Senior Business Manager

Apply on JLP Jobs - the official careers website for John Lewis Partnership, John Lewis & Partners, and Waitrose & Partners.

About the role

As a Senior Business Manager, you will be the Commercial Sales expert for your allocated markets, driving growth and fostering strategic relationships with B2B customers and concession providers. You will play a pivotal role in delivering sales and profit targets, implementing trading plans that create mutual value for our partners and the Partnership. This is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with diverse internal teams and external stakeholders to shape our brand and product proposition in the UK and internationally.

• Salary - £63,600 - £95,300
• Contract type - This position is a Permanent contract.
• 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. The team complete 3 days per week in the office to connect.
• Location - Bracknell / London Head Office
• Interviews - We are aiming for interviews to take place mid June

Key responsibilities

• You will own the commercial relationship with B2B customers and/or concession providers with responsibility for retention and growth of the account(s). You will be the expert in JLP for your allocated customer(s) or market(s).
• The role is accountable for the delivery of Sales, Cash Margin and fee income for your allocated customers / markets / concession holders.
• You will develop positive working relationships with customers and know their market and requirements. You will set and implement a trading plan that delivers value for the customer and for JLP.
• You will ensure customers and JLP fulfil their contractual obligations and comply with operational SLAs and brand standards as appropriate.
• You will support the Commercial Lead in the achievement of sales and profit targets for your target market, agreeing financial budgets and forecasting in season as required. You will identify product and sales opportunities in your market and contribute your learning into product, brand and operational proposition development.
• You will work closely with internal teams in Retail, Legal, CS Customer and Operations, Trading, Core Business Operations and Finance. Externally you will foster and maintain relationships with all levels in client organisations and contacts in Trade Associations, Government Agencies and the wider market as appropriate to the target markets agreed with your Commercial Lead.

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Proven ability to trade and sell products into relevant markets and/or sectors (UK and Globally as required).
• A track record in meeting or exceeding sales targets in a senior sales role.
• Highly commercial mindset and approach.
• Gravitas and ability to negotiate at a senior level to ensure the best outcome for the Partnership.
• Experience which demonstrates effective stakeholder management and influencing skills - internal & external - at all levels
• Regular UK travel for most roles. Regular overseas travel required for some roles.
• A good working knowledge and experience of spreadsheets.

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Knowledge of Waitrose and John Lewis assortments and buying/merchandising an advantage.
• Product or category knowledge and an ability to articulate the distinct aspects of products and services positioned against the competitor base.
• Knowledge of foreign languages and other cultures is an advantage.

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35 hours per week, full time.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.