Head of Client Leadership

IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution); Watford; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market leading pension

Bonus scheme

Buy/sell annual leave

Medical insurance

Job summary

IGD is seeking a Head of Client Leadership to lead our client service team, delivering stronger engagement and value for a portfolio of strategic clients.

You will coach two Commercial Managers, drive renewals, identify growth opportunities, and collaborate with Insight and Consulting teams to optimise revenue. The role offers a hybrid working arrangement with easy access from the M25, just 20 miles from Central London.

Qualifications

• Gravitas and strong interest in the Grocery industry.
• Natural curiosity to explore ideas and drive efficiencies.
• Proven commercial background in retail/manufacturer/research.
• Leadership and coaching skills to develop a customer-facing team.

Responsibilities

• Lead a portfolio of ~10 existing and strategically important clients, focusing on commercial engagement.
• Drive renewals and upgrades to subscriptions; identify growth opportunities.
• Lead two Commercial Managers, coaching, aligning with business objectives, and driving continuous improvement.

Skills

Gravitas

Grocery industry interest

Commercial background

Leadership & coaching

Job description

At IGD, we’re proud to be a Great Place to Work, where our people are empowered to grow, inspired to lead and ready to make a difference. At the heart of that experience is how we attract, welcome, and support new colleagues to join us.

That’s where you come in.

We’re looking for a Head of Client Leadership who will lead our client service team, delivering better engagement from clients with better IGD solutions. The team sits at the forefront of our commercial engagement, powering commercial success. You’ll thrive on listening and responding to client needs, have a passion for improving outcomes for our industry, and be able to lead commercial engagement at all levels and all types of business across a portfolio of clients.

This is one of four Head of Client Leadership roles, and they play a critical role in leading client engagement and ensuring we are optimising engagement and revenue for IGD.

What you’ll do

Key Account Management

• You will directly lead a portfolio of c.10 existing and strategically important clients, overseeing overall engagement with the customer, with a primary focus on commercial activity.
• This will mean ensuring all clients get full value from current services by creating and delivering engagement activity and identifying growth opportunities in key clients across the full range of IGD services and benefits.
• Comfortable operating up to CEO level, with a primary focus on commercial leaders and insight teams, you’ll deliver excellent customer service, working closely with our support teams, ensuring a swift and effective response to incoming queries and acting as a partner to your key accounts.

Commercial Growth

• You’ll drive renewals AND upgrades to existing client subscriptions through additional support and where appropriate, engage new stakeholders on our other online services.
• A key aspect of the role will be identifying new opportunities for IGD Consulting projects. Working together with our Consulting and Insight teams to generate quality leads, proposals and solutions and create strong partnerships with strategic clients.
• We set monthly and annual targets for sales of our online and consulting services, designed to ensure our continued high level of client retention. This will be the primary measure of your success.

Leadership

• You will lead and develop two Commercial Managers, each of whom will be responsible for managing a portfolio of c.30 clients, setting clear goals, and driving accountability. You will motivate and inspire your team, ensuring high performance and alignment with business objectives. You will be experienced in coaching and mentoring individuals of varying experience levels, fostering professional growth and encouraging collaboration.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management will be key, as you guide their team through challenges and support decision‑making. You will also drive continuous improvement, implement best practices, and lead the team through change to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

What we’re looking for

• You should have gravitas and a strong interest in the Grocery industry
• A natural curiosity to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and drive efficiencies
• You can demonstrate a proven commercial background, with experience gained from working in the retail/manufacturer/research space
• You will need leadership and coaching skills to help develop our wider customer facing team

The rewards

We offer a range of benefits, including a market leading pension, a bonus scheme, the ability to buy and sell annual leave plus a generous medical insurance package. You will have a great work‑life balance, where you are empowered & trusted to manage your time.

The location

We are operating a hybrid approach to working with a mix of home and office‑based working. We are based in a very accessible location within the M25, just 20 miles from Central London.

Our behaviours

We’re hungry for better

We say what needs to be said

We solve it together

We make it happen

More about our people

We’re looking for inspiring professionals; talented people who seek personal and career growth and are ambitious to develop their potential and unlock opportunities for society, for our clients and themselves.

We seek and attract the very best people and create an environment that supports and includes them. We aim to encourage a culture where people can be themselves and be valued for their contribution. We welcome applications from diverse candidates. Please discuss any adjustments that you may require throughout the selection and assessment process.