Major Accounts Manager

Howden Joinery Limited; West Midlands, Leeds, Manchester; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

Laptop

Mobile phone

Excellent pension scheme

25 days holiday

Staff discount

Share awards

Job summary

Howdens Joinery is seeking a Sales professional to develop Social Sector contracts across the North, Midlands, Leeds and Manchester. You will manage high-value accounts, generate leads, and prepare tenders while collaborating with Kitchen Designers to deliver innovative solutions.

You will build long-term relationships, provide accurate estimates with pricing and delivery details, and travel across the North with occasional overnight stays.

Qualifications

• Strong business development experience, ideally in construction or a trade-only environment.
• Proven experience of achieving and surpassing sales targets.
• Experience of managing and developing high-value customer accounts.
• Confidence preparing tenders, pricing plans and working to margins.
• Outstanding presentation, communication, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Customer-focused and commercially astute; able to communicate at all levels.
• Excellent organisation and ability to manage own workload.
• Proactive, flexible and results-driven; eager to succeed.
• Good computer literacy and confident handling customers by phone and in person.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across the North with overnight stays.

Responsibilities

• Achieving and surpassing sales targets by developing new and existing Social Sector contracts.
• Managing major spending accounts and building collaborative, long-term customer relationships.
• Generating leads and initiating contact with potential, existing and lapsed contract customers.
• Preparing tenders and pitching Howdens as a potential supplier.
• Understanding customer requirements and working with Kitchen Designers to deliver solutions.
• Finding commercial solutions to design challenges, including accessible layouts and compact spaces.
• Acting as the first point of contact for customer queries and providing after-sales service.
• Producing accurate estimates with correct pricing, delivery dates and stock requirements.
• Maintaining detailed account records and completing monthly reports on development and sales activity.
• Monitoring competitor and industry activity to support growth.
• Working with depots, NDCs and the Contracts team to deliver a consistent customer experience.

Skills

Business development

Sales target achievement

Account management

Tender preparation

Negotiation

Communication

Organisation

Driving licence

Job description

North of the UK | Candidates can be based in or around the Midlands, Leeds or Manchester

What you'll be doing

• Achieving and surpassing sales targets by developing new and existing Social Sector contracts
• Managing major spending accounts and building collaborative, long-term customer relationships
• Generating leads and initiating contact with potential, existing and lapsed contract customers
• Preparing tenders and pitching Howdens as a potential supplier
• Understanding customer requirements and working with Kitchen Designers to deliver innovative, practical solutions
• Finding commercial solutions to design challenges, including accessible layouts and compact spaces
• Acting as the first point of contact for customer queries, concerns and changes, providing a high level of after‑sales service
• Producing accurate estimates with the correct pricing, delivery dates and stock requirements
• Maintaining detailed account records and completing monthly reports on development and sales activity
• Monitoring competitor and industry activity to support commercial growth
• Working closely with depots, NDCs and the wider Contracts team to deliver a consistent customer experience

What we need from you

• Strong business development experience, ideally gained within construction or a trade-only environment
• Proven experience of achieving and surpassing sales targets
• Experience of managing and developing high-value customer accounts
• Confidence preparing tenders, competitively pricing plans and working to agreed margins
• Outstanding presentation, communication, influencing and negotiation skills
• A customer-focused and commercially astute approach, with the ability to communicate at all levels
• Excellent organisation, attention to detail and the ability to manage your own workload
• A proactive, flexible and results-driven style, with the desire to succeed
• Good computer literacy and confidence handling customers by phone and in person
• A full UK driving licence and flexibility to travel frequently across the North, with occasional overnight stays

What we can offer you

• Basic Salary of £45-55,000 depending on experience
• Company car, laptop and mobile
• Excellent pension scheme, with company contribution of up to 12%
• 25 days' holiday, rising to 27 days after 5 years' service and 30 days after 10 years' service
• Staff discount on Howdens products
• Share awards and prize draws
• The opportunity to build your career within a fast-paced, successful and growing business

About Howdens

Howdens Joinery is a highly successful FTSE 100 business, with more than 900 depots nationwide and more than 11,000 staff. Last year our sales reached circa 2.3bn, and we continue to experience significant growth and success. Despite our scale, Howdens remains a local business with traditional values. There is a strong entrepreneurial ethos and the opportunity to develop within a fast-paced and commercial environment. That, along with a competitive salary, development opportunities, and exciting rewards, are among the reasons why our people enjoy working for Howdens - and why we have been named one of the 10 Best Big Companies to Work For.

Howdens is founded on the principle of being Worthwhile for ALL concerned. We're working hard to ensure we provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome.

If you need any adjustments to our recruitment process, please email [e-mail] with the job title and location, and we will be happy to help you.

Please note that candidates applying for this role must have a valid right to work in the UK, we do not offer sponsorship of employment for any depot positions at this time. We appreciate your understanding.

Discover your next role with us and see how you can fit into one of the UK's best big companies to work for. As a proud member of The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers, we offer exciting opportunities for both apprentices starting out and experienced professionals ready to take the next step in their careers. Whether you're working in our depots, building strong relationships with our trade customers, or applying your expertise to create, manufacture and distribute our market-leading products, there are many roles that make Howdens a success. Find out more about what makes our Depots tick. Howdens is the UK's number one specialist kitchen supplier, trusted by the trade since 1995. From just 14 depots when we started, we've grown to nearly 950 across the UK and Europe, and we're still growing. At Howdens, our people are at the heart of everything we do. Whether in our depots, manufacturing sites, or support teams, everyone plays a vital role in helping us grow, innovate, and make a difference. We work exclusively with trade professionals, giving them the products, service, and support they need to deliver kitchens fitted to the highest standard. By building strong partnerships with local tradespeople, we help them exceed their customers' expectations, and in turn, we all succeed together. Our success is built on a simple but powerful model: locally empowered depot teams backed by a world-class supply chain. This means we can keep products in stock, provide exceptional service, and deliver real value to our customers every day.