National Account Manager (Retail)

Protein Works; Liverpool; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff discounts

Private healthcare

Birthday day off

Pension scheme

Bonus scheme

Cycle to work

Retail discounts

Staff events

PW Campus

WFH Fridays

Refreshments on-site

Job summary

Protein Works is seeking a National Account Manager to lead our move into retail, shaping how a fast-growing health brand expands into grocery, health and specialist retail alongside D2C.

You will own end-to-end retail listings, build relationships with buyers, and manage P&L for retail accounts, while collaborating with operations, marketing and NPD to ensure timely product launches and sustained growth.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in field sales, business development, or national account management.
• Proven track record of securing and growing retail listings with grocery, health, or specialist retailers.
• Track record of full P&L ownership.
• Experience leading Joint Business Planning with retail accounts.
• Confident engaging with senior/director-level stakeholders.
• Excellent communicator and ability to influence at senior level.
• Entrepreneurial self-starter, motivated by building something from the ground up.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of new retail listings from initial listing to growing live accounts.
• Build and manage relationships with buyers and category managers across multiple product categories.
• Take full ownership of the P&L for retail accounts and ensure revenue and margin targets are met.
• Lead promotional and investment planning for retail accounts with the wider commercial team.
• Lead Joint Business Planning sessions with key retail accounts.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, supply chain, marketing, and NPD to land launches on time.
• Regularly report on retail account performance with clear insights for leadership.
• Manage product range, pricing, and promotional plans to maximise distribution and profitability.

Skills

Field sales / national accounts

Retail listings acquisition

P&L ownership

Joint Business Planning (JBP)

Stakeholder negotiation

Communication skills

Entrepreneurial mindset

Strategic thinking

Job description

Protein Works is looking for a National Account Manager to lead our move into retail. This is a rare opportunity to shape how one of Europe's fastest-growing food and drink brands, with over 500 million shakes sold and 2 million customers online, takes its first steps into grocery, health, and specialist retail, alongside the direct-to-consumer business that got us here.

You'll join our New Product Development team as the person leading that move: securing our opening retail listings, then managing and growing those accounts once they're live. There's no existing retail relationship to inherit, so you'll be the one building it, listing by listing, account by account, buyer by buyer.

It's a high-visibility role with real ownership over strategy and results from day one, as Protein Works takes on its next growth channel.

About Protein Works

Protein Works is a multi-award-winning healthy food brand based in the Northwest. Our mission is simple: to help people live healthier and happier lives through the power of nutrition. We employ 170 people across product development, manufacturing, logistics, and head office, all working towards one goal: creating premium, nutrition-packed products at unbeatable value. Our range includes protein shakes, meal shakes, wellness supplements, and high-protein snacks, all crafted for incredible taste and top-tier nutrition.

With over 500 million shakes sold worldwide, Protein Works is one of Europe's fastest-growing food and beverage brands. We're obsessed with excellence and innovation, helping over 2 million customers on their journey to better health.

Key Duties

• Own the end-to-end delivery of new retail listings, from securing the initial listing through to managing and growing the account once live, across grocery, health, and specialist retail channels.
• Build and manage relationships with buyers and category managers across multiple product categories (e.g. chilled RTD, ambient, sports nutrition), acting as the senior point of contact able to open conversations at director level and cascade delivery down through category teams.
• Take full ownership of the P&L for retail accounts, ensuring revenue and margin targets are delivered.
• Lead promotional and investment planning for retail accounts, agreeing plans and spend with the wider commercial team.
• Lead Joint Business Planning (JBP) sessions with key retail accounts, aligning on shared goals and growth opportunities informed by category insight and data.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, supply chain, marketing, and NPD to ensure product launches and range plans land on time and in full.
• Regularly report on retail account performance against targets, providing clear insight to senior leadership on progress and strategic priorities.
• Manage product range, pricing, and promotional plans to maximise distribution and profitability across retail accounts.

Ideal Candidate

What you'll bring

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in field sales, business development, or national account management.
• Proven track record of securing and growing retail listings with grocery, health, or specialist retailers, ideally spanning multiple categories.
• Track record of full P&L ownership and delivery against revenue and profit targets.
• Experience leading Joint Business Planning with retail accounts.
• Confident engaging and negotiating with senior/director-level stakeholders, with the ability to cascade relationships down through category teams.
• Excellent communicator with the ability to influence and negotiate at senior level.
• An entrepreneurial self-starter, motivated by building something from the ground up in a fast-paced environment.

What you'll get

• Exclusive staff discounts
• Private healthcare
• Birthday day off
• Pension scheme
• Unique bonus scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Access to retail discounts
• Staff socials and events
• State of the art PW Campus
• WFH on Fridays
• Refreshments on-site