Senior National Account Manager – Grocery Retail

Senior National Account Manager Grocery Retail

The Company

Whitby Seafoods is an independent, family-owned British seafood manufacturer with more than 40 years of heritage.

Established in Whitby in 1985, the company has grown to become the largest scampi manufacturer in the UK and worldwide. It now employs approximately 300 people across its manufacturing sites in Whitby, North Yorkshire, and Kilkeel, Northern Ireland.

Whitby Seafoods combines the scale and commercial challenge of a major national food manufacturer with the accessibility, personality and influence of an entrepreneurial family business. Its products are available across all the UK’s major supermarkets, as well as on the menus of leading national pub and restaurant groups.

The company’s flagship Whitby Scampi brand is the UK’s best-selling scampi brand across frozen, chilled, gluten-free and foodservice. It was also the fastest growing scampi brand throughout 2024 and 2025 and the fastest-growing brand within the total frozen fish and seafood category.

This is an exciting time to join Whitby Seafoods. The business is investing in its brand, expanding its retail distribution and developing a growing seafood snacking range designed to introduce new consumers and new eating occasions to the category.

The Role

Whitby Seafoods is looking to appoint an experienced Senior National Account Manager to take responsibility for developing and growing relationships with a portfolio of major UK grocery retailers.

This is a highly visible commercial role within an ambitious, privately owned food business. The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering profitable and sustainable account growth while building collaborative, long-term partnerships with key retail customers.

Working closely with the wider commercial, category, marketing, finance, supply chain and product development teams, you will create and implement customer strategies that support Whitby Seafoods’ wider growth plans.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Managing and developing relationships with major UK grocery retail customers.
• Creating and delivering customer strategies aligned with the company’s overall commercial objectives.
• Developing and implementing joint business plans that deliver sustainable and mutually beneficial growth.
• Taking full ownership of account performance, including sales, volume, revenue, margin and profitability.
• Leading annual negotiations, range reviews, pricing discussions and commercial agreements.
• Identifying opportunities to increase distribution, improve rate of sale and introduce Whitby products to new shoppers and eating occasions.
• Working collaboratively with customers to develop promotional plans that support category growth while delivering an appropriate commercial return.
• Using customer, category and market insight to identify opportunities and develop compelling commercial proposals.
• Managing customer forecasts and working closely with supply chain and operational teams to maintain strong service levels.
• Partnering with the marketing, category and NPD teams to support new product launches and deliver successful customer activation plans.
• Maintaining accurate commercial forecasts, account plans and performance reporting.
• Building effective relationships across the customer’s buying, category, supply chain and technical functions.
• Representing Whitby Seafoods professionally while becoming a trusted commercial partner to both customers and internal stakeholders.

The Candidate

• We are looking for a commercially astute and relationship-led National Account Manager with a minimum of five years’ national account experience managing major UK grocery multiple retailers within a branded food or FMCG business.
• The successful candidate will ideally demonstrate:
• A minimum of five years’ experience in a National Account Manager or comparable commercial role within food or FMCG.
• Proven experience of managing major UK grocery multiple retail customers.
• A strong understanding of joint business planning, customer negotiations, range reviews, promotions and commercial agreements.
• Experience of managing account revenue, profitability and commercial investment.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to translate customer and category information into clear commercial opportunities.
• Experience of working cross-functionally with marketing, category, finance, supply chain, technical and product development teams.
• A collaborative and straightforward approach to building long-term customer relationships.
• Strong communication, presentation and influencing skills.
• The confidence to take ownership, make decisions and operate with a high level of autonomy.
• A pragmatic, hands-on approach and the ability to make things happen within an entrepreneurial business.
• A genuine interest in food, brand development, innovation and category growth.
• Previous experience within frozen, chilled, seafood or another added-value food would be a bonus

The Culture

Whitby Seafoods has a distinctive culture built around its values, known internally as The Whitby Way.

The company deliberately avoids unnecessary hierarchy and encourages people to work collaboratively across departments. Its family owners remain actively involved in the business, giving employees direct access to decision-makers and the opportunity to make a visible contribution.

The successful candidate will need to combine commercial ambition with a collaborative and culturally sensitive approach. This role will suit someone who enjoys taking ownership, values long-term relationships and wants to help grow a successful British food brand without the restrictions of a large corporate environment.

Why Join Whitby Seafoods?

This is an excellent opportunity to join a successful, growing and independently owned British food manufacturer at an important stage in its development.

Whitby Seafoods offers the scale and challenge of a major national food business, combined with the accessibility and influence available within a family-owned company.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape important customer relationships, contribute to the development of a growing consumer brand and play a meaningful role in the company’s next stage of growth.

Location

The position will be home-based, with regular travel to customers and the Whitby Seafoods site in Whitby, North Yorkshire. Candidates based within reasonable travelling distance of Whitby would be expected to attend the site one day per week. For candidates based further afield, site attendance can be consolidated into two consecutive days every fortnight, including one overnight stay.

Benefits

Highly competitive basic salary, Car or car allowance, 7% pension contribution & Additional company benefits

Contact / Next Steps

For more information about this opportunity, please contact our retained recruitment consultant, Aidan Goodall at FMCG Selection, on 01943 667280 or at aidan@fmcgselection.co.uk

Please note that all direct applications, recruiter approaches and speculative CVs relating to this position will be forwarded directly to Aidan at FMCG Selection.