Passion for food innovation, sustainability and consumer health trends
  
  

Other information

We offer

• Competitive salary & car allowance with annual salary reviews
• 25 days holiday per annum, increasing to 27 days after 3 years’ service and 30 days after 5 years’ service
• Extensive benefits programme including buying additional holiday, medical cash plan, access to mental health support and many other benefits
• EV scheme
• Flexible hours and work from home available to all staff
• Great learning and development and progression opportunities
• Yearly bonus structure (based on company targets)
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Leave
• Generous Company Sick Pay
• Pension Scheme Contribution
• Solent social events run by our inhouse Social Team
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Dress down Fridays
• Free parking on Christchurch Quay