Account Manager, B2B

About The Role

Our Commercial Sales/B2B team is growing. We are seeking 2 results-driven Account Managers to manage and scale our customer relationships - one dedicated to our UK accounts and the other to our International markets. These roles are vital for turning business strategy into commercial success. You will actively trade your assigned accounts, drive profitable growth, and maintain complete ownership of key third-party relationships. To succeed, you will act as the market expert for your territory and work cross-functionally with Finance, Trading, Retail, and Operations to deliver flawless account performance.

• Salary range - £52,900 - £79,400
• Expected salary - up to £55,000 depending on experience
• Contract type - These positions are permanent.
• Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work a mixture between the office and home based upon your personal needs whilst balancing the needs of the business. Alongside this we have also signalled a clear intent for Central teams to work ‘more in person than not.’ For this team this means 3 days a week of in-person time but it is not a hard and fast rule requiring everyone to be in the office 3 days a week. Customer and supplier visits, time in our shops and time in the office all contribute to this requirement. Please note for the international role in particular, there will be overseas travel and this may occasionally be for prolonged periods, up to 2 weeks at a time.
• Location - This role is based at our Bracknell Head Office.
• Interviews - We anticipate a 1 stage interview process in person at our Bracknell campus, w/c 3rd August onwards.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will be responsible for making key decisions and taking action on your accounts to maintain alignment with the customer and commercial objectives for each of your accounts, supported and guided by the Commercial Lead or Senior Business Manager. Additionally, you will work in partnership with your internal stakeholders to ensure the delivery of premier service to all customers.

Day to day would include:

• Financial Performance: Achieve budgeted sales and profit targets, performing in-season re-forecasts as necessary. You will actively nurture and grow existing accounts to meet these goals.
• Relationship Management: Oversee commercial ties with B2B customers, service providers, and third parties. You will implement business plans focused on sales and profit growth.
• Compliance & Quality: Foster mutually beneficial trading partnerships while ensuring all brand and operational standards outlined in customer contracts are strictly followed.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Coordinate with departments including Finance, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Retail and Operations to fulfill account requirements effectively.
• Market Expertise: Serve as a subject matter expert by analysing market trends and data to drive the profitability and expansion of your business area.
• The Partnership offers opportunities for personal and professional growth through your Profession. We champion inclusive and flexible working environments to support our diverse community of Partners and customers.

Essential Skills/experience You’ll Need

• Previous sales, account management or customer relationship management.
• Experience of working in a customer centric sales environment.
• MS Office and Google application knowledge.

Desirable Skills/experience You May Have

• Experience in working with third party propositions is an advantage.
• Strong negotiation skills would also be advantageous.

About The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.

Important points to note

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.