Senior National Account Manager – Food Service & Wholesale

Senior National Account Manager – Food Service & Wholesale

The Caffè Nero Group operates across the UK, Republic of Ireland, US, Poland, Cyprus, Turkey, Middle East and Sweden – encompassing 4 brands (Caffè Nero, Coffee#1, Harris + Hoole and 200 Degrees). We have been providing exceptional, hand-crafted coffee and fresh, high-quality food to our customers since 1997.

We’re about great people, great coffee, great stores, great food, great new channels.

The role:

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Senior National Account Manager with a proven track record in Food Service, Wholesale or Out-of-Home channels who wants to shape the future growth strategy of Caffè Nero outside of its traditional store estate. The role will lead the development of key strategic customers and route-to-market partners, driving the continued expansion of the Caffè Nero brand across the UK Food Service sector.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop and execute annual joint business plans for key Food Service and Wholesale customers, delivering sustainable revenue, profit and market share growth.
• Lead strategic customer development initiatives across Food Service, Wholesale and Route-to-Market partners to expand distribution and drive penetration of the Caffè Nero portfolio.
• Take direct ownership of strategic national accounts, building long-term growth plans and delivering best-in-class customer relationships.
• Translate market, customer and channel insights into commercial growth strategies, identifying opportunities for customer acquisition.
• Hold full P&L responsibility for designated accounts and channels, delivering against ambitious sales, margin and growth objectives.
• Build and maintain senior relationships with key customers, buying groups, distributors and contract catering operators to secure long-term strategic partnerships.
• Negotiate annual trading agreements, promotional plans and commercial investments to maximise mutual value creation.
• Collaborate with distributor and wholesale partners to improve execution, availability, visibility and sales performance across all customer touchpoints.
• Develop and deliver compelling customer business reviews, category recommendations and growth plans, using data and insight to influence decision-making.
• Work cross-functionally with Marketing, Category, Operations, Supply Chain and Finance teams to deliver customer plans and unlock growth opportunities.
• Identify and convert new business opportunities across key Food Service segments including contract catering, workplace, travel, healthcare, education, leisure and hospitality.
• Support the continued growth of Caffè Nero's wholesale propositions through new customer acquisition, account development, distributor engagement and commercial execution.

About the successful candidate – skills & experience required:

• Significant National Account Management experience within UK Food Service, Wholesale or Out-of-Home channels. 
• Experience managing relationships with major Food Service wholesalers, distributors, contract caterers and/or travel, leisure and workplace operators.
• Proven track record of delivering profitable growth through strategic account management, commercial negotiation and customer development.
• Experience managing complex customer relationships at multiple levels, including senior decision-makers and procurement stakeholders.
• Strong commercial acumen with demonstrable experience managing P&L performance, pricing, investment decisions and margin delivery.
• Skilled at building and executing joint business plans that drive both customer and company objectives.
• Highly effective at identifying new business opportunities and converting pipeline activity into long-term customer partnerships.
• Strong analytical capability with the ability to leverage sales data, market intelligence and customer insights to drive strategic recommendations.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence both internal stakeholders and external customers.
• A collaborative team player who can effectively engage cross-functional teams to deliver ambitious commercial objectives.
• Experience within premium beverage, coffee, FMCG or branded Food Service categories would be advantageous.
• High energy, results-focused and comfortable operating in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment, with a passion for developing the Caffè Nero brand within the Food Service and Wholesale sectors.

This is a brilliant opportunity for a commercially driven National Account Manager to join a growing and innovative company at an exciting stage of development.  As well as opportunities for career growth and development we offer a competitive salary and benefits package:

• A wonderful place to work! We are based right in the middle of bustling Covent Garden, with a working pattern of typically 3 days in the office.
• Access to our benefits platform, giving a wide range of discounts and support.
• Bonus.
• 25 days holiday per annum (plus bank holidays).
• Employee discount on handcrafted drinks, food and our amazing Coffee at Home products.
• Private medical care through Vitality.
• Medicash (cashplan healthcare scheme).
• Supporting our team members to achieve their professional goals is important to us, so alongside your day to day work you may have an opportunity to complete a professional qualification with our learning partners.
• Free hand-crafted drinks whilst you’re in the office - in your first week you’ll have Barista training, so you’ll know how to make the very best Caffè Nero coffee!

If this sounds like the right next role for you, we would love to hear from you!