Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage catering contracts, ensuring compliance and driving business growth.
- Company: Join a global family with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Enjoy free meals, health plans, gym discounts, and learning opportunities.
- Other info: Flexible work culture with excellent career progression opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a dynamic environment while developing your career.
- Qualifications: 3+ years in sales/account management, strong communication, and negotiation skills.
The predicted salary is between 35000 - 45000 £ per year.
The role is responsible for overseeing all aspects of catering contracts and ensuring efficient ongoing management and compliance. This role involves liaising with clients, suppliers, and a variety of dcUK internal stakeholders to ensure that catering services meet quality standards, contractual obligations, and financial targets while mitigating risks. The Catering Contract Manager plays a critical role in driving business growth, customer profitability, and operational efficiency in the catering department. The focus is on margin improvement and sales revenue growth for the specified accounts allocated to the role. The role will assist in the development of the sales strategy.
Key Responsibilities
- Contract Management: Ensure compliance with the Catering Agreement, overseeing main terms, schedules, and appendices, and managing new service requests, SLAs, and commercials. Obtain Head of Sales approval for significant contract changes requested by clients, such as adjustments to main terms, new services, or pricing principles. Stay informed about shifts in client needs and their impact on profitability, seeking authorisation before implementing operational solutions. Analyse contract terms and obligations to identify risks, conflicts, and discrepancies, proposing solutions to address them effectively. Assess and mitigate various contract-related risks, including legal, financial, operational, and reputational concerns, safeguarding the organisation's interests. Lead the menu presentation process for assigned accounts, balancing customer satisfaction with dcUK’s commercial objectives.
- Growth: Remain informed about industry trends, competitor activities, and market dynamics to identify opportunities for accounts. Collaborate with the Business Growth & Profitability Manager on (re)tender responses for existing accounts, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives set by Head of Sales. Furnish the Head of Sales with client requirements to facilitate the development or modification of products and services. Oversee the implementation of ad hoc (charter) flights/briefs, collaborating closely with Account Support for seamless execution. Record and document market data pertaining to both customers and competitors in the CRM system to inform strategic decisions. Aid in the development of relevant brand material to ensure alignment with organisational objectives and messaging strategies.
- Account Plans: Collaborating with the Head of Sales, contribute to the development and execution of the annual, 3-year and 5-year account plans. Support plans by tracking, reporting and forecasting sales revenue. Provide deep account insights and recommendations to improve sales efficiency and enhance margins.
- Stakeholder Relationship: Strive to become a trusted advisor to maximise the business potential of the account and enhance relationships to ensure account profitability. Collaborate timely with internal stakeholders, including customer service, unit managers, legal, sales, procurement, and finance teams, to manage contracts effectively and deliver optimal customer satisfaction. Additionally, guide Account Support on any contract changes, updates, or concerns. Build and maintain strong external relationships with clients, vendors, suppliers, and partners, acting as the primary point of contact for contract-related inquiries, negotiations, and disputes. Organise and participate in regular customer visits and presentations.
- Contract Performance: Report and evaluate contract performance, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), deliverables, milestones, and obligations to ensure timely delivery and compliance with contractual terms. Report sales KPIs to verify that contracted benefits, such as accurate invoicing/payments, are consistently delivered. Promptly elevate any issues and risks to the Head of Sales, collaborating with Account Support if necessary, and recommend appropriate resolutions.
Required Skills
- Intermediate to Advanced skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Salesforce.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, to effectively convey ideas, negotiate terms, and resolve conflicts with clients, stakeholders, and internal teams.
- Strong ability to build and maintain relationships with clients fostering trust and collaboration.
- Flexibility to adapt to changing client needs, market conditions, and internal priorities, to adjust approaches to achieve business objectives.
- Understanding of profit and loss analysis to optimise profitability and meet financial targets.
- Ability to handle pressure, setbacks, and challenging client situations with resilience, maintaining professionalism, and focusing on finding solutions to overcome obstacles.
- Adaptability: flexible and open-minded in responding to ever-changing client needs and circumstances.
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience of working within a sales/account management/commercial function/team.
- Strong negotiation skills to lead discussions, influence decision-making, and secure favourable outcomes in contract agreements and managing expectations.
- Proficiency in identifying challenges, analysing complex situations, and developing creative solutions to address client issues.
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to execute strategic account plans, aligning business objectives with client goals, and identifying growth opportunities to drive revenue and profitability.
- Strong leadership skills to lead cross-functional teams, delegate tasks effectively, and motivate team members to achieve shared goals.
- Assertiveness: confidence in asserting one's needs, opinions, and boundaries while maintaining professionalism and respect.
- Problem-solving orientation: proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues, finding creative solutions to complex problems.
- Emotional intelligence: capacity to understand and manage one's emotions, as well as navigate interpersonal dynamics with empathy and diplomacy to resolve potential conflicts effectively.
What’s in it for you?
- An opportunity to be part of the Emirates global family.
- Free breakfast, lunch and dinner on site.
- Free tea and coffee.
- Simply health Plan.
- Refer a Friend Scheme.
- Discounted gym membership at over 2000 gyms nationwide.
- Cycle to Work Scheme.
- Opportunity to enhance your learning through our in-house apprenticeship programme.
Account Manager in Hounslow employer: dnata Catering UK
Contact Detail:
dnata Catering UK Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Account Manager in Hounslow
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, or even hit up LinkedIn. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that Account Manager role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its competitors. Understand their catering contracts and how they manage client relationships. This will help you stand out and show that you're genuinely interested in the role.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your negotiation skills! As an Account Manager, you'll need to negotiate terms and manage expectations. Role-play with a friend or use online resources to sharpen those skills before your interview.
✨Tip Number 4
Don't forget to apply through our website! We want to see your application and get to know you better. Plus, it shows you're serious about joining our team and ready to take on the challenges of the role.
We think you need these skills to ace Account Manager in Hounslow
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Account Manager role. Highlight your experience in contract management and relationship building, as these are key aspects of the job. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Showcase Your Achievements: Don’t just list your responsibilities; share specific achievements that demonstrate your impact in previous roles. Use numbers and examples to illustrate how you’ve driven growth or improved efficiency. This will help us see the value you can bring to our team.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Avoid jargon and make sure your ideas flow logically. We appreciate straightforward communication, especially since this role involves liaising with various stakeholders.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, you’ll find all the details about the role and our company culture there!
How to prepare for a job interview at dnata Catering UK
✨Know Your Contracts Inside Out
Make sure you understand the key terms and obligations of catering contracts. Be prepared to discuss how you've managed compliance in the past and how you would approach any potential risks or discrepancies.
✨Showcase Your Relationship-Building Skills
Demonstrate your ability to build and maintain strong relationships with clients and internal stakeholders. Share specific examples of how you've fostered trust and collaboration in previous roles.
✨Be Ready to Discuss Industry Trends
Stay informed about the latest trends in the catering industry and be prepared to discuss how these could impact the accounts you'll manage. Highlight any relevant experiences where you've identified opportunities for growth.
✨Prepare for Problem-Solving Scenarios
Think of examples where you've successfully navigated challenging client situations or contract negotiations. Be ready to explain your thought process and the creative solutions you implemented to overcome obstacles.