Commercial Lead

inploi; Manchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading bakery company is seeking a Commercial Lead to join their team in Manchester. This role involves driving profitable growth, leading a team of Customer Care Representatives and collaborating with various departments. Ideal candidates should have a strong background in sales or business development within the food industry and possess excellent relationship-building skills. The position offers daily perks like fresh bread, discounts, and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Fresh bread daily

50% discount at GAIL’s

40% off at The Bread Factory

23 days holiday (pro-rata)

Discounts from retailers

24-hour GP service

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• Proven track record in commercial, sales or business development role in food or hospitality.
• Confident with data and financials – able to analyse numbers and turn them into action.
• Passionate about great food and committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Responsibilities

• Drive profitable growth across customer and channel portfolio in Manchester.
• Lead a high-performing team and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Identify growth opportunities, negotiate agreements, and ensure service delivery.

Skills

Commercially astute

Relationship building

Data analysis

Organizational skills

Negotiation skills

Job description

The Bread Factory is London’s leading Artisan Bakery, known for award-winning breads, pastries, and cakes, supplying top-quality products across e –commerce, grocery, foodservices, and retailers such as our GAIL’s Bakeries nationwide. As our Hendon Factory continues to grow, we are looking for a Commercial Lead to join our Manchester team.

We Care about a Job Well Done:

Since 1993, we have been champions in traditional baking with the finest ingredients and techniques. We always do things the right way, not the easy way.

We Care about Baking:

At The Bread Factory, all our teams take pride in crafting beautiful, freshly baked loaves, pastries, and cakes. We are all passionate about our products and share knowledge among us all.

We Care about Each Other:

We always act with respect, empathy, and support to our employees, neighbours and customers.

We Care about Community:

We believe in minimising unsustainable practices and reducing waste. While ensuring we continue to provide everyone with nutritious high-quality food.

Every day is different at The Bread Factory, but here are some of the things you will be doing:

• Working in close partnership with our London headquarters and reporting to the Foodservice Commercial Manager, you’ll take full ownership of driving profitable growth across our entire customer and channel portfolio in Manchester.
• Leading a high-performing team of two Customer Care Representatives and one Account Manager, you’ll also collaborate with our wider Foodservice and Customer Experience teams (based in London), as well as Marketing, NPD, and Operations, to shape and deliver commercial strategies that meet customer needs while maximising opportunities both regionally and nationally.
• This is a hands-on, results-oriented role that requires balancing big-picture strategy with day-to-day commercial management, project execution, and customer satisfaction. As a trusted partner to our key customers, you’ll identify growth opportunities, negotiate agreements, and ensure we consistently deliver on our commitments.
• Fast-paced, varied, and dynamic, this role offers something different every day. One moment you could be working alongside top chefs in Foodservice, sampling products and co-developing new menus; the next, partnering with retail customers or collaborating with cross-functional teams to guarantee best-in-class service. In everything you do, you’ll be both a commercial driver and a customer champion—making sure our service is every bit as exceptional as our baking.

Our team tells us you will be a great addition if you…

• Proven track record in commercial, sales or business development role in food or hospitality
• Strong relationship builder with excellent influencing or negotiating skills
• Commercially astute, with a focus on building sustainable growth and profitability
• Confident with data and financials – able to analyse numbers and turn them into action
• Highly organised, adaptable and comfortable managing multiple priorities
• Comfortable navigating complexity
• Passionate about great food and committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences
• A track record of building successful, cross-functional partnerships.

What’s in it for you?

• Fresh bread daily to take home to enjoy with family and friends.
• 50% discount at GAIL’s and 40% off at The Bread Factory & The Flour Station Markets.
• 23 days holiday (pro-rata)
• Discounts and Savings from high-street retailers and restaurants
• 24-hour GP service
• Cycle to work scheme

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