Director of Commercial – food manufacturing
Location: Southern Home Counties with travel
£110,000 - £130,000 + car allowance + bonus + corporate benefits
A premium branded and contract manufacturing, growth-focused food manufacturer is seeking a Director of Commercial to lead and expand strategically important retail, hospitality and leisure partnerships.
Operating within a lean, high-impact commercial team, this role will serve as the primary in-market lead for major national retail and hospitality accounts. As the most senior commercial leadership individual you will operate from site, and remotely, this position will act as the day-to-day “boots on the ground” representative, building deep customer relationships and driving profitable growth.
This is a high-visibility role with direct influence on strategic account direction, category expansion and long-range planning.
The role
You will take ownership of key retail accounts and work in close partnership with the Retail Vice President to design and execute short- and long-term growth strategies.
Core focus areas include:
Direct commercial leadership and profitable revenue growth
Business growth in both new business and current business
Development and execution of annual sales plans and spending strategies
New product development pipeline management
Category insight and data-driven decision making
Cross-functional alignment across Demand Planning, R&D, Operations and Marketing
Digital campaign leadership to maximise ROI
Forecasting and volume planning
You will act as a trusted category specialist, representing the organisation’s expertise in all current and future categories
Lead day-to-day leadership of all commercial areas
Establish clear goals, business and category direction and growth priorities
Deliver against revenue and margin targets
Collaborate with Innovation on the internal and external new product development process
Leverage syndicated data to generate actionable insight
Maintain a robust opportunity pipeline and provide structured weekly reporting
Collaborate with Demand Planning and Business Development on forecasting accuracy
Coordinate digital activation initiatives across retail and hospitality partners
Ensure on-time, in-spec delivery of R&D samples
Facilitate customer meetings
Lead long-range account strategy and commercial planning
The person:
As the commercial leader, you will be:
Degree educated or equivalent
Progressive blue chip experience in consumer packaged goods within retail or hospitality
Direct experience strategic development of the commercial agenda with major national retail and hospitality accounts
Experience of driving change and growth agendas
Proven track record of profitable sales growth
Experience launching new products into large-scale retail environments
Strong financial acumen and commercial negotiation capability
Experience using CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce)
Strong analytical capability using syndicated data platforms
High proficiency in Microsoft Office
Model core values and a strong performance culture
Build accountability and results orientation
Develop team capability and succession
Promote collaboration across functions
Drive continuous improvement and operational discipline
Monitor performance metrics and resolve variances proactively
We are seeking a commercially sharp, relationship-led sales professional with:
Private Label experience would be advantageous but is not essential.
Self-directed and capable of operating with autonomy
Strong relationship builder across internal and external stakeholders
Comfortable operating in fast-paced, evolving environments
Organised and detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple initiatives
Confident addressing complex or challenging situations constructively
Commercially curious and passionate about the food industry
Why Consider This Role?
* Strategic ownership of nationally significant accounts
* High visibility within a lean leadership team
* Direct influence on commercial growth trajectory
* Opportunity to operate at both tactical and strategic levels
* In-market authority with strong executive backing
This opportunity will suit an ambitious, data-driven FMCG Commercial leader who thrives on relationship depth, strategic execution and delivering sustained profitable growth.
To apply please email your CV to kate.hamilton@hprtalent.com