apetito
Client Development Manager
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Overview
Our Client Development Managers (CDMs) are a key link between our customers and apetito. Customers see their CDM as the face of apetito – they are an instrumental part of the success of apetito partnerships.
A successful CDM will be an authentic, enthusiastic self-starter, who can develop long-term partnerships with customers and achieve commercial targets including high levels of customer retention and loyalty.
Our CDMs manage their own customers whilst having a team of apetito colleagues to support them. This is an important role and gives us a real point of difference in the market.
The Care Homes Team
Dedicated experts in the provision of food for older people.
We are genuine partners to Care Homes and their teams.
We are proud to create food that is enjoyed and shared. Our Care Homes team have a very forward-thinking culture that will really help us to accelerate growth over the next 5 years. We have a mix of experienced managers, food professionals, and graduates who are positive and passionate about what we do. We make a real difference.
Click here to hear from a CDM in our care homes team about the role.
This role is a fixed-term contract for the period of 12 months, covering the South West area and will require travel across the region as well as to our head office in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
A company car is provided, so you'll need a full UK driving licence, ideally with no points or endorsements.
Who we are
apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, healthcare, and education settings.
Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.
Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier, cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.
Responsibilities
Retention
Retention is the key challenge of the CDM role. The targets set are to achieve 95% Account & Value retention on existing accounts.
Mobilisations
A key element of this role is to ensure that we mobilise our service excellently. This will involve introducing our system, training staff, and ensuring that they are appropriately skilled to continue the service.
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Business Development
To work closely with and support Key Account Managers (KAMs) to develop group opportunities for further business development. Apetito targets Groups as opposed to Independents, and the development of ongoing business is often as a direct result of a successful mobilisation.
Relationships
External relationships are obviously key to the success of this role, but CDM’s are required to work closely and collaborate with other divisions, to include Marketing, Customer Service & Delivery, and Product development, Healthcare, Local Authorities, and Wiltshire Farm Foods.
The CDM would typically manage a portfolio of around 40 customers with a key focus on budget control, delivering training needs, product presentations, and dispute resolution.
The role will also be expected to promote apetito throughout the Care Homes marketplace through extensive networking.
About you
Essential
- Proven experience of achieving and exceeding targets as an Account Manager
- Experience delivering training
- Consultative, solutions-led sales approach (rather than a hard product sell)
- Strong commercial acumen – be able to justify a business case
- Strong organization skills – able to manage their time and workload
- Work well as part of a team, contributing to shared success
- Objections handling focused around financial issues
- Good O Levels / GCSEs to support a high standard of business communication skills and numerical analysis
- Excellent influencing and interpersonal skills
- Attentive to customer's needs
- Methodical and analytical in approach, but with a results focus
- Full UK driving licence
Desirable
- Catering experience
- Experience of food/nutritional/technical standards
- Experience of the Care sector
- Further education
- Intermediate/Advanced Food Hygiene Training
Personal Qualities
- Passion for this role
- Gravitas – Credibility with owners and management boards
- Compassionate and able to show empathy with the customer
- Constantly looking to improve existing practices; strives for excellence
- Resilient & determined
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As this role involves working with elderly and vulnerable customers, it is exempt from The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and requires an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.
Travel to customers across the region and to national events, including overnight stays, will be a regular requirement – typically 1 night per week.
A company car is provided to facilitate this, and a clean (or virtually clean) driving licence is essential.
Company Benefits
- Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
- Company car
- 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
- Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
- Generous annual bonus scheme
- Pension scheme – employer matched contributions up to 5%
- Life assurance scheme worth 2x annual salary
- Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
- apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts
Our Values
As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.
We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.
We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.
We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.
Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI, and we are an accredited Living Wage employer. Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.
We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff, and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.
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