Head of New business & Growth in London

Location: London, with regular time on site in Greenwich and in the field

Start date: Immediate

Contract type: Full time

Industry experience required: Food, bakery, hospitality, foodservice or related sectors

Reporting to: Sales Director

About Us

Founded by former Michelin-starred chef Paul Rhodes in 2003, Paul Rhodes Bakery has built a reputation as one of London’s leading suppliers of high-quality handcrafted sourdoughs, cakes and pastries. From the beginning, Paul’s vision was simple: to provide busy chefs with exceptional handcrafted bread, made using the finest ingredients and traditional techniques. More than twenty years on, that ambition still drives everything we do. Today, we supply some of London’s leading restaurants, hotels, cafes, entertainment venues and food-led businesses through our wholesale bakery, alongside our retail shop in Greenwich Market. As we embark on our plan for the next few years, we are looking for a manager who can see the bigger picture, aligning commercial strategy with our long-term vision. If you are passionate about driving sales growth, building a strong pipeline and have a commercial mindset, we would love to hear from you.

The Role

This is a senior management role for someone who lives and breathes sales. You will lead our new business and growth strategy from the front - setting the direction, sharpening the sales process and bringing pace, clarity and commercial flair to every stage of the sales cycle. You will be a strong manager who can inspire their team to identify the next sales opportunity and deliver on their targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic plans to drive new business growth and expand our market presence while keeping an eye on the bigger picture.
• Analyse market trends, identify opportunities for growth with existing and new clients, and craft strategies to capitalise on these opportunities.
• Manage margins, negotiate contracts, and oversee commercial agreements to ensure profitability and long-term success.
• Lead, motivate and develop the new business team, fostering a collaborative, high-energy and results-oriented environment.
• Build and manage a strong new business pipeline, from lead generation through to conversion.
• Oversee the entire sales cycle, from lead generation to closing deals, ensuring targets are met or exceeded.
• Lead bids, tenders and proposals, making every sales opportunity commercially strong and brilliantly presented.
• Drive the development and maintenance of strong B2B relationships, leveraging your knowledge of the London food industry.
• Use sales data, market insight and client intelligence to improve targeting, pricing, proposition and performance.
• Work closely with Marketing, Operations and Finance colleagues to unlock joined-up growth.
• Support wider business initiatives with growth of retail and partnerships.
• Monitor and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) to guide decision-making and adjust strategies as needed.
• Ensure that our growth strategies align with the company's commitment to quality and brand integrity.

What We Are Looking For

• A commercial thinker with a proven track record in driving business growth, ideally with experience in the food industry in London.
• Expertise in managing margins, negotiating contracts, and handling commercial agreements, with a strong understanding of the bigger picture.
• A confident leader who excels with numbers and has a passion for sales and business development.
• Someone with strong B2B experience, capable of building and maintaining significant industry relationships.
• A warm, diligent, and driven leader, a people person - known for achieving success through teamwork and collaboration.
• Experience leading teams and delivering success as a collective unit, not just as an individual contributor.
• A strategic thinker who can balance ambitious growth plans with maintaining the highest standards of quality and integrity.

Skills and Experience

• Significant experience in B2B new business sales, ideally within food, hospitality, foodservice, bakery or premium FMCG.
• A proven track record of winning new customers and beating sales targets.
• Evidence of successfully converting larger, strategically valuable accounts.
• Strong pipeline management and forecasting skills.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to sell with both energy and credibility.
• Good commercial judgement, including the ability to assess account quality, opportunity size and likely conversion potential.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced, growing business environment.
• Management experience of a medium sized team.
• A genuine love of food is a bonus!

Why Join Paul Rhodes Bakery?

This is an opportunity to join a respected London bakery brand with real heritage, strong product quality and exciting growth potential. You will be joining a business with an excellent reputation, a distinctive artisan offer, and genuine headroom for growth across multiple channels. For the right person, this is a chance to make a meaningful commercial impact by winning the kinds of customers that can shape the next stage of the bakery’s development.

Hours of Work

This is a full-time role with a typical workweek of 40 hours, Monday to Friday.