National Account Manager
Ambient Food
Surrey
£50,000 - £60,000 + Bonus + Benefits
  
  
Talent Guardian is proud to be partnering with a leading, award-winning, employee-owned ambient food business to find an ambitious National Account Manager to join their high-performing commercial team.
  
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a truly unique business — one that is employee-owned, internationally recognised, and supplies all major UK retailers and foodservice customers across both own label and branded product ranges. With an international supply base spanning 20+ countries, this is a business with real heritage, strong values and serious growth ambitions.
  
The Role
Reporting directly into the Sales & Marketing Director, this is a genuine career-defining role with real autonomy and responsibility. You''ll take ownership of major retail accounts whilst identifying and securing new business opportunities, building long-term customer relationships across all functions and working cross-functionally with procurement, supply chain, category and marketing teams.
This is the kind of role where you''ll be trusted, valued and given the platform to build a credible and long-term career.
  
Key Responsibilities

• Own and grow a major retail account with full autonomy and responsibility
• Identify and secure new business opportunities and product listings
• Build and maintain strong relationships across customer functions — Sales, Supply Chain, Technical, Product Development and Merchandising
• Work with the internal Procurement team to assess market buying opportunities
• Proactively manage customer stock levels in partnership with Supply Chain
• Deliver best-in-class customer presentations using IRI and internal data alongside the Category Insight and Marketing teams
• Manage and report on sales performance and contract balances

• Degree educated (2:1 or above in a relevant business discipline)
• Minimum 3 years'' experience managing UK retail accounts
• Food industry background strongly preferred — other FMCG considered
• Own label experience a plus
• Proven new business winner with strong commercial instincts
• Confident negotiator and influencer with excellent communication skills
• Highly organised, detail-oriented and data-savvy
• Dynamic, tenacious and driven to succeed

• Competitive base salary
• Discretionary bonus + employee ownership (EOT) bonus
• Matched pension contributions up to 5%
• Healthcare and life cover
• Work from home on Fridays
• 23 days holiday increasing with service