National Account Manager - Foodservice

Whitby Seafoods is an independent, family owned British seafood manufacturer with more than 40 years of heritage.

Established in Whitby in 1985, the company has grown to become the largest scampi manufacturer in the UK and worldwide. It now employs approximately 300 people across its manufacturing sites in Whitby, North Yorkshire, and Kilkeel, Northern Ireland.

Whitby Seafoods combines the scale and commercial challenge of a major national food manufacturer with the accessibility, personality and influence of an entrepreneurial family business. Its products are available across all the UK’s major supermarkets, as well as on the menus of leading national pub and restaurant groups.

The company’s flagship Whitby Scampi brand is the UK’s best selling scampi brand across frozen, chilled, gluten free and food service.

This is an exciting time to join Whitby Seafoods as the business continues to invest in its brand, broaden its customer base and develop new opportunities across UK food service.

Whitby Seafoods is looking to appoint an experienced National Account Manager Food service to help drive the continued growth of its UK food service business.

This is a commercially focused role with responsibility for winning new end user business while also managing and developing relationships across national and regional food service wholesalers and wholesale groups.

A major part of the role will focus on identifying, developing and converting new national and regional end user customers that Whitby Seafoods does not currently trade with directly.

• High street restaurant and casual dining chains
• Pub and bar groups
• Leisure and hospitality groups
• Other significant multi site food service operators

Whitby Seafoods is looking for someone who understands how these businesses buy, who the key decision makers are and how to navigate the journey from initial conversation through product development and trial to listing and rollout.

The successful candidate will need to be comfortable prospecting, opening doors and creating opportunities.

The role will also focus on developing Whitby Seafoods’ business through national and regional food service wholesalers and wholesale groups.

This will include managing existing relationships while identifying opportunities to increase distribution, volume and visibility across the wholesale channel.

A key part of the position will be understanding the relationship between end user demand and wholesale distribution, creating demand with operators while ensuring the right products, pricing and distribution are in place through their nominated wholesalers.

• Identifying and winning new national and regional end user customers
• Building relationships with QSR, restaurant, pub, hospitality and contract catering groups
• Developing national and regional food service wholesalers
• Increasing distribution, volume and visibility across the wholesale channel
• Creating and managing a strong new business pipeline
• Managing opportunities from initial introduction through trial, listing and rollout
• Building effective relationships at buyer, chef, procurement and senior commercial level
• Negotiating commercially sustainable agreements
• Working collaboratively with internal teams to support successful customer launches and development
• Representing Whitby Seafoods professionally across the UK food service market

• Strong experience in UK branded food service sales
• Existing relationships within QSR, high street chains and major multi site food service operators
• Good knowledge of food service wholesalers and buying groups
• A demonstrable track record of winning new business, not simply managing established accounts
• Strong…