Senior National Account Manager

Drnewitt; Staines-upon-Thames; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Drnewitt is seeking a Senior National Account Manager for bakery manufacturing in South-East England. You will lead national accounts, develop strategic plans, and drive sales and profitability through strong negotiations and cross-functional collaboration.

The role requires bakery/manufacturing experience, managing major retail or wholesale accounts, and strong stakeholder management. Permanent position with 60,000–70,000 salary depending on experience.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as National Account Manager in food manufacturing.
• Bakery manufacturing background.
• Experience with major retail, grocery, foodservice or wholesale accounts.
• Strong commercial negotiation and account management.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop strategic national customer accounts, building relationships with key decision-makers.
• Develop and deliver account plans to achieve sales, margin and growth.
• Lead commercial negotiations, including pricing, promotions and terms.
• Identify opportunities for account growth via listings and distribution.
• Collaborate with NPD, Technical, Production, Supply Chain and Finance to meet requirements.
• Manage customer forecasting, promotions and performance.
• Monitor market trends and competitor activity to identify opportunities.
• Lead regular customer reviews and provide commercial reporting.
• Maintain customer relationships while protecting profitability.

Skills

Account management

Negotiation

Forecasting

Stakeholder management

Commercial acumen

Job description

Job Description

Senior National Account Manager – Bakery Manufacturing

Location:South-East England
Salary:60,000 – 70,000 (Dependent on experience)

Contract:Permanent

Role Overview

Our client is an exciting player in the bakery manufacturing space seeking an experiencedSenior National Account Managerto lead and develop a portfolio of key national accounts.

The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering sustainable sales and profit growth through effective account management, commercial negotiation, customer development and strategic planning. Previous experience withinbakery or food manufacturing is essential, with experience managing major retail, grocery, foodservice or wholesale customers highly desirable.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and develop strategic national customer accounts, building strong relationships with key decision-makers.
• Develop and deliver account plans to achieve agreed sales, margin and growth objectives.
• Lead commercial negotiations, including pricing, promotions, trading terms and annual agreements.
• Identify opportunities for account growth through new listings, range extensions, NPD and increased distribution.
• Work closely with NPD, Technical, Production, Supply Chain and Finance to ensure customer requirements are delivered effectively.
• Manage customer forecasting, promotional planning and commercial performance.
• Monitor market and category trends, competitor activity and customer strategies to identify opportunities.
• Lead regular customer reviews and provide clear commercial reporting to senior management.
• Ensure customer relationships are maintained at the highest professional level while protecting company profitability.

Candidate Requirements

• Proven experience as aNational Account Manager or Senior National Account Managerwithin food manufacturing.
• Strong background inbakery manufacturing/production.
• Experience managing significant retail, grocery, foodservice or wholesale accounts.
• Proven track record of delivering sales and margin growth.
• Strong commercial negotiation and account management experience.
• Experience with NPD, pricing, forecasting and promotional planning.
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to analyse customer and market data.
• Ability to work effectively across Commercial, Production, Technical, Supply Chain and Finance functions.

Personal Profile

The ideal candidate will be commercially astute, highly professional and results driven, with the ability to build credible relationships at senior level. They will be confident negotiating with customers while maintaining a strong understanding of manufacturing capability, operational constraints and profitability.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced National Account Manager to join a growing bakery manufacturing business and play a key role in delivering its commercial growth strategy.