National wholesale Controller - Foodservice

Kepak Group; Kirkham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company Pension

Further Education support

Bike to Work Scheme

Long Service Awards

GroceryAid Employee Assistance Program

Corporate gym membership

BUPA Cash plan

Job summary

Kepak Foods Division is seeking a commercially driven leader to own a significant wholesale portfolio across the UK market. The role emphasizes ownership, accountability and building a high-performing team to deliver sustainable growth and strong P&L results.

The successful candidate will lead from the front in a hands-on capacity, establish clear disciplines for performance, and collaborate across Supply Chain, Marketing and Field Sales to meet ambitious targets.

Qualifications

• Proven success managing major wholesale, distribution or foodservice accounts.
• Strong track record of profitable sales growth and customer development.
• Commercial and financial expertise including P&Ls, forecasting and trade investment.
• Confident negotiation, relationship-building and people leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver profitable growth across sales, margin and volume.
• Develop joint business plans with national wholesalers and distributors.
• Lead negotiations on pricing, promotions and trading terms, maximizing ROI.
• Secure new listings, expand distribution and improve product availability.
• Work with Supply Chain, Marketing and Field Sales to deliver forecasts and launches.
• Coach and develop a high-performing account management team.

Skills

Wholesale accounts

Account management

Negotiation

People leadership

Forecasting

Job description

Kepak is a leading food company with manufacturing sites across Ireland and the UK. The Group operates across three divisions: the Foods Division, Meat Division UK, and Meat Division Ireland.

Kepak Foods Division

Kepak Foods Division is a key growth engine within the Group, focused on delivering branded and value-added products across chilled convenience, ambient and frozen categories. Operating across the UK, Ireland and selected European markets, the Division serves both retail and foodservice customers through a strong portfolio of innovative brands and customer-led solutions from our manufacturing facilities.

We now have a unique opportunity for a commercially driven leader to take ownership of a significant wholesale portfolio and play a key role in delivering Kepak's growth ambitions.

We're looking for someone with genuine entrepreneurial spirit; a leader who takes accountability, identifies opportunities, problem solves and makes things happen. This individual must possess strong analytical capability, a deep understanding of the drivers behind commercial performance, and the ability to quickly identify risks, gaps and opportunities before they impact results.

The role involves leading an enthusiastic and ambitious team, developing talent whilst creating a high-performance culture built on ownership, execution and continuous improvement.

Initially, this will be a hands‑on leadership position, suited to someone who enjoys getting into the detail, building strong foundations and establishing clear disciplines that create control and drive performance. Comfortable setting direction while remaining close to the action, the successful candidate will lead from the front and support the team in delivering results.

If you're ambitious, commercially astute and motivated by building high-performing teams, delivering sustainable growth and taking full ownership of results, this could be the role for you.

What you’ll do

• Deliver profitable growth across sales, margin and volume.
• Develop joint business plans with national wholesalers and distributors.
• Lead negotiations on pricing, promotions and trading terms, maximising return on investment.
• Secure new listings, expand distribution and improve product availability.
• Work with Supply Chain, Marketing and Field Sales to deliver accurate forecasts and successful customer launches.
• Coach and develop a high‑performing account management team.

What you’ll bring

• Proven success managing major wholesale, distribution or foodservice accounts.
• A strong track record of profitable sales growth and customer development.
• Commercial and financial expertise, including customer P&Ls, forecasting and trade investment.
• Confident negotiation, relationship‑building and people leadership skills.
• A clear understanding of UK foodservice routes to market.

What can we offer you?

• Company Pension
• Further Education support
• Bike to Work Scheme - You can buy a bike and safety equipment through a salary sacrifice scheme which reduces your taxable income - meaning you pay less tax!
• Long Service Awards - We recognise, acknowledge and award the dedication and valuable contribution of long serving employees
• GroceryAid Employee Assistance Program - help with a wide range of topics including mental health and wellbeing support, family and relationship advice, debt management, back to work support, and counselling for all Kepak colleagues and their families.
• Corporate gym membership at Ribby Hall Village
• BUPA Cash plan free of charge