National Account Manager – M&S in Nottingham

Have you built trusted partnerships with demanding retail customers?

Can you combine commercial ambition with exceptional attention to quality, service and delivery?

Do you know how to bring customer, NPD and manufacturing teams together around one plan?

MacGregor Black is partnering with a food and snacking manufacturer on the appointment of a National Account Manager – M&S.

M&S is a strategically important partnership for the business, and one built on product innovation, quality and exacting standards. You will take full ownership of account

performance and develop the relationship through deep customer understanding, reliable execution and well-judged new opportunities. Working with M&S means working at pace

on product development and to some of the highest technical and quality expectations in UK retail. You will need to be as comfortable on the factory floor as in the customer’s head

office, acting as the link between the two.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the M&S relationship across buying, product development, technical and supply chain teams, and act as the business’s primary customer contact.
• Develop and deliver a clear, commercially sound account plan that sets out priorities for growth, profitability, range development and service.
• Own the account P&L, including sales, margin, forecasting, pricing and cost management, and track performance against budget and targets.
• Lead customer reviews, range reviews and commercial negotiations, including cost price increases, with a balanced and well-prepared approach.
• Coordinate new product development from customer brief through concept, costing, kitchen and factory trials, and launch, so that projects stay on time, on budget and to
• specification.
• Make sure new products and range changes are commercially viable and can be delivered operationally before they are committed to the customer.
• Work closely with operations, technical, planning and supply chain to protect service levels, quality and food safety standards.
• Use account, category and market insight to identify improvements in range, pack, promotion and innovation, and present growth opportunities with confidence.
• Monitor product performance after launch, identify underperforming lines and recommend corrective action or range rationalisation where needed.
• Resolve customer issues quickly, communicate clearly and follow through, so that trust is built at every level.
• Act as the customer’s voice internally, so that teams across the site understand M&S standards, priorities and ways of working.

What We’re Looking For:

• National account management experience with a major UK retailer, gained within a food or drink manufacturer.
• A strong understanding of own label development, including the technical, specification and cross-functional demands it brings.
• Experience of M&S or a comparably quality-led, innovation-driven retailer would be a real advantage.
• Excellent commercial analysis skills, with confidence in P&L ownership, product costings, margin management and forecasting.
• Strong negotiation skills and experience of handling cost price discussions constructively.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and the ability to influence technical, operational and development teams.
• Close attention to detail, particularly around specifications, launch timelines and quality requirements.
• Evidence of protecting a key relationship while improving its commercial performance.
• The confidence to be visible on site, build credibility with production teams and represent the customer internally.

Salary - TBC Competitive

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