Customer Relationship Manager in Tonbridge

We’re the largest schoolwear supplier in the UK. We’re passionate about making every student look and feel great by producing sustainable, affordable, and desirable schoolwear of the highest quality and supporting retailers with the best industry-leading service.

The Customer Relationship Manager plays a critical delivery role within the new Customer Team structure, working under the leadership of a Senior CRM. The position focuses on retention, contract security, and incremental growth through disciplined account management and strong relationship building. As part of a regional team model, the CRM contributes to shared objectives while developing commercial, strategic, and senior stakeholder capabilities. The role balances service excellence with commercial awareness, ensuring schools receive consistent, professional support while the business secures sustainable growth.

As a Customer Relationship Manager, you will be the key point of contact for schools within your assigned region. Operating under our new Customer Team structure, you will report to and work closely with a Senior Customer Relationship Manager (SCRM), supporting the delivery of retention, contract security, and incremental growth. Working as part of a collaborative regional team, you will build strong relationships, ensure excellent service delivery, and execute structured contact and retention plans. By understanding school needs, monitoring performance data, and collaborating cross-functionally, you will protect customer loyalty, identify opportunities for growth, and support data-led exit strategies where required. This role is both delivery-focused and developmental, providing the opportunity to grow commercial capability, strategic thinking, and senior stakeholder management skills within a supportive team environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Account Management: Manage a defined portfolio of schools under the guidance of the SCRM.
• Retention Focus: Support contract renewals and protect revenue through structured engagement.
• Contract Support: Contribute to renewal preparation, documentation, and negotiation planning.
• Exit Plans: Execute data-driven exit strategies where required.
• Performance Monitoring: Track account performance, identify risks and opportunities, and take proactive action.
• Service Delivery: Resolve issues efficiently, escalating appropriately.
• Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams to deliver aligned solutions.
• Growth Identification: Identify and pursue upsell and cross-sell opportunities within portfolio.
• Development: Actively engage in coaching and development to build capability toward future senior responsibility.

Key Behaviours:

• Strong communicator who builds trust and rapport quickly.
• Commercially aware and motivated by retention and growth.
• Organised, disciplined, and proactive in account planning.
• Analytical, able to interpret data and translate insight into action.
• Collaborative team player who contributes to a positive, high-performing culture.
• Growth-minded, open to coaching and continuous development.

Skills & Experience:

• Working knowledge of account management and retention processes.
• Understanding of the education sector and school customer needs.
• Ability to interpret sales performance reports, service metrics, and customer data.
• Relationship building: able to maintain long-term partnerships with school stakeholders.
• Communication and negotiation: able to balance customer needs with business goals.
• Problem-solving: effective in resolving operational challenges.
• Time management: able to manage multiple schools and competing priorities.
• Planning: able to execute structured contact and engagement plans.
• Collaboration: works effectively across teams to deliver a seamless customer experience.
• Ownership: accountable for satisfaction and retention within portfolio.
• Follow-through: delivers commitments consistently and on time.
• Professionalism: represents the business with clarity and confidence.

Measures of Success (KPIs):

• Customer retention rate across assigned schools.
• Percentage of schools secured on contracts.
• Delivery against structured contact plan.
• Account performance improvement (growth, margin, reduced escalations).
• Customer satisfaction and advocacy.
• Contribution to regional team targets.

Your hours of work & location: It’s a full-time, fully remote role, Monday to Friday position, and we’re keen to get started as soon as possible! Preferred location is Kent and East Sussex, but other locations in the South East will be considered.

Social Environmental Responsibility (SER): We take our sustainability responsibility extremely seriously, and it is only with the full cooperation of every one of us, that we will ensure we deliver on our sustainability objectives. Joining us means you commit to doing your part for the planet.

JEDI: Monkhouse is committed to supporting, developing and promoting equality of opportunity and diversity in all our business activity. We value different perspectives and believe that diversity makes us stronger. We aim to provide an inclusive culture, free from discrimination and based on the values of dignity, courtesy and respect. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated in accordance with these values.

This job ad is a tool to help both the Company and the individual understand the main responsibilities of the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete list of all possible tasks. Everyone is expected to be flexible in their approach and to take on tasks as reasonably requested.