Commercial Account Manager

Company Description

IPS (Part of the Culina Group) works with some of the best known brands and provides cost effective and innovative co-packing, co-filling and co-manufacturing solutions within the UK. At Culina we have a winning culture, we believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive. A place where you're valued, challenged, and inspired!

Job Description

To work in partnership with the Head of Business Development to deliver the IPS Commercial Strategy, with ownership of key customer relationships for our co-manufacturing partners and project management of the home baking category campaign. The role is accountable for driving organic growth, improving account management standards, and ensuring the successful delivery of customer programmes from concept through to launch and beyond. It will also play a key role in shaping and embedding best practice account management processes across IPS. This is a full time, permanent role. Working Monday to Friday, 40 hours a week.

Key Duties of a Commercial Account Manager:

• Account Management & Growth
• Manage and develop key retailer and branded customer relationships, with primary ownership of the home baking category campaign, a strategically important initiative requiring close, hands-on management.
• Alongside the core campaign, manage a broader portfolio of customer relationships across additional product categories produced on site (e.g. cereals and other dry blends), ensuring a consistent and high standard of account management.
• Develop and execute robust customer account plans, identifying clear opportunities for organic growth across all accounts.
• Build strategic partnerships with customers by developing a deep understanding of their category strategies, commercial drivers and longer-term requirements.
• Proactively identify and unlock growth opportunities through range expansion, NPD and improved commercial structures.
• Act as a key commercial contact for inbound enquiries, confidently presenting the IPS proposition to new and prospective customers and converting opportunities into commercially viable contracts.
• Use strong analytical capability to assess customer performance, identify trends and patterns, and translate insight into clear, commercially sound proposals to support account development.
• Develop compelling, insight-led customer presentations that clearly articulate opportunities and take customers on a logical, engaging journey from insight through to recommendation.
• Lead commercial discussions with customers, including pricing negotiations and securing new or extended contracts, ensuring outcomes align with site growth and margin expectations.
• Play a key role in elevating account management capability at St Helens by embedding a more structured, commercially focused approach.
• Contribute to the development and testing of new IPS-wide account management processes and tools (e.g. Key Account Plan frameworks, performance tracking and governance), ensuring they are practical, scalable and effective prior to wider rollout across the commercial function.
• Support the ongoing evolution of the IPS commercial function by contributing to longer-term strategic thinking alongside the Head of Business Development.
• Operate as a highly customer-centric partner, ensuring consistent delivery of high service levels and building trusted, long-term relationships.
• Collaborate across the wider IPS and Culina commercial network, contributing to group initiatives and sharing best practice across sites.
• Commercial Ownership
• Manage customer P&L performance, ensuring alignment to agreed commercial targets.
• Develop cost cards in collaboration with operations and site leadership.
• Own pricing submissions to customers, ensuring accuracy, competitiveness and margin delivery.
• Agree volumes and commercials with customers, balancing growth with operational feasibility.
• Campaign and category delivery
• Compile detailed analysis of campaigns capturing their success in both financial and operational terms. Use these findings to implement new and improved processes going forward.
• Ensure the yearly revenue of managed accounts increases YOY by a minimum of 10%, whilst retaining profitable EBIT levels.
• Research and identify new opportunities that complement the strengths of the group.
• Be a role model for others at all times and demonstrate the IPS behaviours.
• Build solid relationships with BDMs and Site Leads across IPS group.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the food industry (desirable).
• Proven track record in account management within FMCG, co-pack, food manufacturing or similar.
• Experience managing retailer and/or branded customer relationships.
• Demonstrable experience in building strategic partnerships and delivering account growth.
• Experience negotiating pricing and securing commercial agreements/contracts.
• Experience converting inbound enquiries into revenue generating accounts.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience managing P & L, pricing and cost structures.
• Experience developing structured account plans and implementing growth strategies.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple work streams.
• Strong customer centric focus, committed to delivering excellent service and building trust.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines.
• Strong customer service and relationship management skills.
• Knowledge of project management and risk management principles.
• Strong PowerPoint and presentation skills.

Additional Information

As part of our drive to make IPS a great place to work, we are proud to be an inclusive and diverse organisation where we are committed to employee development and recognising success for hard working performers. Our dedicated learning and development programmes are open to every employee to give you the opportunity to shape your own future within logistics and continue to work in an environment where team culture thrives. Our People are the driving force behind our success, which is why we offer a wide range of benefits which include:

• Annual Leave: Competitive holiday entitlement of 25 days plus the normal bank holidays.
• Company Bonus: We do our best work to succeed together. When we achieve our goals you'll be rewarded through our bonus scheme.
• Pension scheme: We want colleagues to enjoy a comfortable retirement so we offer a great contribution of 4% employee and 4% employer.
• Life Assurance: 4x your annual salary.
• Wellness: Via our Employee Assistance Programme we offer immediate access to a confidential telephone counselling and legal information service that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Eye Care Vouchers: We can provide you with substantial savings with free eye tests and discounts on prescription glasses.
• Reward & Recognition: We recognise that employees have gone the extra mile via Employee of the month and year, special recognition and long service awards.
• Everyday discounts: via our benefit platform you will have access to over 50 retailer discounts for everyday savings!

If you meet the requirements for the above role and are looking for your next career opportunity please apply now and become a part of our #WinningTeam.