National Account Manager

Zest; South Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Training and progression

Job summary

Zest is a well-established, growing food importer and distributor in the UK seeking a Retail Account Manager to join the commercial team in Barnsley. You will nurture relationships with discounters and Top 5 grocers, manage accounts, and help expand product distribution across ambient and frozen ranges.

Reporting to the Commercial Manager, you will travel to visit customers and suppliers, analyse costs, and coordinate with internal teams to ensure smooth execution.

Qualifications

• Background in food sales, account management or buying with interest in supplier-customer work.
• Experience in food retail (or foodservice/manufacturing) is acceptable.
• Must have clean UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain long-term relationships with customers and suppliers.
• Develop sales and expand product distribution.
• Manage customer accounts.
• Conduct customer and supplier visits (driving licence required).
• Provide feedback on opportunities and market information.
• Monitor sales and stock to plan supply.
• Track market conditions and pricing.
• Prepare costing sheets and analyse buying/selling costs.
• Monitor and analyse contract balances.
• Coordinate with internal departments for task execution.
• Use SAP and Microsoft Office daily.
• Troubleshoot and resolve day-to-day issues.

Skills

Relationship building

Account management

Sales development

Driving licence

Retail sales

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

Job description

Take your next step in the food industry with this well-established, growing food importer and distributor.

You will become a key member of the retail team, where you report to the Commercial Manager, focusing on retail accounts. The accounts will include discounters (i.e. Home Bargains, Heron Foods) as well as a Top 5 grocery retailer. You will be working with an exciting and diverse product range across ambient and frozen categories.

Key responsibilities include:

• Building and maintaining long-term relationships with new and existing customers and suppliers
• Developing sales and expanding product distribution
• Managing customer accounts
• Conducting customer and supplier visits (a full driving licence is required)
• Providing feedback on customer opportunities and market information
• Monitoring sales and stock levels to plan supply effectively
• Tracking market conditions and pricing
• Preparing costing sheets and analysing costs associated with buying and selling products
• Monitoring and analysing existing contract balances
• Communicating effectively with internal departments to ensure smooth execution of tasks
• Using in-house systems including SAP, Microsoft Office, and the company intranet
• Troubleshooting and resolving day-to-day issues as they arise

About You

• You have a background in food, either from a sales, account management or buying background, with an interest in a role where you will work with both suppliers and customers
• Your experience in food can be focused on retail, but candidates are also welcomed from a foodservice or manufacturing background
• You are eager to learn and take on a new challenge
• You are organised, proactive, and commercially minded
• You enjoy building relationships and working as part of a team
• You are looking for a role where you can genuinely build a long-term career
• Essential: You have a clean UK driving license.

What's on Offer

• Full training and support from senior leadership
• Exposure to a broad and exciting food product portfolio
• Long-term prospects for international travel to visit suppliers
• A team-orientated, office-based role with scope for progression
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Company car

If you thrive in a busy working environment where no two days are the same, this is an opportunity not to be missed. You will become a key member of this retail commercial team that is part of a growing business in the food industry.