National Account Manager - UK & Ireland Grocery

Reporting to: UK Sales and Marketing Director

Employment: Permanent / Full-time

Location: UK field-based / hybrid; travel across UK and Ireland as required

Salary: £60,000 - £70,000, dependant on experience

Incentive: 30% target annual bonus; additional accelerated earning potential subject to sheme rules

Benefits: Car allowance, pension and company benefits

ABOUT CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS

Checkpoint Systems is a global retail technology business helping retailers reduce shrink, improve inventory visibility and enhance store operations. Our solutions include Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS), RFID hardware and software, source tagging, product protection and field services.

ROLE

Responsible for the commercial management, retention and profitable growth of a large-scale UK and Ireland Grocer account. Accountable for strategic account planning, proactive opportunity generation, customer quotations, technical project coordination and customer-facing commercial leadership throughout project delivery.

Strategic Account Leadership

• Own the UK and Ireland Grocer's commercial relationship and develop a measurable annual account plan.
• Build relationships across Procurement, Loss Prevention, Store Operations, Technology, Supply Chain and senior leadership.
• Understand customer strategy, investment priorities, operational challenges and competitive landscape.
• Lead strategic account reviews and position Checkpoint as a trusted long-term partner.

Proactive Business Development

• Originate, qualify and convert new opportunities rather than relying on inbound customer demand.
• Expand adoption of EAS, RFID hardware and software (including ItemOptix), RF/RFID labels, source Develop customer-specific business cases, pilots, proposals and return-on-investment arguments.
• Manage opportunities from discovery through negotiation, award and handover to delivery teams.

Project Quotations and Customer Project Leadership

• Prepare and own accurate, timely customer quotations for installations, upgrades and other technical projects, working from surveys, equipment schedules, technical drawings and agreed scope.
• Interpret technical drawings, store layouts, installation plans and specifications to understand proposed solutions, identify scope gaps and confirm requirements with engineering and technical specialists.
• Act as the lead customer-facing Account Manager throughout projects, from initial enquiry and quotation through planning, implementation, change control and completion.
• Coordinate customer communication, project expectations, commercial approvals and issue resolution with internal project management, engineering, operations and service teams.
• Manage quotation revisions, variations and commercial implications of scope changes, ensuring pricing accuracy, appropriate margins and clear customer sign-off.

Commercial Ownership

• Deliver annual revenue, gross profit and account growth objectives.
• Lead pricing, tenders, renewals, negotiations and commercial risk management.
• Protect existing revenue while identifying incremental, profitable business.
• Produce reliable budgets, forecasts and account performance updates.

Pipeline, CRM and Execution

• Maintain a qualified, evidence-based Salesforce pipeline with realistic values, stages, close dates and next actions.
• Provide timely and accurate sales forecasts and account reviews.
• Coordinate UK and international technical, service, operations and marketing resources.
• Own commercial escalations and ensure effective project handover and customer satisfaction.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Proven national, strategic or key account management experience with complex enterprise customers.
• Demonstrated personal track record of creating and closing incremental business within existing accounts.
• Experience selling technology, hardware, software, technical solutions or services.
• Strong financial acumen: margin, pricing, negotiation, forecasting and business cases.
• Ability to influence multiple stakeholders, plan strategically and execute independently.
• Strong CRM discipline, ideally Salesforce; excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel.
• Proven ability to prepare and manage detailed quotations for technical or installation projects, including scope, costs and commercial assumptions.
• Good working understanding of technical drawings, floor plans and installation layouts, with the confidence to discuss and clarify them with customers and technical teams.
• Experience acting as the primary customer-facing commercial lead during project delivery, coordinating stakeholders and managing changes.

DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE

• Experience with grocery retail or other major UK retailers.
• Knowledge of retail loss prevention, EAS, RFID, inventory accuracy or product protection.
• Experience coordinating complex multi-function projects in an international business.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

• Revenue and gross profit against agreed targets; year-on-year profitable growth.
• Incremental opportunities originated, qualified, progressed and converted.
• Expansion of stakeholder coverage and adoption across product and service categories.
• Account plan execution, Salesforce quality, forecasting accuracy and customer retention.
• Quotation accuracy, responsiveness and margin control; effective customer leadership and communication across live projects.

ROLE COMPETENCIES

Commercial drive, initiative, strategic planning, accountability, collaboration, resilience and customer focus; ability to challenge assumptions and take ownership of results.

INTERESTED?

Please apply by uploading your CV along with a short summary of a major account you have personally developed, including the new opportunities and revenue you generated.