Bell Recruitment
Key Account Manager - Food Service NI
Northern Ireland
Posted 1 day ago
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Wholesale Key Account Manager (WKAM) - Northern Ireland
The Wholesale Key Account Manager (WKAM) for Northern Ireland will be responsible for driving profitable sales growth, brand distribution, and commercial performance across our extensive portfolio of company-owned and agency brands within the Northern Ireland foodservice market.
The role will focus on:
- Managing and developing existing wholesale customer accounts, while identifying and securing new business opportunities to profitably grow the customer base.
- Maximising sales, distribution, and profitability across our portfolio of brands.
- Building and maintaining strong, commercially focused relationships with key wholesale customers and their sales teams.
- Identifying end-user opportunities within customer accounts and ensuring these are effectively developed and converted into sales.
- Investigating the marketplace to identify potential manufacturing and private-label opportunities, and supporting the delivery of these opportunities from initial concept through to commercialisation.
- Working closely with the End User IOI Sales Manager and NI End User BDE to ensure a coordinated approach and maximise all potential opportunities across Northern Ireland.
- Developing meaningful relationships with key stakeholders to increase brand awareness, distribution, customer penetration, and long-term commercial value.
- Monitoring market trends, customer requirements, and competitor activity to identify opportunities for growth and protect existing business.
- Delivering agreed sales, margin, distribution, and account-development targets while ensuring sustainable and profitable growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Optimisation of sales and net margin performance across all relevant NI wholesale key accounts.
- Develop and nurture Head Office Trading relationships and develop links with Customer Supply Chain, Finance & Marketing.
- Proactive best in class management of relationships in wholesale key account buyers and local relevant manufacturers.
- Build annual/multi-year sales plans for each relevant wholesale key account to progress value and margin in line with the respective commercial business plans.
- Development of channel and key customer account plans within the designated channels to ensure delivery of targets for forecast / budget revenue, volume, trading contribution. Design & delivery of annual best-in-class Joint Business Plans that deliver profitable growth.
- Identify sales growth & development opportunities within each relevant NI key account.
- Development of cost-effective and insight-driven value-add and event plans in conjunction with customer trade marketing teams.
- Executing effectively NPD and category development plans.
- Close liaison with the commercial managers and the End user key account team in relation to the general management and development of end user key accounts.
- Work closely with the End user key account team to develop, execute & measure the effectiveness of all “value add” pull-through activities.
- Provide relevant support to the commercial managers in their principal/supplier relationships and communications.
- Identifying and the successful management of tenders and contracts within the NI Food service sector.
- Proactive development and management of all sales operations processes in relation to NI wholesale key accounts & independent trade.
- Working in conjunction with the NI customer operations team and customer logistics ensure that key customers receive the appropriate servicing levels.
- Create a plan identifying the scale of the manufacturing opportunity within the marketplace and outlining a stepwise plan that would enable the business to unlock the prize.
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General
- Strong contribution at management meetings, business performance reviews, supplier planning sessions, etc., leading to ongoing success.
- Total commitment to and leading proponent of “can do, collaborative problem-solving” culture across the organisation.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Profitable Sales Growth: Deliver profitable sales growth and improved net margin across all relevant Northern Ireland wholesale key accounts, in line with agreed annual business plans and financial targets.
- Commercial Account Planning: Develop and execute commercially focused End User and Wholesale plans for key accounts, working collaboratively with wholesale customers, the End User IOI Sales Manager, and NI End User BDE.
- Maximise Northern Ireland Opportunities: Ensure a coordinated approach across the End User and Wholesale customers to identify, develop, and maximise all potential sales and commercial opportunities throughout Northern Ireland.
- Best-in-Class Communication: Maintain clear, consistent, and effective internal and external communication, including account development plans, performance reviews, commercial updates, and agreed actions.
- Key Customer Relationships: Build and maintain excellent, long-term relationships with Northern Ireland key wholesale customers, developing strong partnerships that support customer retention, growth, and mutual commercial success.
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Criteria
- Significant account management experience within a consumer goods environment.
- Thorough knowledge of the food industry, products, and foodservice channel is preferable.
- Strong financial acumen and commercial awareness with experience of full P&L management.
- Proven experience of building credible customer relationships with strong negotiation skills.
- Minimum of three years’ experience in a key account role within Food Service / FMCG.
- Highly numerate & analytical with an ability to make challenging & clear arguments out of sales figures.
- Highly computer literate (MS Word, Advanced Excel & PowerPoint).
- An effective communicator – both written & verbal communication – in informal face-to-face meetings & formal presentations.
- Organized & efficient with a strong ability to multitask and prioritize.
- Able to work on your own initiative and an ability to deliver under pressure.
- Well-developed planning and organizational skills with a keen attention to detail.
- The ability to work independently, flexibly, and with a high degree of initiative.
- Superior communication skills, written and verbal.
- Experience with JBP negotiation and proven ability to build and maintain relationships and communicate across all levels in an organization.
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