Senior Account Manager (Commercial) in England

At En Route, we don’t just support the journey - we elevate it. Born in 2002 and now the leading global specialist in passenger solutions, supply chain services, and innovative onboard products, we bring creativity, precision, and passion to the world’s airlines. As part of dnata, one of the world’s most respected air and travel services providers, our impact stretches across six continents, supported by world‑class catering, travel, cargo, and ground handling expertise.

Job Purpose: The Senior Account Manager (SAM) is responsible for leading and exceeding sales & profit targets for the region through the development and execution of strategic business strategies. Working within company guidelines and investment parameters, the SAM will drive growth by acquiring new net sales, increasing sales to existing customers, and maintaining customer retention. Collaboration with operational and cross-functional teams is essential to ensure exceptional service delivery and customer satisfaction. Additionally, the SAM may have line management responsibilities, overseeing a team of account managers to achieve collective goals and objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Take ownership of sales budget performance and engage in contract negotiations with key stakeholders across the UK/EU to impact the departmental P&L significantly.
• Expand market share, achieve, and surpass sales & gross margin objectives.
• Lead negotiations and strategy with key prospective accounts, making critical decisions.
• Conduct quarterly meetings with key prospects and customers to review performance and strategize.
• Cultivate and manage commercial relationships for En Route in the region.
• Develop in-depth insights into customer businesses and establish strategic partnerships with decision-makers up to the main board level.
• Understand customer business development plans and align En Route’s support to enable their success.
• Conduct periodic product/range reviews to ensure offerings meet account needs and drive growth and profitability.
• Generate market activity reports, analyse trends, and present findings to the senior team as needed.
• Provide accurate and timely performance, financial, and volume forecasting and reporting for accounts, considering market dynamics and business fluctuations.
• Collaborate with Marketing to analyse competitor activities and propose strategic changes based on data insights.
• Develop and implement a strategic sales plan in coordination with Commercial, NPD, and Creative teams to achieve sales and margin targets.
• Contribute to business development initiatives in the region, including tender processes (RFQ/RFP, etc.).
• Ensure adherence to approved business case and pricing models as per company standards.
• Manage project implementations in collaboration with the operational team to ensure a seamless transition from concept to operation.
• Inspire and motivate the local team to enhance performance and meet customer expectations.
• Serve as a role model for the team, offering coaching and support to the operational team as needed.
• Provide monthly reports to the senior management team.
• Maintain up-to-date customer and prospect records in En Route systems, ensuring accurate CRM data management for effective opportunity tracking.
• Establish measurable goals for short- and long-term sales and overall growth aligned with En Route’s vision and targets, regularly evaluating performance against set standards to drive profitable growth.
• To undertake any other duties, which may from time to time be assigned.

Skills and Experience Required:

• Sales and/or Airline Catering experience
• Proven success within strategic sales / commercial account management / business development
• Strong commercial awareness (essential)
• Experience in regional catering/food/logistics markets
• Highly numerate (to interpret and produce financial plans, account profit, margins, etc.)
• Good data and business analysis and reporting skills
• Able to construct and deliver influential commercial selling presentations
• Superior negotiation skills
• PC literate including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.
• Native speaker level English (spoken/written), plus one European language

Job Dimensions:

• Geographic Responsibility: Europe
• Type of Employment: Full time
• Travel Required, primarily within Continental Europe, willing to travel at short notice
• Based in Windsor HQ 3 days a week (hybrid)
• Must have the right to live and work in the UK

We are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable, and diverse workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their best. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences, and we are dedicated to ensuring a fair and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any adjustments or support during the application or interview stages, please let us know – we’re here to help!

Regrettably, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond individually to every candidate. If you have not heard from us within 10 working days of submitting your application, unfortunately you have not been successful on this occasion.

We take your privacy seriously. Any personal data you share with us during the application process will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection laws and used solely for recruitment purposes. Your information will be stored securely and retained only for as long as necessary.