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Senior Commercial Manger - Food Manufacturing
Location: Wiltshire
Salary: up to 100,000
About the Opportunity:
The Collective Network is working on behalf of a leading food manufacturing and distribution business to appoint a Senior Commercial Manager - Retail. This role represents a fantastic opportunity to join a fast-paced, innovative company supplying high-quality branded and own-label products to major UK retailers.
This is a strategic, customer-facing role responsible for driving profitable growth across retail accounts, enhancing brand presence, and leading the commercial team to exceed performance targets. The successful candidate will play a key part in shaping future commercial direction and supporting wider business objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership:
Develop and execute commercial strategies aligned to business growth plans across retail channels.
Retail Account Management:
Manage and grow key UK premium retail accounts, maintaining strong relationships with buyers and key stakeholders. Balance customer expectations with commercial viability.
Growth & Opportunity Identification:
Proactively identify new opportunities to expand product listings, increase distribution, and strengthen brand positioning.
Commercial Negotiation:
Lead pricing negotiations, contract renewals, and commercial discussions to ensure optimal outcomes for the business.
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
Work with internal departments including Operations, Technical, ESG, and Marketing to ensure customer requirements are met across ethical, sustainability, and quality standards.
Product & Brand Development:
Support the development and implementation of new and seasonal product launches in line with market trends and customer demands.
Team Management:
Lead and develop the commercial team to deliver results, foster a high-performance culture, and ensure effective succession planning.
Data & Insight:
Analyse commercial performance, monitor KPIs, and deliver accurate forecasting, reporting, and insights to senior stakeholders.
Person Specification:
Essential Skills & Attributes:
Commercially astute with a strategic mindset and ability to lead complex negotiations.
Proven track record of building strong relationships with major UK retailers.
Skilled in balancing customer needs with internal business priorities.
Effective communicator and influencer with strong stakeholder engagement skills.
Excellent analytical, planning, and organisational skills.
Strong leadership qualities with the ability to inspire, mentor, and manage a team.
Experience & Qualifications:
A minimum of 5 years' senior-level commercial experience in food manufacturing or FMCG, with a focus on short shelf-life products.
Demonstrable success managing both own-label and branded product portfolios.
Experience working with UK premium retailers is highly desirable.
Familiarity with food quality and compliance standards (e.g. BRC, customer audits).
Degree-level education in Business, Marketing, or a related field preferred.
