Senior Commercial Manager - Fresh Produce

Description:

A senior fresh produce commercial role with real customer ownership, strong brand credibility and a package.

Senior Commercial Manager - Fresh Produce (12-18 month FTC)

London area
Hybrid working - 3 days onsite, typically Tuesday to Thursday
12-18 month fixed-term contract
Up to £80,000 DOE + £5,250 car allowance + 15% bonus

The Opportunity

This is a senior commercial role with a leading fresh produce business, supporting its operation across key customer accounts.

You'll be stepping into an established customer base, taking ownership of account performance, pricing, customer relationships, margin delivery and commercial planning. It is a maternity cover contract expected to run for 12-18 months, with potential for the role to become permanent if it works well for both sides.

This would suit someone who knows the pace of fresh produce and enjoys a role where customer relationships, commercial judgement and operational delivery all matter.

Key Responsibilities

You'll take ownership of a portfolio of customer accounts across key sides of the business, working closely with internal teams to deliver customer service, sales, margin and profitable growth.

Key areas of focus will include:

Managing and developing key customer relationships across multiple channels

Leading pricing discussions, commercial negotiations and contract renewals

Managing customer P&Ls, account plans, risks, opportunities and growth plans

Working closely with procurement, operations, technical and finance to ensure customer commitments are commercially and operationally deliverable

Supporting forecasting, planning and promotional activity

Coaching and supporting Commercial Executives and wider sales colleagues where required

What We're Looking For

You'll need strong commercial or account management experience within fresh produce, ideally with exposure to fruit, berries, vegetables, salads or similar fast-moving categories.

You'll be comfortable owning customer relationships, negotiating, managing P&Ls and making sound commercial decisions in a market where availability, pricing, quality and service can change quickly.

The right person will bring:

Proven sales or account management experience in produce

Strong customer relationship and negotiation skills

Experience managing customer P&Ls and delivering profitable growth

Good analytical judgement and commercial confidence

The ability to work cross-functionally and influence internal teams

Leadership, coaching or team support experience

This will not suit someone from a pure new-business sales background or someone without fresh produce or customer account management exposure.

Why Join?

This is a strong opportunity to join a major name in fresh produce in a senior, visible commercial role.

You'll have ownership of meaningful customer accounts, the chance to influence performance quickly, and the opportunity to work across a business where service, margin, supply and relationships all connect.

It offers a strong package, a respected brand, senior-level customer exposure and the possibility of longer-term opportunity if the fit is right.

If you're interested in learning more, we'd be happy to have a confidential conversation