New Business Manager

Sainsbury's; Coventry; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK retailer is seeking a New Business Manager to drive profitable range growth and enhance customer choice. You will lead supplier acquisition, manage cross-functional teams, and develop impactful strategies. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in commercial management and a proven track record of delivering results. This role offers an opportunity to lead a dynamic team and shape product assortment in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in commercial account management or new business development.
• Confident in influencing stakeholders up to senior director level.
• Proven project management experience with results.

Responsibilities

• Drive profitable range growth through Supplier Direct Fulfilment.
• Lead supplier acquisition and shape range proposals.
• Manage category team relationships and negotiate commercial terms.

Skills

Commercial Account Management

Vendor Management

Negotiation skills

Project Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Job description

Overview

Joining Sainsbury's as the New Business Manager for the Argos division means embarking on an exciting journey where you will drive profitable range growth and enhance customer choice through the Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) new business development programme. In this role, you will have the opportunity to lead supplier acquisition, shape range proposals, and establish impactful relationships with key stakeholders, both internally and externally. As a passionate and proactive professional, you will play a pivotal role in expanding our product assortment through innovative supplier partnerships and collaborative efforts with the Commercial Buying teams, making a tangible impact on our business success and customer satisfaction.

As a New Business Manager you will be part of a dynamic and innovative team dedicated to driving growth and maximising assortment opportunities within the General Merchandise category. As a key player in our Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) new business development process, you will have the chance to collaborate closely with category teams, suppliers, and various stakeholders to shape and deliver impactful strategies that meet customer needs and service expectations. With a focus on continuous improvement and team development, you will have the opportunity to lead and inspire a high-performing team while contributing to the overall success of our organisation.

What you'll do

As the New Business Manager at Sainsbury's, you will be accountable for developing knowledge of the broader GM category strategy to inform Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) planning and prioritisation, working closely across category teams to understand assortment gaps and priorities for the new business development plan. Your role will involve researching the market to identify potential sourcing routes, proactively engaging with brands and suppliers to evaluate opportunities, and collaborating with Buying & Merchandising to source capable new business routes to maximise assortment growth. You will also manage category team relationships, contribute to the development of the Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) new business process, negotiate commercial terms with suppliers, develop business cases, and lead the launch of new ranges, ensuring alignment with range strategy and Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) targets. Additionally, you will serve as the Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) subject matter expert for various cross-functional teams, coordinate supplier onboarding processes, and manage the team to achieve departmental budget metrics and objectives, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and compliance with legal and ethical standards.

Essential Criteria

• Previous Commercial Account Management, Vendor Management and/or New business development experience within a retailer environment
• Confidently utilise advanced influencing skills with internal and external stakeholders and peers up to and including Senior Director level
• Demonstrate project management experience with proven results of leading and delivering change that impacted multiple divisions/functions
• Deep understanding of Commercial and Supplier dynamics, and the appropriate levers to use to impact success against each other’s KPI's
• Show exceptional negotiation skills that have delivered and sustained incremental profitability whilst maintaining outstanding relationships
• Demonstrate proven experience in workload and activity sequencing, managing inputs to capacity limits and outputs to budget delivery
• Previous experience managing and delivering growth via a stockless service proposition
• Previous line management experience of a team
• The ability to travel nationwide to suppliers etc

Technical skills

• Good degree of commercial acumen with a proven track record of commercial successes within this or other organisations
• A knowledge and understanding of Legal, competition law, anti-bribery and corruption and Intellectual Property and TSI
• Ability to analyse complex data from multiple sources to drive decisions and strategies
• Financially astute, understanding how own business decisions can influence shareholder value, and the financial levers to manage in order to drive performance
• Programme-manage cross functional activity to ensure milestones are met and blockers escalated & resolved, holding internal and external stakeholders to account
• Line management skills to create a culture of development and progression, ensure team delivers objectives and role models corporate values

Knowledge & experience

• Commercial awareness from Account Management or New Business development experience, preferably within a Non-food E-Commerce environment
• Proven track record of delivering results to targets as an individual and within a team
• Demonstrate strong supplier relationships
• Ability to identify market trends and opportunities
• Able to balance short- and long-term objectives to deliver the channel strategy
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-moving dynamic retail environment
• Effective communicator, presenter, and team player with an ability to bring others with them to deliver the strategy, always approachable and visible
• Demonstrate confidence and credibility with stakeholders (internal & external), influencing colleagues and suppliers at a Senior level
• Acts as a change agent and embraces new ways of working and share best-practice, responding resiliently when faced with ambiguity, able to challenge the norm
• Demonstrates understanding of business performance to understand that impact of their decisions
• Addresses difficult issues in an open and constructive way. Asking appropriate questions about performance
• Creating an environment of ownership and pro-active to make things happen
• Builds an effective network of stakeholders both internally and externally
• Brave decision making, mitigating risk to make effective commercial choices

Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).

Responsibilities

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. From fragrance to car care, clothing and pots and pans, our General Merchandise team delivers all the non-food items for Sainsbury’s, Habitat and Argos customers. This multi-brand environment means you get to work across most areas. You can also be a pioneer, because the team believes in being brave, iterating and learning as they go. They also develop deep connections to other departments, which opens up a lot of different career opportunities for you. What’s certain is that you’ll spend time on the shop floor to get closer to customers, and bring a broad perspective and the full support of your manager with you wherever you decide to develop next.