An ambitious and fast-growing UK food manufacturing business is seeking a commercially driven Head of Retail to lead and develop its retail channel.
This is a senior leadership role with full commercial accountability for a portfolio worth approximately £60 million across major UK grocery retailers, including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Iceland.
The successful candidate will be responsible for managing strategic customer relationships, driving profitable growth, and leading cross-functional collaboration across NPD, Technical, Supply Chain and Operations to deliver best-in-class retail partnerships.
This role offers the opportunity to play a key role in shaping the retail strategy of a dynamic and entrepreneurial food business.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Retail Leadership
- Own and lead the commercial strategy for major UK retail accounts, delivering sustainable revenue and margin growth.
- Hold full P&L responsibility across the retail portfolio.
- Identify and deliver new commercial opportunities, driving category expansion and profitable growth.
- Act as the senior commercial contact for retail partners, building strong and trusted relationships at multiple levels.
Customer Relationship Management
- Serve as the primary point of contact for all commercial queries across retail accounts.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with buying teams and key stakeholders across customers’ organisations.
- Deliver regular business reviews covering sales performance, profitability, product performance and future growth opportunities.
Commercial Delivery & Account Performance
- Analyse sales performance, forecasts and promotional activity to optimise account performance.
- Work closely with internal commercial teams to develop pricing strategies based on market insight and cost inputs.
- Manage stock levels and demand planning in collaboration with supply chain teams where applicable.
Innovation & Product Development
- Work closely with the NPD team to drive innovation across retail customers.
- Attend product development sessions to ensure retail opportunities are maximised.
- Manage critical paths for new product launches, ensuring clear accountability and delivery timelines.
- Support the development of compelling customer presentations supported by pricing, market insight and commercial rationale.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Technical teams to manage customer feedback and resolve product issues effectively.
- Work with procurement, operations and supply chain teams to ensure seamless delivery of customer requirements.
- Ensure internal teams remain aligned on customer priorities and commercial opportunities.
Portfolio Development
- Conduct regular product and range reviews to ensure a strong and relevant product offering across accounts.
- Maintain accurate product databases used across retail channels.
- Identify opportunities to expand the customer base within retail and foodservice sectors.
Leadership
- Lead, mentor and develop two commercial team members.
- Support the wider leadership team in driving commercial strategy and business growth.
Skills & Experience
- Proven experience managing major UK retail grocery accounts within food manufacturing.
- Strong commercial background with full P&L responsibility.
- Demonstrated success in driving account growth and winning new retail business.
- Experience leading product development and innovation with retailers.
- Strong negotiation, influencing and relationship management skills.
- Ability to translate commercial insight into actionable strategies.
- Comfortable operating in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.
Personal Attributes
- Highly commercial with a growth mindset
- Strategic thinker with strong execution capability
- Confident communicator able to influence at senior level
- Collaborative leader who thrives in cross-functional environmentsProactive, resilient and results-driven
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