Commercial Manager - Drinks

Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS); Liverpool City Region; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the food and drinks sector is seeking a Commercial Manager for a 12-month fixed-term contract in Liverpool. The ideal candidate will excel in strategic thinking, driving profitability, and managing P&L. Responsibilities include leading contract negotiations, developing sector strategies, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. This role offers hybrid work arrangements and competitive benefits.

Benefits

25 Days Annual Leave Plus Your Birthday Off

14.5% Pension - 5% employee opt in / 9.5% employer

Hybrid & Flexible Working - 4 days in office / 1 day WFH

Flexible Holiday Option - option to buy up to 5 additional days

Enhanced Family Friendly Policy

Life Assurance Cover

Private Medical Insurance

Critical Illness Cover

Learning & Development Opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in commercial management within the food or drink industry.
• Strong negotiation and financial acumen.
• Ability to drive profitability and manage P&L.

Responsibilities

• Deliver business KPIs including volume, turnover, and profitability.
• Manage full P&L responsibility for the sector.
• Lead contract negotiations and strategy implementation.

Skills

Strategic Thinking

Market Analysis

Negotiation

Financial Management

Job description

Vacancy Name
Commercial Manager - Drinks

Employment Type
Fixed Term

Country
United Kingdom

Location
Liverpool

Business Area
Commercial

Workplace Type
Hybrid

About Princes
The Princes Group has over 7,000 employees with offices and production sites in the UK, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, France and Mauritius. Princes manufactures 350 different food and drink products responsibly sourced and enjoyed by consumers every day. None of this would be possible without striving to be an employer of choice, where our colleagues are proud to represent our business.

Role Description

We are currently looking for an experienced Commercial Manager to join our Commercial Drinks team here at Princes on a 12-month FTC. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker with an excellent understanding of market trends, customer needs, and driving profitability.

• Implement the strategy to deliver the profit and loss targets for the sector through the identification and prioritisation of actions to maximise the financial performance
• Determine and implement the strategy for customer own brand contracts within the category, including contract negotiations, future range and SKU assortments
• Determine and agree the guiderails for contract negotiations for COB discussions and collaborate closely with the brand and revenue growth management teams to maximise the ongoing profitability delivered from branded sales
• Collaborate, create, publish and implement comprehensive sector management strategies and lead cross functional teams in delivery.
• Provide actionable competitor insights, in conjunction with the Insights team
• Provide sector input into the Sales and Operational Planning ("S&OP") process (demand reviews, supply review, portfolio review and excess stock management)
• Be a consultative partner, demonstrating knowledge across the sector and providing insight to support and help to shape wider business strategy.

Dimensions:

• External Contacts - Customer and Suppliers.
• Internal Contacts - Sales, Customer Strategy and Planning, Insights and Product Development, Procurement, Finance, Operations, Planning, Technical.

Role Requirements

Principal Responsibilities:

• Responsible for delivering business KPIs in terms of volume, turnover and profitability
• Preparation of the sector business plan, to include full P&L responsibility
• Preparation and ownership of the prioritised action plan to maximise the financial performance of the sector
• Sign off of the negotiation guidelines for both brand and customer own brand commercial negotiations
• Lead planning for annual COB tenders. Support the sales team in agreeing the negotiation steps to deliver enhanced profitability for the sector
• Represent the category both internally and externally as an expert whilst demonstrating a professional approach
• Prepare and execute customer presentations and sector plans as appropriate
• Working closely with the innovation and procurement colleagues to explore opportunities for cost mitigation and value engineering in line with customer / brand guidelines
• Monitor, report on and counter competitor activities and plans within the relevant category
• Obtain the lowest possible total cost of ownership through negotiation, market intelligence and supplier knowledge.
• Conduct regular reviews with key stakeholders and provide regular reporting on initiatives
• Monitor customer profitability for the category and identify any significant variance to signed off profitability and work collaboratively with the relevant brand or sales team to address any challenges
• Liaise with appropriate internal departments to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the sector
• Identify and develop an appropriate product range for customer own brand contracts, working closely with the innovation and project management teams. This includes managing the pro-active exit of tail / delisted SKUs to optimise the portfolio.
• Professionally resolve problems both internally and externally in a fair and ethical manner while protecting the long-term interests of the team and company.
• Support fully the efforts of other departments in achieving 100% stakeholder satisfaction.

Benefits:

• 25 Days Annual Leave Plus Your Birthday Off
• 14.5% Pension - 5% employee opt in / 9.5% employer
• Hybrid & Flexible Working - 4 days in office / 1 day WFH
• Flexible Holiday Option - option to buy up to 5 additional days
• Enhanced Family Friendly Policy
• Life Assurance Cover
• Private Medical Insurance
• Critical Illness Cover
• Learning & Development Opportunities

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