Overview

The National Account Manager (farmer) is a demanding but very exciting role.

You will manage a portfolio of important national accounts within the care homes industry, ensuring mutual benefit of customer partnerships and maximising potential profit opportunities.

Reporting to the Deputy General Manager, the National Account Manager (NAM) will be a key member of the Care Homes team, responsible for delivering accelerated sales growth.

This is a commercial role, managing the partnership between apetito and a portfolio of existing national account customers.

You will be responsible for both retaining and growing your accounts to maximise sales opportunities.

We are looking for an ambitious sales professional with a growth mindset, entrepreneurial flair, and the ability to engage from kitchen to boardroom.

Who we are

apetito is the UK’s leading supplier of food to the health and social care sectors. Partnering with over 400 hospitals and 600 care homes, we produce delicious, consistent, and sustainable meals for people in care settings.

We’re also the parent company of Wiltshire Farm Foods, the UK’s premier home-delivery service for ready-made meals. Through our wide range of well-presented, nutritious meals to suit every taste and dietary need, we aim to make a real difference in the lives of elderly and vulnerable people in care.

We’re proud to be a Living Wage employer and a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative. We support British food and farming and operate a successful programme of waste reduction and resource efficiency across our business.

Responsibilities

The National Accounts Manager (NAM) will manage a portfolio of existing customers, retaining them and establishing new business where opportunities arise.

You will be responsible for:

• Managing customer partnerships and directing a support team of client development managers
• Writing and executing joint business plans with each account, managing customer and apetito business objectives
• Identifying and maximising new revenue opportunities within each group
• Managing contracting (with support of the deputy general manager) to ensure KPIs are achieved and business is retained
• Updating and maintaining the company CRM system (Hubspot)
• Building your profile in the industry through effective networking channels, working closely with other departments within apetito (including Finance, Regional Teams, and Marketing)

About you

Essential:

• Credibility in a B2B sales environment, working with complex, high-value B2B customers
• 2-3 years sales experience at the National Accounts level
• Proven experience of achieving and exceeding sales targets
• Consultative, solutions-led sales experience, not hard product selling
• Strong commercial experience, including involvement in business cases
• Able to collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders to achieve joint successes
• Great organisational skills, able to manage multiple stakeholders
• Excellent influencing, communication, and relationship-building skills
• Full UK driving licence

Desirable:

• Experience of food/nutritional standards
• Experience of the Care Sector
• Good networking experience
• Degree qualification within a business-related discipline
• Food Hygiene training

Personal qualities:

• Highly professional
• Passionate – must display a true passion for this role
• Drive to exceed sales targets by delivering outstanding customer experience
• Demonstrates credibility with Group Owners/Management Boards
• Follows through and does not give up easily, or avoid difficult decisions
• Strives for excellence and challenges existing practices

Due to the geography of this role and the nature of working with customers in care homes settings, flexibility with working hours will be needed.

Travel to customers and events across the country, including overnight stays, will be a regular requirement—typically 1-2 nights per week.

A company car is provided to facilitate this, and a clean (or virtually clean) driving licence is essential.

As this role involves working with elderly and vulnerable customers, it is exempt from The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and requires a Basic DBS Disclosure.

Company Benefits

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• Company car
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Generous annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 5%
• Life assurance scheme worth 2x annual salary
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

Our Values

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI, and we are an accredited Living Wage employer. Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff, and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.