Head of Sales Grocery & International (Challenger Brand)
Leeds / Hybrid
£100,000 – £120,000 + bonus (15% with stretch to 25%)
We are partnering with a high‑growth challenger food brand that is entering a genuine scale‑up phase. Founder‑led, entrepreneurial and demand‑backed, the business is building the commercial structure to accelerate growth across UK Grocery and international territories.
The Head of Sales role reports to the Managing Director, owns the numbers, sets the strategy and helps shape the next chapter of growth. While this is a leadership position, it is not an ivory‑tower role; you will need to be comfortable staying close to key customers and managing the most important accounts while opening doors at senior level. You will manage a team of three National Account Managers.
The business has a strong turnover with ongoing pitches to UK Retail (including an established international retail relationship); the major growth is in UK Grocery with clear ambitions to scale significantly over the next 3–5 years, including an expansion into new categories.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the commercial numbers for the UK Grocery business and support the international retail relationship
- Build and execute the customer strategy with a focus on unlocking Top 4 growth (Tesco/Waitrose‑level)
- Develop and lead the JBP approach, ensuring plans align with brand, category and margin ambitions
- Lead and coach the commercial team (including NAMs and sales support), building a high‑performance culture
- Strengthen the business route‑to‑market and customer mix, ensuring focus and clarity across accounts
- Work closely with internal stakeholders across finance, supply chain, operations and NPD to deliver sustainable growth
- Bring structure and pace without overcomplicating the process – pragmatic leadership in a scaling environment
- Be willing to own a select number of key relationships personally, particularly during strategic growth phases
Qualifications
- Senior commercial leadership experience in FMCG (Head of Sales / Sales Director / Controller / SNAM ready to step up)
- Strong UK Grocery background with credible experience opening and nurturing Top 4 relationships
- Confident owning P&L / margin delivery, and comfortable operating in a competitive category
- Commercially sharp with strong JBP and category understanding
- Leadership style that develops others with a growth mindset, coaching and accountability
- Entrepreneurial approach: hands‑on, adaptable, not precious, and comfortable driving change
- Comfortable operating in a founder‑led environment with high ambition and fast decision making
The Advocate Group is a leading recruitment partner, based in the UK, to the FMCG and consumer product sectors. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. By applying for this role you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy, which can be found on our website. Please note that The Advocate Group is acting as an employment agency in relation to this vacancy.
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