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Channel Controller - Independents
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Overview of the Role
Reporting directly to the Managing Director, the Head of Commercial will take ownership of the commercial performance of the business, leading sales strategy, customer growth and commercial delivery across both the Independent and Retail channels.
The key priority for this appointment is the leadership, development and growth of the Independent Sales channel, serving premium independent food retailers including delicatessens, farm shops, specialist food retailers and other independent retail customers.
This role requires a commercially strong, hands-on leader with proven experience managing sales teams that serve independent, wholesale or similarly fragmented customer bases, where customer coverage, sales discipline, field activity and telesales performance are fundamental to commercial success.
The successful candidate will be equally comfortable operating strategically at board level whilst remaining close to the detail - coaching teams, reviewing customer performance, driving accountability and ensuring consistent execution across a large portfolio of smaller accounts.
This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced commercial leader who combines strategic thinking with a pragmatic, hands-on leadership style and a proven track record of delivering profitable growth.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and deliver the commercial strategy aligned to business objectives.
- Drive sustainable sales and profit growth across all channels, with particular focus on the Independent Sales division.
- Identify new opportunities for customer acquisition, category growth and market expansion.
- Ensure commercial resources are deployed effectively to maximise profitable growth.
- Contribute as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team to the wider business strategy.
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Independent Sales Leadership (Key Focus)
- Lead, develop and grow the Independent Sales channel across delicatessens, farm shops, specialist food retailers and other premium independent retail customers.
- Manage and motivate Area Sales Managers and telesales teams to maximise customer performance.
- Establish clear customer coverage plans, call structures and sales disciplines to improve effectiveness across the sales function.
- Review customer-level performance, identifying opportunities to increase sales, profitability and customer retention.
- Drive accountability through regular performance reviews, KPI management and coaching.
- Build a high-performance sales culture focused on execution, customer service and commercial excellence.
Key Accounts & Customer Development
- Oversee strategic Key Account relationships alongside the wider commercial team.
- Support major customer negotiations and commercial opportunities.
- Develop robust account plans that deliver sustainable customer growth and long-term partnerships.
Commercial Performance
- Own delivery of revenue, profit and margin targets.
- Develop pricing strategies that balance competitiveness with profitability.
- Deliver accurate forecasting and pipeline management.
- Provide regular commercial reporting and performance insight to the Managing Director.
- Identify commercial risks and opportunities and implement appropriate action plans.
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Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, coach and develop the commercial team.
- Build a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and high performance.
- Establish clear objectives, KPIs and performance expectations.
- Foster strong cross-functional relationships across Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations and Supply Chain.
Requirements
- Commercial leadership experience within food, premium food or FMCG.
- Proven success leading sales teams serving premium independent retail customers such as delicatessens, farm shops, specialist food retailers and similar independent businesses.
- Experience managing and developing field-based sales teams and telesales functions.
- Strong understanding of customer coverage planning, call structures, sales disciplines and performance management.
- A track record of improving sales performance across large numbers of smaller customer accounts.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience delivering revenue, profit and margin growth.
- Experience managing pricing strategy, commercial investment and P&L performance.
- Ability to balance strategic leadership with a hands-on operational approach.
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