“We are building a more structured, more commercially effective Education business, and this role matters. We want to double the Education BU by June 2028, deepen our local authority partnerships and become more disciplined about where we focus and how we turn opportunity into profitable growth.
This is about more than maintaining existing accounts. It is about understanding the pressures on school meal services, influencing buying and menu decisions, and turning customer insight into commercial action. We need someone who has delivered growth, builds trusted relationships and brings judgement, energy and follow‑through.”
Location: South of England (field-based)
Reports to: Senior Commercial Manager – Local Authorities (Kirsty McLeod)
Workplace Type: Hybrid / remote, field-based
Travel: Regular travel across the South of England to customers, meetings and events, fully expensed
Package: Up to £55k DOE + company car (Tesla Model 3) + bonus structure + Green Gourmet benefits
About the Education Business Unit
Green Gourmet’s Education Business Unit supplies food solutions to schools across the UK, including local authority and contract catering customers.
Green Gourmet has a clear ambition to double the Education business by June 2028. To achieve it, we are moving from reactive selling towards a more structured, account‑led approach, with stronger customer planning, clearer priorities and accountability for profitable growth.
This role is needed now to deepen local authority relationships in selected strategic areas of the South of England, respond to school food regulation and menu changes, and proactively convert ranging and procurement opportunities into revenue.
The Education business sits within Green Gourmet Group, an ambitious, privately led food business with a clear growth agenda. We combine commercial discipline with entrepreneurial agility.
Green Gourmet Group is a certified B Corp business, focused on combining strong commercial performance with responsible food production and a positive impact on people and communities.
We expect high standards, support one another and take pride in delivering results together. Our culture is built around accountability, resilience and continuous improvement, recognising that long‑term performance depends on the wellbeing and energy of our people.
The Opportunity
This is a commercially important role with real autonomy, ownership and visibility.
You will own and grow local education authority (LEA) school catering accounts across the South of England, build relationships with catering and procurement decision‑makers, and help shape a more proactive commercial model. You will not simply manage inherited customers. You will grow them.
It is a strong opportunity for someone who wants to make a measurable commercial impact, build momentum and play a visible part in the next phase of growth.
What You Will Do
- Own and grow LEA school catering accounts through structured account plans.
- Win listings and revenue through menu cycles, procurement, tenders and innovation.
- Build relationships with LEA catering, procurement, menu and operations teams.
- Increase menu share, product range and buying locations in new and existing accounts.
- Own forecasts, qualified pipeline and priorities using Excel‑based analysis.
- Work with technical, NPD and operations to create viable, compliant solutions.
- Protect gross profit through sound pricing, resource discipline and commercial judgement.
How Success Will Be Measured
- Revenue and gross‑profit growth across the LEA portfolio within 12–18 months.
- New product listings, menu approvals and regulation‑led wins.
- Retention and renewal, with improved menu share and range penetration.
- A qualified, forward‑looking pipeline with strong conversion potential.
- Quality of revenue protected by pricing discipline and sound ranging decisions.
- Strong relationships across catering, procurement and senior decision‑makers.
- Clear account plans, reliable forecasts and evidence‑led prioritisation.
- A measurable contribution to doubling the Education BU by June 2028.
Experience Required
- Foodservice account management, national accounts or commercial school‑catering experience.
- Personal evidence of account growth: starting point, actions and commercial outcome.
- Experience managing complex accounts with multiple stakeholders.
- Foodservice experience; supplier‑side and school‑catering applicants welcome.
- Exposure to LEA procurement, buying frameworks, menu cycles or tenders.
- Strong commercial judgement, pricing, gross‑profit and negotiation skills.
- Credible senior‑level communication and openness to challenge and feedback.
Capabilities Required
- Make sound decisions without perfect information, using evidence and initiative.
- Turn school budget, menu and regulatory pressures into viable solutions.
- Prioritise quick wins, strategic opportunities and limited resources.
- Communicate evidence‑led proposals for ranging, pricing and innovation.
- Excel skills for account plans, forecasts, pipelines and scenario analysis.
Cultural Fit
- Personable, relationship‑led and credible with public‑sector customers.
- Proactive, autonomous and accountable for delivering commercial results.
- Resilient and adaptable, with organised follow‑through.
- Curious, collaborative and open to giving and receiving feedback.
- Driven by growth, change and improving school food.
Non‑Negotiables
- Evidence of personally growing revenue in complex foodservice accounts.
- Foodservice experience and exposure to structured buying and decision‑making routes.
Nice to Have
- Local authority school meals, education or public‑sector foodservice experience.
- Relationships with LEA catering teams and procurement decision‑makers.
- Experience influencing school menus, innovation and ranging decisions.
- Experience in a high‑growth or commercially changing business.
Our Ambition
Green Gourmet’s ambition is to build a stronger, more proactive and more commercially effective Education business, with deeper local authority partnerships and sustainable, profitable account growth across the South of England.
This role is part of that journey. It is an opportunity to help shape how we grow, how we work with local authority customers and how we win.
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Commercial Manager - Local Authority School Catering in Stroud employer: Green Gourmet Ltd | Certified B Corp™
Green Gourmet is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where accountability, resilience, and continuous improvement are at the forefront of our culture. As a certified B Corp, we prioritise responsible food production while providing our employees with meaningful growth opportunities and the autonomy to make a measurable impact in the education sector. With competitive packages, including a Tesla Model 3 company car and a strong focus on employee wellbeing, joining our team means being part of a forward-thinking organisation committed to both commercial success and positive community impact.
Contact Details:
Green Gourmet Ltd | Certified B Corp™ Recruitment Team
