Advocate Group
Senior National Account Manager

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Senior National Account Manager – Grocery
Location: London / South East – must be commutable to London
Salary: £65,000 + £5,000 car allowance + bonus
I’m working with one of the UK’s leading functional soft drinks brands to recruit a Senior National Account Manager into their Grocery team.
About the Role
This is a challenger brand in proper growth mode. The UK team is still small, but the brand has serious backing, strong investment, and a clear plan to go after the market properly. Globally the business is around £150m NSR, and the UK/Europe is now in investment mode with the “gloves off” to go and win.
The role will manage major Grocery customers, with accounts likely to include a mix of Sainsbury’s, Asda, Waitrose and potentially Tesco. There’s flexibility depending on the person, but the important bit is this: they need someone who knows UK Grocery, can handle pace, and is comfortable in a challenger brand where there isn’t a huge team opening every door for you.
This isn’t a steady “tick the box” NAM role. The business is launching and scaling new drinks propositions alongside its core range, and there’s a big focus on growing responsibly, unlocking new space, and winning across multiple buying points — ambient, chilled and front of store.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage and grow key UK Grocery customers across a fast-growing soft drinks portfolio
- Own customer plans, JBPs, forecasting, trade spend and P&L delivery
- Build strong relationships with buyers and key customer stakeholders
- Drive growth across core ranges while supporting major new product launches
- Unlock opportunities across ambient, chilled and front-of-store buying teams
- Work closely with internal teams across marketing, supply chain, category and finance
- Keep pace with the admin, detail and execution that comes with high-growth Grocery
- Bring energy, resilience and a “go after it” mindset to a fast-moving challenger brand
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What We’re Looking For
- Strong NAM/SNAM experience within UK Grocery
- Drinks experience would be ideal, but not essential if the person has the right mindset
- Experience managing major retailers and working through range reviews, JBPs and negotiations
- Someone who has had enough time in Grocery to take a few war wounds and understand how the channel really works
- Strong relationship builder who can handle buyers and keep pushing when doors don’t open easily
- Organised and commercially sharp — able to manage pace, detail and multiple priorities
- Challenger brand / SME experience would be ideal, but big business backgrounds can work if you genuinely want that environment
- Hungry, energetic and resilient — this business is in growth mode and needs someone who wants to win


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About the Opportunity
This is a brilliant opportunity for someone who wants to join a brand with momentum, investment and a proper growth agenda. The product is on trend, all natural, and the business is backing it with significant marketing spend and above-the-line activity.
If you like the idea of joining a small UK team, getting close to the action, and helping shape the next stage of Grocery growth, this one is worth a conversation.
If the role and responsibilities sound like a good fit for you, then I’d love to speak to you!
Find out more about our available opportunities or how we can help you further
Please get in touch with [contact email] or click “Apply Now” to be considered for this vacancy
About The Advocate Group
The Advocate Group is a leading recruitment partner, based in the UK, to the FMCG and consumer product sectors.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age. By applying for this role, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy, which can be found on our website. Please note that The Advocate Group is acting as an employment agency in relation to this vacancy.
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