National Account Manager Foodservice

Wenzels the Bakers is a family bakery business in Watford. We bake fresh every night for more than 100 of our own stores, and now we're taking that craft to restaurants, QSR brands, caterers and wholesalers.

We're looking for a National Account Manager to lead this from the start. You'll open the doors, win our first key accounts and help shape how we serve them. If you'd rather build something than just manage it, this is for you.

Bespoke buns and rolls, brioche and speciality breads, plus our own range of chilled sandwich mixes with the shelf life to sell through wholesale.

QSR and fast casual brands, restaurant groups and managed pubs, contract caterers, food service wholesalers and London based sandwich manufacturers.

• Build a pipeline of food service prospects and take them from first contact through sampling, trials and listing
• Own each customer relationship, including reviews, range development and resolving service issues
• Work with our NPD and technical teams to develop bespoke products, from bun size and glaze to slicing and pack format
• Build pricing from our costings, protect margin and negotiate contract terms
• Give production and supply chain reliable forecasts so we can plan the night runs
• Work with transport and customer service on delivery windows, cut offs and OTIF
• Report monthly on sales, margin and forecast accuracy

• At least 5 years in food service sales, including 3 or more selling bakery products
• A track record of building a bakery food service business from a small base, winning named accounts in QSR, casual dining or contract catering
• Confidence negotiating contracts, pricing and annual cost price increases with buyers and procurement teams
• A good understanding of how a bakery runs: shelf life, frozen, ambient and chilled formats, specs, minimum runs and lead times
• Commercial numeracy and confidence with margin and forecasting in Excel
• A full UK driving licence and happiness to travel regularly

• Existing contacts with QSR brands, restaurant groups, pub estates, wholesalers or contract caterers
• Experience taking bespoke products through NPD with a customer's development chef
• Knowledge of BRCGS or SALSA, and experience of chilled products into food to go
• Familiarity with CRM systems or bakery ERP such as Cybake

You’ll need to be self starting and persistent, and just as credible with a head chef as with a procurement director.

• £45,000 to £50,000 (pro rata for part time) plus commission linked to sales and margin
• Open to a commission based arrangement by agreement
• Car allowance, or business mileage for part time arrangements
• Full or part time, with flexibility on days and hours
• Reporting to the Production Director, based in Watford with regular travel across London and the South East

We’d rather find the right person than fit someone into a fixed template.