Commercial Associate
Accelerated Track - Commercial Operator Cohort
Manchester - Full-time - Reports to: Commercial Director
£32-35k starting, with the potential to reach £45-60k by month 24 for top decile performance
Make retailers work. Learn how the commercial engine actually runs.
This isn't a normal job. Read this before you apply.
Most companies hire for the seat in front of them. "We need a commercial exec" becomes "who's available at £35k?" You fill the role, learn the narrow lane, and two years later you're job-hunting because you've hit the ceiling.
This is different.
We're building the Commercial Operator Cohort: a small group of early-career hires (4-5 people across Growth, Commercial and Ops) selected to a single bar and developed as future leaders, not support staff.
What that means for you:
We're betting on trajectory, not just today. We don't hire anyone, even early career, unless we believe they could go all the way. Commercial Associate to Commercial Director. Not everyone will. But everyone we hire should be someone we'd back to get there.
Real ownership from day one. You'll own pricing, promo calendars, forecast accuracy and execution for a defined set of retailers. These are your accounts. Not your manager's accounts that you help with.
You'll learn how the whole system works. Structured cross-training across Growth and Ops. A planned functional swap later in the programme. We're building operators who understand the full machine, not specialists who only know their lane.
Progression is based on outcomes, not time served. £32-35k starting. £45-60k by month 24 if you're delivering. Scorecards at 6, 12, and 18 months. We'll tell you where you stand.
You're joining at the right moment. The founders bought Hairburst back in 2023. The leadership team just reset. We're building the layer underneath: the people who'll run this business in five years. This is the first cohort. You'd be in the founding class.
One bar, one cohort, three doors. You're being selected to the same standard as the Growth and Ops hires. Same assessment. Same expectations. Same development pathway. Different starting point, shared destination.
About Hairburst
We sit where beauty meets wellbeing: effective, habit-forming hair growth solutions that earn a permanent spot in the bathroom.
We're owner-operators. In 2014, our founders launched Hairburst with £4k. In 2021, the brand joined JD Sports. In 2023, the founders bought back 100% to build the company we always wanted to run.
Today: Boots, Superdrug, Holland & Barrett, DTC and marketplaces across nine territories. Over a million customers. One of the UK's fastest-growing beauty brands.
Hairburst is the first brand. It won't be the last.
What you'll actually do
Run the rhythm. Weekly sales trackers, forecast reviews, promo analysis, pricing files, customer decks. You keep the machine turning.
Land execution. Launches, in-store visibility, retail media briefs. Coordinate across Marketing, Supply, Finance and Merchandising. Nothing falls through the cracks.
Own accounts end-to-end. A defined set of retailers are yours. Pricing. Promo. Forecasting. Performance. You run them.
Support the big relationships. Work alongside the National Account Manager on joint business plans and trade negotiations. Learn how commercial deals actually get made.
What you'll learn
* How national accounts really work: joint business plans (JBPs), trade terms, margin mechanics and what actually drives buyer decisions
* How to run the weekly rhythm: forecasts, promos, pricing files, trading reviews
* How to land execution that pays back: launches, on-shelf availability, in-store visibility, retail media basics
* How to spot what's working (and what isn't), and make the case for change with numbers
* How Growth, Commercial and Ops connect: the full system, not just your corner
Who this is for
You've already taken your first step into commercial, retail or account management. First role, placement year, internship, or serious self-driven work. You've done the 0 to 1. We'll do the 1 to 10.
We hire for attitude and aptitude. We assess using our PACE lens:
* Pride - you care about the quality of your work
* Ambition - you want to build something, not just have a job
* Commerciality - you think about what makes money and what doesn't
* Energy - you move fast and bring others with you
Proof you execute: you've coordinated something with multiple moving parts (a launch, a project, an event) and kept it on track.
Proof you learn: you've taught yourself how something works (a retailer, a system, a category) and applied it.
You don't need a perfect CV. You do need evidence you're on the way up.
The selection process
We're running this as a single cohort intake. Same timeline for everyone. No rolling decisions.
1. Applications close Friday 16th January
2. Longlisted candidates notified w/c 19th January
3. First interviews 27-28 January
4. Final interviews (senior leadership) 3-4 February
5. Offers w/c 10th February
6. Cohort starts March 2026
If you've taken the time to apply properly, we'll get back to you.
How to apply
Submit one document (PDF) via LinkedIn: your CV plus an appendix answering both questions below.
Question 1: Drive and evidence (around 250 words)
Tell us about your most meaningful achievement so far. What did you do, what changed because of it, and what did it teach you about how you work?
Question 2: Commercial judgement (around 250 words)
Pick one of our retail partners: Boots, Superdrug, or Holland & Barrett.
Tell us three things you'd focus on in the next 90 days to improve Hairburst's performance in that account, and how you'd know if each one worked.
Bullets are fine. Plain English. We're looking for your thinking, not polish.
Applications without both answers won't be reviewed.
This is deliberate. The application is part of the assessment. If 500 words feels like too much effort, this isn't the right programme for you.
One last thing
We know this advert is longer than most. We know asking for a written response upfront filters people out.
That's the point.
We're not trying to maximise applications. We're trying to find 4-5 people we'd back to go all the way, and give them something worth applying for.
If that's you, we'll see you in the process.