Business Development Manager - National Accounts in Cheltenham

Are you a commercially driven Business Development Manager who thrives on opening doors, winning major new customers and turning opportunities into long-term, profitable partnerships?

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious sales professional to take a leading role in driving new business growth for an established and expanding organisation.

With a strong focus on winning new National Accounts, you'll have the opportunity to build your own pipeline, develop relationships with senior decision-makers and turn prospects into significant, long-term customers. This isn't a role for someone who simply wants to maintain an existing account base. We're looking for someone who enjoys the chase, knows how to uncover opportunities and has the commercial instinct, credibility and determination to turn conversations into profitable business.

The location for this position is flexible, with travel required to meet customers and attend company locations when needed.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Identifying, prospecting and winning profitable new National Accounts
• Building and maintaining a strong pipeline of high-value new business opportunities
• Taking ownership of the new business journey from initial prospecting and relationship building through to negotiation and account win
• Opening doors and developing relationships with key decision-makers within national organisations
• Creating compelling commercial proposals and delivering professional customer presentations
• Achieving and exceeding new business, sales and cash margin targets
• Negotiating commercial agreements that deliver sustainable and profitable growth
• Developing commercial plans and strategies for prospective and existing customers
• Managing and developing a portfolio of high-value National Accounts
• Growing retained customer sales and margins
• Developing and delivering joint business plans with key customers
• Identifying new product, category and commercial opportunities
• Working with internal teams and suppliers to create solutions tailored to customer requirements
• Supporting product development and customer menu cycles where required
• Driving customer campaigns and commercial initiatives
• Maintaining regular and purposeful contact with customers and prospects
• Monitoring sales, margin, profitability and customer performance against targets
• Maintaining accurate CRM records, proposals and pipeline information
• Using commercial data and market insight to identify opportunities and shape your sales strategy
• Building your profile and network within your target market
• Working collaboratively across the wider business to ensure new accounts are successfully won, implemented and developed

We're looking for:

• A confident, credible and commercially sharp sales professional who can demonstrate genuine success in winning new business.
• Proven track record of winning profitable new business with national customers
• Previous experience as a Business Development Manager, National Account Manager, Senior National Account Executive or similar
• Strong prospecting and pipeline development experience
• Experience managing and developing high-value customer relationships
• Excellent commercial awareness and business acumen
• Strong understanding of sales, cash margin and profitability
• Confident negotiating commercial agreements and protecting margin
• Ability to build credibility and influence senior decision-makers
• Excellent presentation, communication and relationship-building skills
• Strong account and business planning capability
• Proactive and self-motivated with the drive to create opportunities rather than wait for them
• Strong understanding of customer retention and account development
• Highly organised and comfortable managing multiple opportunities at different stages of the sales cycle
• Confident using CRM, reporting and commercial data to manage performance
• Experience managing product development or customer menu cycles would be beneficial
• Experience within foodservice, food, FMCG or a similar fast-paced commercial environment would be highly advantageous
• A genuine passion for food and strong product awareness

Above all, we're looking for someone with the drive to find opportunities, the credibility to get in front of the right people and the commercial ability to convert those opportunities into profitable, long-term National Accounts.

What you'll get in return:

• Competitive salary
• Car allowance
• Management bonus scheme
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Company pension
• Healthcare and wellbeing benefits
• Life assurance
• Employee discounts and rewards
• Additional employee benefits
• A senior commercial opportunity where your success will have a direct impact on business growth

How to Apply:

If you're ready for a role where you can use your network, commercial expertise and new business skills to make a genuine impact, we'd love to hear from you. Apply now, and a member of the Workforce team will be in touch to discuss the opportunity and next steps.