Sales Director in Watford

We are looking for an ambitious and commercially driven Sales Director to join our Senior Leadership Team and play a pivotal role in shaping and leading the future growth of the business. This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for implementing and delivering the company’s sales strategy across Field Sales, Telephone Sales and Customer Service teams, ensuring the achievement of customer acquisition, retention and revenue growth objectives. The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker, inspirational leader and hands-on commercial professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about building high-performing teams and long-term customer partnerships.

Main Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and execution of the company sales strategy to achieve and exceed annual sales targets.
• Drive sustainable revenue growth from our Top 5 customers and expansion of the customer base across existing and new customers.
• Act as the commercial figurehead of the business, personally managing key strategic customer relationships and supporting major contract negotiations.
• Build, inspire and lead a customer-focused sales organisation that understands and delivers against customer needs and objectives.
• Work collaboratively with the Category and Purchasing teams to identify new business opportunities and market growth areas.
• Lead and develop a multi-functional team including National Account Managers, Business Development Managers, Telephone Account Managers and Customer Service Advisors.
• Design and implement development, coaching and mentoring programmes to support team progression and succession planning.
• Continuously review and evolve the sales structure to support business growth and customer requirements.
• Work closely with Operations and Supply Chain teams to ensure sales growth can be operationally supported.
• Partner with Marketing to develop and execute integrated sales and marketing initiatives.
• Contribute actively within the Senior Leadership Team, sharing best practice and identifying cross-selling opportunities across the business.
• Foster a positive, accountable and customer-centric culture built from our core Company values and behaviours.
• Ensure company values and expected behaviours are consistently demonstrated across the team.
• Prepare and present sales performance updates, market insights and growth opportunities to senior leadership and Board meetings.
• Lead through periods of change with resilience, adaptability and strong people leadership.

Who are we?

Join the Plant-Based Revolution. We’re on a mission to fill plates across the UK with plant-based goodness. Since 1987, we’ve been the rebel explorers of the food world, on a constant journey to discover and deliver the very best in vegetarian and vegan ingredients. Today, we are the go-to partner for over 5,000 chefs - from industry giants like Compass and Sodexo to the most innovative independent operators. As the demand for plant-based, vegetarian, and flexitarian diets continues to grow, we are uniquely positioned within the foodservice sector to meet it.

Why we’re different:

We don’t just deliver ingredients; we deliver the ideas and inspiration chefs need to master the plant-based learning curve. From Açaí to Za'atar, we speak fluent plant-based. We help our customers create enticing menus that are better for their guests' health, better for the planet, and - importantly - better for their bottom line.

Business as a force for good:

As a proud Certified B Corp, we balance people, planet, and profit. We don’t just talk about change; we own it. We are committed to building an exceptional, supportive team where your opinions matter and you are empowered to challenge the norm to make a real difference. If you’re passionate about food and want to help chefs succeed with plant-based menus, you’ll fit right in.

What do you need?

We are seeking an experienced and commercially astute sales leader with a proven track record of delivering growth and leading high-performing teams. You will ideally have:

• Significant senior sales leadership experience within a FMCG commercial environment.
• Proven ability to develop and execute successful sales strategies.
• Strong leadership and people management skills with experience managing multi-disciplinary sales teams.
• Excellent relationship-building and negotiation skills.
• Experience managing key national accounts and strategic customer partnerships.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify and capitalise on market opportunities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including Board-level reporting.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across departments.
• Experience leading teams through change and business transformation.
• A results-driven mindset with a strong focus on accountability and customer service excellence.

What will differentiate you?

• Senior sales leadership experience within a Private Equity backed business.
• Strong relationships and connections within the foodservice and wholesale sector.

In return what do we offer?

• Competitive basic salary.
• 25 days holiday plus public holidays with option to purchase additional annual leave.
• Company car.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Cash health plan (money back for dentist, opticians, physio etc.).
• Life assurance (4 x salary).
• Staff discount on all products.
• Pension.

We promote good physical and mental health and can provide additional support to our employees via our Mental Health First Aiders and Employee Assistance Programme.