National Account Director

Salary: Circa £80,000–£90,000 DOE + Car Allowance + Annual Performance Bonus + Excellent Benefits

Lead a National Accounts Team. Shape Commercial Strategy. Drive Profitable Growth.

Are you an accomplished National Account Director, Head of National Accounts or senior commercial leader ready to take ownership of a major strategic customer portfolio and lead a high-performing commercial team?

This is an outstanding opportunity to join one of the UK's leading foodservice businesses in a highly influential leadership position.

With a £80,000–£90,000 basic salary, car allowance, annual performance bonus and excellent benefits, you'll take responsibility for the leadership, performance and development of the National Account Management function while helping shape the organisation's future commercial growth strategy.

This is much more than managing key accounts.

You'll lead and develop a team of Senior National Account Managers, National Account Managers and National Account Executives, take ownership of a significant strategic customer portfolio and have genuine influence over revenue growth, profitability, margin improvement, customer retention, share of wallet and commercial excellence.

For an ambitious commercial leader with aspirations towards broader Commercial Director-level responsibility, this represents an exceptional next career move.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Head of Commercial, you'll provide day-to-day leadership of the National Account Management function while translating the wider commercial strategy into measurable results.

You’ll take responsibility for the performance of strategically important customers, ensuring revenue, profitability, retention and growth objectives are achieved.

At the same time, you’ll develop the commercial capability of the National Accounts team, establishing clear objectives, coaching senior account managers and creating a culture of accountability, strategic thinking and commercial excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a portfolio of major strategic customer accounts, delivering agreed revenue, margin, profitability and retention targets.
• Translate the wider commercial strategy into clear customer and account development plans.
• Ensure strategic customers have robust annual account plans, growth strategies and engagement programmes.
• Drive portfolio sales budgets and gross margin performance.
• Identify commercial risks and opportunities and implement appropriate action.
• Act as the senior commercial escalation point for strategically important customers.
• Increase customer lifetime value, category penetration and share of wallet.
• Identify and deliver cross-selling opportunities across the wider business.

Leadership & People Development

• Lead, coach and develop a team of Senior National Account Managers, National Account Managers and National Account Executives.
• Establish clear objectives, KPIs and accountability across the National Accounts team.
• Conduct regular coaching, performance and development reviews.
• Build succession plans for strategically important customer relationships and commercial positions.
• Identify and develop future commercial leaders.
• Create a high-performance culture centred around growth, customer excellence and accountability.
• Coach Account Managers to move beyond operational account management towards genuine strategic customer leadership.

Strategic Account Management

• Establish consistent strategic account management standards across the team.
• Drive Joint Business Planning (JBP), strategic account reviews and customer development plans.
• Strengthen Executive and Board-level relationships with key customers.
• Identify opportunities to increase product penetration and share of wallet.
• Ensure commercial opportunities are converted into sustainable and profitable revenue.
• Develop long-term partnerships that improve customer retention and contract renewal.

Commercial Governance & Profitability

• Monitor account profitability, pricing, margin and overall commercial performance.
• Ensure strong pricing governance and commercial discipline across the National Accounts team.
• Lead and support complex commercial negotiations and annual customer reviews.
• Support the implementation of Cost Price Increases (CPI) and margin improvement initiatives.
• Deliver accurate forecasting, pipeline management and commercial reporting.
• Identify and escalate significant commercial, customer and financial risks.
• Ensure customer contracts and commercial agreements deliver sustainable profitability.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Work collaboratively with Operations, Procurement, Supply Chain, Finance, Customer Service, Product, Marketing and Commercial Leadership to deliver outstanding customer outcomes.

You’ll remove barriers impacting customer performance, resolve strategic issues and ensure the organisation works collaboratively to maximise customer value and commercial growth.

About You

We’re looking for a credible and commercially sophisticated leader with significant experience managing strategic national customers and developing high-performing commercial teams.

You’ll likely have experience as a:

• National Account Director
• Head of National Accounts
• Head of Strategic Accounts
• Commercial Director
• Head of Sales
• Customer Director
• Commercial Controller
• Senior National Account Manager ready for significant leadership responsibility

Your background could come from:

• Foodservice
• Food Distribution
• Fresh Produce
• Food Manufacturing
• FMCG
• Wholesale
• Hospitality
• Contract Catering
• Grocery
• Chilled, Fresh or Ambient Food

What You’ll Bring

• Significant National Account Management, Strategic Account Management or Commercial Leadership experience.
• Demonstrable experience leading and developing high-performing National Account teams.
• A proven track record of delivering revenue growth, margin improvement and customer retention.
• Experience managing large and complex strategic customer portfolios.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Experience analysing customer profitability, margin and growth opportunities.
• Strong Joint Business Planning and strategic account planning experience.
• Experience leading complex commercial negotiations and annual customer reviews.
• Excellent coaching, leadership and performance management capability.
• Experience developing succession plans and future commercial talent.
• Strong cross-functional leadership experience across Operations, Procurement, Supply Chain and Finance.
• Outstanding senior stakeholder management, influencing and communication skills.
• Ability to influence at an executive level.
• Thrives under pressure, and thrives in dynamic, fast-paced environments.
• Proven ability to develop high-performing interview panels that accurately evaluate top talent.
• Exceptional communciators (verbal and written) with an exceptional service‑based attitude
• Resilience, positivity and a growth mindset.
• Detail oriented, self‑motivation, resilience, strategically minded.
• Strong knowledge of the UK foodservice and account environments.
• Strong willingness to learn, drive and self‑learning.
• Ability to cross‑refill teams due to operational priorities — my

What Success Looks Like

Your performance will be measured across:

• Revenue and portfolio growth
• Gross margin and profitability
• EBITDA contribution
• Budget achievement
• Customer retention and contract renewal
• Share of wallet
• Category penetration
• Forecast accuracy
• Cross-selling
• Team performance and development
• Succession planning
• Commercial governance

What's on Offer

• £80,000–£90,000 basic salary DOE
• Annual performance-related bonus
• Pension
• Free onsite parking
• High-profile position with significant exposure to senior leadership
• The opportunity to shape and develop a high-performing National Accounts function
• Genuine potential for further progression as the commercial organisation evolves

Take the Next Step in Your Commercial Career

This is a rare opportunity to combine strategic customer leadership, people development and commercial ownership within a successful and growing UK foodservice organisation.

You’ll have the autonomy to shape the performance of a major customer portfolio, develop a talented National Accounts team and work directly with senior commercial leadership to drive the next phase of growth.

If you’re an ambitious National Account Director, Head of National Accounts or senior commercial leader looking for a role offering genuine influence, visibility and progression, we’d love to hear from you.

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