Drayton Partners is delighted to be partnering with an award winning international Wine & Spirits manufacturer on the appointment of Business Unit Director. This appointment is responsible for developing and executing a UK wide, multi-channel, 'Off' Trade commercial strategy and delivering it through a senior commercial team.
This is a full-time position and part of our clients Senior Leadership Team, reporting to the Managing Director for the UK & Ireland. This is a field-based position, ideally South East or Central UK with the need for extensive travel to UK customers and our clients London headquarters.
- Base salary c£80,000-£100,000
- 20% Bonus
- Car Allowance
- Pension, Healthcover
- 25 days holiday
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We are seeking an individual with excellent FMCG Sales leadership experience, someone who is already an established team leader with current experience across multiple channels (which must include UK top four grocery retail customers).
Individuals are almost certainly going to be currently working in a well-respected food or drink business. We are seeking someone who would thrive as the figurehead for the commercial function, working as a valued leadership team member that brings challenge, rigour and pace to the wider organisation.
You must be able to demonstrate the personal attributes required, including but not limited to, high emotional intelligence, tact and pragmatism, resilience and strategic thinking. They will also need to be able to flex their style, shifting from providing a hands-on approach at times through to developing long-term plans and participating in broader company initiatives.
The right character for this role will be able to quickly win the respect of the wider team and broader stakeholders within the business with their energy, knowledge and ambition
The key responsibilities of the role (from the Job specification) include
- Develop and implement a Grocery Channel strategy that optimises ongoing growth in the Channel.
- Build and maintain a high performing team capable of delivering against the company growth strategy.
- Deliver profitable business results through sound financial planning, people resource management and alignment of systems and processes.
- Establish excellent senior management key customer relations to ensure continued long-term sustainable growth and success.
- Align the sales strategy for the Grocery Channel with other key internal groups and functions to streamline efficiencies and maximise return on investment.
- Ensure development, implementation and monitoring of effective account strategies and plans in order achieve the Grocery Channel strategy and targets.
- Contribute to the development of Corporate and Sales strategies in order to ensure these reflect genuine understanding of opportunities in the Grocery Channel
- To optimise sustainable customer value and profitability within the Grocery Channel through the development and implementation of Channel and Sales strategies.
- To lead and develop the Grocery team in order to achieve channel targets and objectives in line with company and channel strategy.
- Support and proactively build external relationships directly and in directly across our UK key customer base.
- Develop & assist in the implementation of bespoke plans for specific retailers based on the over-arching brand strategy, delivering category growth and development of our brands.
- Working with 3rd party brand owners developing brand activation plans together with managing, tracking and overseeing brand owner spend and investment.
Specific experience required would include:
- University degree in related discipline
- Currently working at this senior level within a major blue-chip organisation
- Experience in budget management and the commercial analysis of ROI for projects.
- Working with colleagues to inform, develop and deliver channel-specific elements of brand plans.
- Developing positive internal relationships to maintain clarity and reinforce the focus on channel strategies and plans for those channels.
- Activation of NPD and events across all consumer touch points.
- Strong leadership and communication skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills at a strategic / conceptual and operational level
The individual will need to have strong emotional intelligence to successfully transition the team during a period of significant change as our client moves into the next phase of its development.