Location: London, UK
Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent
Reporting to: Director
We are a fast-paced international trading and distribution business working with major consumer brands across grocery, household, health & beauty and FMCG.
We are looking for an ambitious, commercially minded and highly proactive Executive Assistant & UK/EU Business Development professional to support one of our Directors while helping to develop and grow our business across the UK and Europe.
This is not a traditional Executive Assistant position.
The role will combine executive and day-to-day business support with a significant commercial focus. The successful candidate will be encouraged to take ownership of developing the UK and European markets: building supplier relationships, identifying buying and selling opportunities, approaching prospective customers and helping us establish a growing network of trading partners.
There is considerable scope for this position to evolve. We are looking for someone who can initially provide excellent support to the Director while developing their knowledge of our business and gradually taking greater ownership of UK and European commercial activity.
Key Responsibilities -
Executive & Business Support
- Provide day-to-day support to the Director across a broad range of business and commercial activities.
- Manage priorities, correspondence, follow-ups and ongoing projects.
- Prepare Excel reports, pricing sheets, presentations and commercial information.
- Coordinate with suppliers, customers and internal teams to ensure actions are followed through.
- Maintain accurate records of offers, orders, pricing and supplier information.
- Proactively identify outstanding actions and opportunities rather than waiting for instruction.
- Assist with ad hoc projects and operational requirements across the business.
UK & European Supplier Development and Sourcing - A major part of the role will be developing our supplier network across the UK and Europe.
Responsibilities will include:
- Researching and identifying UK and European suppliers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, clearance operators and other potential sources of stock.
- Proactively approaching major retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and FMCG suppliers to establish new trading relationships.
- Identifying opportunities with organisations such as Home Bargains, B&M and similar UK and European retail, wholesale and distribution businesses.
- Developing relationships with buyers, sellers, distributors and other commercial contacts.
- Regularly requesting available stock lists, clearance opportunities, overstocks, excess inventory, discontinued lines and other suitable stock opportunities.
- Identifying branded FMCG products that could be suitable for our existing international customer network.
- Building and maintaining a comprehensive database of UK and European suppliers and commercial contacts.
- Following up consistently with prospective suppliers and developing long-term relationships.
- Identifying new countries, suppliers and channels where commercially attractive stock may be available.
Sales & Business Development - The successful candidate will also help develop the customer side of the UK and European business.
Responsibilities will include:
- Researching and identifying prospective UK and European customers.
- Approaching potential customers and establishing new trading relationships.
- Preparing and distributing regular product offers to customers.
- Sending frequent and consistent offers rather than waiting for customers to request products.
- Matching available stock opportunities with appropriate customers and markets.
- Following up offers proactively and helping convert opportunities into orders.
- Developing an understanding of pricing, margins, logistics and the commercial considerations behind each deal.
- Monitoring market activity and identifying products, brands and categories with strong demand.
- Working closely with the Director to identify opportunities to expand the company's UK and European business.
- Gradually taking greater ownership of UK/EU sourcing, sales and trading activity.
The right person will be extremely organised, confident and proactive, but importantly they will also have commercial curiosity and entrepreneurial instinct.
We are looking for somebody who doesn't simply complete the task in front of them, but naturally asks:
“What else can I do with this?”
They should be comfortable picking up the phone, approaching a company they have never dealt with before, following up repeatedly, negotiating and building relationships.
The ideal candidate will have:
- Previous PA, EA, sales support, buying, sourcing, account management or business development experience.
- Excellent organisation and attention to detail.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Confidence approaching new suppliers and customers.
- Strong Excel and Microsoft Office skills.
- Proficiency in using AI tools such as ChatGPT to improve productivity, conduct research, analyse information, create commercial communications and streamline day-to-day workflows.
- Confidence adopting new technology and identifying ways AI and automation can improve processes and efficiency.
- A proactive and persistent approach to follow-up.
- Strong commercial awareness and an interest in understanding how deals work.
- An entrepreneurial mindset and an ability to spot opportunities.
- The ability to work independently in a small, fast-moving business.
- The confidence to take ownership of projects and develop them beyond the original brief.
- Excellent relationship-building skills.
- The ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- A willingness to learn and develop an understanding of international FMCG trading.
Experience within FMCG, grocery, wholesale, retail, distribution, importing/exporting or international tradingwould be highly advantageous, but is not essential for an exceptional candidate.
Additional European language skills would also be advantageous but are not essential.
This position offers significantly more scope than a traditional PA/EA role.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to learn the commercial side of an international trading business while developing their own network of suppliers and customers across the UK and Europe.
We are looking for someone who wants to build something, rather than simply move into another support position.
As the individual develops their commercial knowledge and demonstrates their ability, we expect the position to evolve considerably. There is scope to move increasingly into business development, sourcing, sales, account management and commercial management, with growing responsibility for the UK and European business.
For an ambitious person with the right drive, initiative and commercial ability, this is an opportunity to develop a role well beyond traditional executive support.
