Head of Sales

Founder led | High growth | Genuine commercial ownership

For the Sales leaders who still love selling...

I'm partnering confidentially with an established, founder-led FMCG business looking for an exceptional Head of Sales to lead its next phase of growth.

The business has built a portfolio of distinctive consumer brands, secured strong distribution across UK retail and developed an exciting presence across wholesale, online and Out Of Home.

There's plenty to build on - and that's exactly why this role is interesting!

They're looking for a Sales leader who wants to be right in the middle of the action. Someone who can set the commercial strategy on Monday, sit across the table from a major retailer on Tuesday, spot a new category opportunity on Wednesday and help turn it into something commercially meaningful.

You’ll have genuine ownership of the Sales function, direct access to the founder and significant influence over where the business goes next.

The Opportunity

You’ll take responsibility for the UK commercial performance across Grocery, Wholesale, Online and Foodservice

You’ll personally own several of the company's most important customer relationships while developing the wider strategy, pipeline and commercial capability around them.

That means:

• Leading major retailer relationships, negotiations, range reviews and JBPs
• Building an ambitious but commercially disciplines sales strategy
• Winning new listing and opening new routes to market
• Growing distribution, rate of sales and range within existing customers
• Building a serious new business pipeline and personally driving the opportunities that matter
• Owning pricing, promotions, trade investment and customer profitability
• Working with Marketing and NPD to turn consumer trends into products and propositions retailers actually want
• Bringing better forecasting, planning and commercial visibility into the business
• Leading and developing a small commercial team - with a clear remit to grow and scale the team
• Becoming a trusted commercial partner to the founders

We want someone obsessed with FMCG

You’ll know the numbers

You’ll understand margin, trade spend, promotional effectiveness and customer profitability

You’ll be comfortable negotiating with senior grocery buyers

But you’ll also know what’s happening outside of the spreadsheet

You are the person who walks into a supermarket and automatically looks at what’s new

You follow challenger brands, retailers, restaurants and food creators because you’re genuinely interested in what consumers are discovering!

And when you spot something interesting, your instinct is: "is there a commercial opportunity here?"

That’s the mindset we’re looking for...

Your Background

You may already be a Head of Sales or Channel Controller within FMCG

OR you might be an exceptional Senior National Account Manager who’s reached the point where you’re ready to back yourself and lead a commercial function.

Either way, you’ll bring:

• Strong UK Grocery experience and established buyer relationships
• A track record of winning listings and growing major customers
• Confidence leading pricing, promotional, range review and JBP negotiations
• Strong commercial understanding across revenue, margin, trade spend and customer profitability
• The ability to turn data into decisions
• Experience working closely with Marketing, NPD, Operations and Finance
• Confidence leading and growing teams

Ideally experience within challenger FMCG brands, health and wellness, chilled foods would be very helpful but not the be all and end all.

What’s on offer?

• Up to £90,000 for the right experience
• Up to 20% annual bonus
• Genuine ownership of the commercial function
• Direct access to the founders
• Significant influence across Sales, NPD, Marketing and future growth strategy

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