Sales Grocery Channel Lead

Essity AB; Manchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hygiene and health company in Manchester is looking for a talented leader to manage retail and channel strategy. This role involves nurturing customer relationships, developing channel strategies, and identifying growth opportunities for long-term success. The ideal candidate will have extensive account management experience, excellent leadership skills, and strong financial awareness, along with familiarity with SAP Analytics.

Benefits

High starting salary with annual reviews

Pension 10% employer contribution

Annual bonus

Private medical insurance

27 days of holidays plus bank holidays

Staff product discounts

Gym membership discount

Cycle to work scheme

EAP support service

Qualifications

• Extensive account management experience preferably in the food or drink industry.
• Broad commercial experience of retail.
• Strong financial and operational awareness.
• Comfortable communicating and building relationships at all levels.
• Excellent organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage an agreed portfolio of key customers via the respective account management team.
• Develop relationships with key customers to support account management team.
• Identify and develop incremental sales opportunities.
• Liaison between Commercial Director and team to ensure achievement of objectives.
• Monitor, coach and develop Sales team to ensure achievement of Company targets.

Skills

Account management experience

Financial and operational awareness

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Project management experience

Tools

SAP Analytics and Reporting

Job description

Essity may be a company you are not familiar with, but you will know our market-leading consumer brands, including TENA, Bodyform, Cushelle, Velvet, Plenty and Tork, as well as Leukoplast, Actimove, and JOBST within our medical portfolio. Our company mission is to break barriers and improve the well-being of people across the world through our health and hygiene products and solutions.

We're looking for a confident, talented leader to own the retail and channel strategy with some of the top major multiples within the UK, to successfully deliver mutually profitable growth. You’ll take responsibility to manage the development of the channel strategy and lead the team in the execution of the plans. You will also nurture established customer relationships and collaborate closely with our retail partners to align strategies and jointly develop successful plans.

Reporting to the Commercial Director UK&ROI, you will play a vital senior role in the future development of the business through your ability to identify growth opportunities, capitalise on them and thus create long-term value for the business.

There are plenty of reasons to work at Essity:

• High reaching starting salary with annual reviews
• Pension 10% employer contribution
• Annual bonus
• Private medical insurance for yourself and one other
• Holidays starting at 27 days plus bank holidays (with flexible bank holiday options)
• Staff product and discounts
• Essity Rewards (online and in-store shopping discounts)
• Benefits include: EAP support service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discount and many more
• Local community activities and charitable initiatives

About the role

Manage an agreed portfolio of key customers via the respective account management team.

Develop relationships with key customers to support account management team.

Identify and develop incremental sales opportunities within the account portfolio.

Liaison between Commercial Director and team to ensure implementation and achievement of annual business objectives.

Monitor, coach and develop Sales team to attain highest possible level of professional standards and ensure achievement of Company targets.

Construction and implementation of customer business plans and customer planning meetings.

Ensure there is strategic alignment with the customer (s) through a multi-dimensional 3-year customer plan which consists of a commercial and service charter (e.g. new branded opportunities, NPD, contract targets, ESG alignment, inbound service metrics, contact strategy) that are relevant based on where the customer fits within our customer segmentation framework.

Monitor cost control and recommend any necessary actions to reduce costs where possible.

Communicate strategic customer plans and objectives to the wider business and lead process to ensure all departments have alignment to individual plans.

Develop relationships with key customers to a minimum of Buying / Trading Controller level. Target quarterly review meetings with contacts to ensure agreed business objectives are endorsed at higher levels.

Attend and support KAMs at relevant customer meetings with key Buyers.

Ensure there is sufficient management of the sales forecast through the account review process.

Attend business meetings fully briefed with the necessary information (e.g. Specific internal customer meetings, controller meetings, sales meetings, demand reviews and performance updates).

Monitor and coach Sales personnel to identify areas of strength and development and maintain team motivation and discipline.

Work closely with other department Controllers to encourage shared learning and positive working relationships.

Work with NRM team to positively influence customer profitability.

Pro-actively identify problems and implement solutions.

Identify potential areas of business systems improvement.

Support Sales Director with relevant data and information (in line with agreed timings, content and format

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Extensive account management experience preferably in the food or drink industry

Broad commercial experience of retail

Strong financial and operational awareness

SAP Analytics and Reporting

Excellent leadership skills

Comfortable communicating and building relationships at all levels

Excellent organisational skills

Proactive

Self motivated and achievement orientated

Project management experience would be an advantage

About Our DEI Culture

Guided by our Beliefs & Behaviour, our culture is the foundation that connects our history with our future. At Essity, care, collaboration and inclusion are more than buzzwords, they are practiced on an everyday basis. And with a purpose of breaking barriers to wellbeing, promoting gender equality and enable customers and consumers to lead a fuller life at all stages of life, DEI is in our core.

As we work in diverse teams across geographies, cultures and professional areas, inclusive leadership is something we expect from ourselves and each other. In our leadership platform, we express this as leveraging the power of differences. From experience we know that diverse and inclusive teams are key to innovate and profitably grow our business while simultaneously address our ambitious climate targets.

What's next?

Essity kindly but firmly declines direct contact with recruiting and staffing agencies, as well as job advertising sellers.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

EEO is the law. Essity is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from diverse candidates.