Commercial Supply & Product Manager in Preston

Location: Preston, England.

Sector: Building & Construction.

Salary: £38,000 per annum.

Benefits: 20% annual bonus.

Axon Moore is exclusively partnering with a well-established and growing private equity backed business within the interiors and construction supply sector to recruit a commercially astute Commercial Supply & Product Manager. This is a fantastic opportunity for somebody who enjoys building strong supplier relationships, influencing commercial performance and taking real ownership of product and category strategy within a fast‑paced operational environment. The business has built an excellent reputation within its market with ambitious plans for continued growth across multiple channels.

As part of that journey, they are looking for an individual who can bring greater commercial focus to supplier management, product selection, margin optimisation and strategic partnerships. This is not a role where you’ll sit behind spreadsheets all day. It’s a highly visible position where you’ll work closely with operational teams, suppliers, finance and senior leadership to help shape commercial decisions that genuinely impact the business. For the right person, there is significant scope to make the role your own and become a key part of the company’s future growth.

The Opportunity

As Commercial Supply & Product Manager, you’ll take ownership of supplier performance, commercial negotiations, product categories and margin improvement initiatives across the business. You’ll act as the link between suppliers and internal teams ensuring products are commercially viable, operationally effective and aligned to customer requirements. This role would suit somebody who is commercially sharp but also practical in their approach, someone who enjoys improving processes, challenging suppliers constructively and building long‑term partnerships that create value on both sides.

Key Responsibilities

• Supplier & Commercial Management
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers and manufacturing partners.
• Lead supplier performance reviews and drive improvements in service, responsiveness and accountability.
• Manage escalations relating to supply issues, product concerns or service delivery challenges.
• Negotiate commercial agreements including pricing structures, rebates, settlement discounts, payment terms, and supplier support packages.
• Challenge cost increases and identify opportunities to improve overall margin performance.
• Monitor supplier KPIs including lead times, availability and service levels.
• Product & Category Strategy
• Take ownership of product ranges across multiple sales channels.
• Help shape category strategy and product selection aligned to customer demand and commercial performance.
• Work closely with operational teams to ensure products are practical, efficient and reliable in real‑world delivery.
• Identify opportunities to simplify ranges, improve efficiencies and introduce new product innovation.
• Support showroom and display planning where required.
• Margin & Performance Improvement
• Analyse supplier and product profitability.
• Support pricing strategy and margin protection initiatives.
• Monitor inflationary pressures and recovery opportunities.
• Improve visibility around supplier contribution and category performance across the business.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration
• Partner closely with operations, estimating, finance, customer care and installation teams.
• Ensure alignment between commercial objectives and operational delivery.
• Help improve communication, consistency and processes across departments.
• Supplier Partnership Development
• Build stronger strategic supplier relationships to support long‑term growth.
• Secure additional supplier support including marketing contributions, promotional activity, fitter training incentives, POS/display support, and digital collateral.

About You

We’re keen to speak with individuals who are naturally commercial, relationship‑driven and confident operating within a busy service‑led environment. Sector and product knowledge will be essential for this role and candidates should ideally come from one of the following backgrounds: Flooring, Interiors, Construction supply, Builders merchants, Distribution, Housebuilder supply chain, Retail or trade environments.

You’ll also ideally have experience in supplier negotiation, category management, margin improvement, commercial analysis, and operational supply chain challenges. Most importantly, you’ll be somebody who enjoys building relationships, spotting opportunities for improvement and making a visible impact within a growing business.

Salary & Benefits

• Competitive salary dependent on experience.
• Performance‑related bonus opportunity.
• 23 days holiday increasing to 25 days after 5 years’ service.
• 5 paid sick days per annum.
• Private healthcare.
• 4% matched pension contribution.
• Monday to Friday working pattern.
• Working hours between 8:00am and 5:00pm.
• 40‑hour working week.
• Long‑term career progression opportunities.
• Opportunity to shape and influence a growing function.
• Supportive leadership team with ambitious growth plans.