Account Director

The Retail Key Account Director is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational excellence, and commercial performance of all cleaning services delivered across a national portfolio of retail stores.

The role ensures safe, secure, welcoming, and compliant environments for customers, and colleagues while driving continuous improvement, contract performance, and value creation.

Strategic Leadership

• Define and deliver a national strategy for cleaning services aligned with client objectives.
• Act as the senior subject-matter expert for health & safety, customer safety, and cleaning excellence within retail environments.
• Lead nationwide initiatives covering innovation, technology adoption, sustainability, and service transformation.
• Represent the organisation at senior level meetings, client forums, and industry bodies.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee cleaning operations across multiple retails locations
• Ensure consistent high service standards, customer experience, and brand alignment across all sites.
• Establish and monitor KPIs, SLAs, and performance frameworks, driving accountability at regional and local levels.
• Manage critical incidents, high-risk events, and business continuity planning.
• Preparation and delivery of monthly and quarterly client review presentations.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with UK legislation and industry standards, including:
• Health & Safety at Work Act
• COSHH and cleaning compliance
• Equality, Safeguarding, and Data Protection requirements
• Lead risk assessments, audits, and governance reviews across the national estate.
• Act as the escalation point for serious incidents, reputational risk, and client concerns.
• Hold full P&L responsibility for multi million pound contract.
• Manage budgets, cost control, margin delivery, and value engineering.
• Lead contract negotiations, mobilisations, retentions, and renewals.
• Identify growth opportunities, added-value services, and innovation pathways.

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop senior relationships with:
• Serve as the primary national escalation point for key clients.
• Support bids, tenders, and proposals relating to shopping centre security and cleaning.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing soft services team at each centre.
• Drive engagement, diversity, wellbeing, and talent development across large frontline work forces.
• Ensure robust succession planning and capability building.
• Champion a culture of professionalism, accountability, and customer focus.

• Proven senior leadership experience in multi-site FM operations, ideally within:
• Strong understanding of cleaning industry, standards, and best practice.
• Demonstrable experience managing large-scale P&L and complex contracts.
• Ability to operate credibly atclient, and executive level.
• Excellent people leadership skills across geographically dispersed teams.
• Commercially astute, data-driven, and outcome focused.
• Willingness to travel extensively across the UK.