VP Sales UK&I

Heinz; City Of London; On-site; GBP 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global food company in London is seeking a Senior Commercial Leader to drive sales, profitability, and channel penetration across the UK & Ireland. The role requires extensive FMCG experience, P&L accountability, and strong negotiation skills with major retailers and wholesalers. The ideal candidate will lead a large omnichannel sales function and promote innovation-led growth. This position offers competitive compensation within a dynamic and collaborative team environment.

Qualifications

• Senior FMCG commercial leader with extensive UK & Ireland experience.
• Proven track record of delivering strong topline and margin results.
• Experience leading large omnichannel sales functions (c.100 FTEs).
• Strong negotiator with national retailers and wholesalers.
• Commercial and financial acumen for price/mix optimization.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver the UK&I commercial strategy.
• Manage full P&L accountability for sales performance.
• Lead the Omnichannel sales organization.
• Own major customer relationships and commercial negotiations.
• Accelerate Away-From-Home strategy for brand penetration.
• Drive innovation and new product development.
• Collaborate with Procurement and Supply Chain to optimize service.
• Build commercial capabilities and lead high-performing teams.

Skills

FMCG experience

P&L ownership

Negotiation skills

Relationship building

Innovation-led growth

Commercial acumen

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Matrix environment experience

Job description

Job Description

We are looking for a senior commercial leader accountable for driving sales, profitability and channel penetration across the UK & Ireland business (£1.2bn GBP). Reporting to the Managing Director for UK&I, this role leads a team of ~100 individuals across omnichannel commercial execution (retail, discounters, convenience, e-commerce and Away‑From‑Home/foodservice), owns customer relationships and negotiations with major retailers and wholesalers, and delivers growth through range, innovation and go‑to‑market excellence.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Define and deliver the UK&I commercial strategy aligned to objectives: Recapture brand love, Be Preferred, Be in More Occasions.
• Full P&L accountability for UK&I sales performance (NSV, gross profit and contribution to EBITDA), driving both volume and margin improvement through pricing, mix, cost‑to‑profit and fixed cost absorption initiatives.
• Lead the Omnichannel sales organization (retail multiples, discounters, convenience, e‑commerce, category development, sales finance, Ireland and Away‑From‑Home), empowering the team to execute customer plans and deliver targets.
• Own major customer relationships and commercial negotiations with key external partners: Grocery Multiples (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Co‑op, Waitrose), Discounters (Aldi, Lidl), national wholesalers and major foodservice chains/operators; secure ranges, promotions, and strategic partnerships that increase distribution and share of shelf/occasion.
• Accelerate Away‑From‑Home (AFH) strategy to make AFH the #1 driver of Heinz penetration — win chains and independents, develop chef‑led innovation & pack formats, relaunch FOH equipment and digital, and build brand experiences in AFH locations.
• Drive innovation and NPD pipeline (flavours platform, new formats/packaging, adjacencies) and translate it into commercial wins with customers and operators.
• Collaborate with Procurement, Supply Chain and Operations to optimise service, cost and availability (including co‑packer management), and to reinvest savings into growth.
• Build commercial capabilities and the Brand Growth System across people: recruit, develop and retain high‑performing sales, category and e‑commerce teams.
• Represent the voice of the customer internally; align marketing, shopper and field activation to maximise impressions and sell‑through.

Expected Experience & Required Skills

• Senior FMCG commercial leader with extensive UK & Ireland experience (ideally experience across Grocery Multiples, Discounters and foodservice).
• Proven track record of P&L ownership and delivering strong topline and margin results.
• Experience leading large omnichannel sales functions (c.100 FTEs or comparable scale) and cross‑functional teams.
• Strong negotiator and relationship builder with national retailers, wholesalers and foodservice operators.
• Demonstrable success in innovation‑led growth, pack/format innovation and activation that translates into sales.
• Commercial and financial acumen: ability to model trade‑offs, price/mix optimization and value‑engineering to free investment.
• Excellent leadership, stakeholder management and capability building skills.
• Comfortable operating in a matrix environment, working closely with Procurement, Supply Chain, Marketing and Category teams.

Location(s)

London - The Shard

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes.