National Account Manager

Zest Recruitment; England; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food manufacturer in the UK seeks a National Account Manager to oversee major retail accounts. The ideal candidate will have over 3 years of experience in the FMCG sector, a passion for food, and strong relationship management skills. This role offers a competitive salary, hybrid working options, and significant autonomy to shape commercial success.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Discretionary bonus + EOT profit share bonus

Matched pension contributions (up to 5%)

Private healthcare and life cover

Hybrid working - work from home every Friday

23 days holiday (rising with service)

Qualifications

• 3+ years' experience managing UK retail accounts in the FMCG sector.
• Background in food (ambient preferred); Own Label experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Full ownership of a major UK retail account.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities and product listings.
• Manage customer relationships across sales, supply chain, technical and NPD teams.
• Collaborate with Procurement to align on costings and sourcing opportunities.
• Monitor and manage customer stock levels in partnership with internal teams.
• Work alongside Category Insight and Marketing to create best-in-class presentations.

Skills

Customer relationship management

Negotiation

Communication

Attention to detail

IT proficiency, especially in Excel

Job description

Overview

National Account Manager — Surrey (Hybrid - WFH option on Fridays)

£50,000 - £70,000 + benefits

Own Label | Retail Accounts

Are you an experienced National Account Manager with a passion for food and a proven track record in retail account management? This is a fantastic opportunity to join a successful, food manufacturer that supplies predominantly own-label products to the UK's leading supermarkets and foodservice channels.

This business has built an award-winning reputation for its product quality and international sourcing capability, operating across multiple countries. Now, they're looking for a commercially driven National Account Manager to take ownership of key UK retail accounts and play a pivotal role in driving forward sales performance.

The Role

Reporting to the Sales & Marketing Director, you\'ll take full responsibility for managing and growing both existing and new retail accounts. You\'ll build strong, lasting relationships with key customer stakeholders across buying, supply chain, NPD, and merchandising functions.

Responsibilities

• Full ownership of a major UK retail account
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities and product listings
• Manage customer relationships across sales, supply chain, technical and NPD teams
• Collaborate with Procurement to align on costings and sourcing opportunities
• Monitor and manage customer stock levels in partnership with internal teams
• Work alongside Category Insight and Marketing to create best-in-class presentations using IRI and internal data
• Manage and report on sales performance, forecasting, and contract balances

About You

You\'ll be a confident, results-driven National Account Manager who thrives in a hands-on role and enjoys owning customer relationships end-to-end. Ideally, you\'ll have:

Experience & Qualifications

• 3+ years\' experience managing UK retail accounts in the FMCG sector Essential
• Background in food (ambient preferred); Own Label experience is a plus

Skills & Competencies

• Proven success in winning new business and securing new listings
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Commercially astute with strong influencing and negotiation ability
• High attention to detail and strong organisational skills
• Advanced IT proficiency, especially in Excel

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Discretionary bonus + EOT profit share bonus
• Matched pension contributions (up to 5%)
• Private healthcare and life cover
• Hybrid working - work from home every Friday
• 23 days holiday (rising with service)

Why Apply?

This is a rare opportunity to join a food manufacturer where you\'ll have genuine autonomy and the chance to shape long-term commercial success. If you\'re looking to step up and own key retail relationships in a supportive, entrepreneurial environment - this role is for you.

As you know over here at Zest we like to do things properly and always want to keep you, the candidate in the loop. Applying to this \"one of a kind\" role you give Zest permission to hold your information. If you want to know more about how Zest look after your personal information please visit our privacy policy on the website http://www.zestfoodjobs.co.uk/privacy-policy/