Zeus Food is a leading company in the packaging industry, committed to delivering innovative and sustainable packaging solutions to our valued customers. Our success is built on collaborative teamwork, dedication to customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement.
We are seeking a Regional Account Packaging Consultant to join our dynamic team here in the UK. This role focuses on driving growth and strengthening relationships within our distribution network, providing specialist support, insight, and value to our distributor partners. You will play a pivotal role in channel management, sales growth, and category development, ensuring Zeus remains the preferred packaging partner across the UK foodservice distribution sector.
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES
As an Account Packaging Consultant, your primary focus will be to bring on new distribution partners and developing and managing existing distributor accounts in your geographical location . This includes driving new business opportunities (70%) and maintaining strategic relationships with existing distributors (30%), ensuring profitable growth, strong category performance, and service excellence.
Distributor Relations and Account Management
- Serve as the primary point of contact for distribution partners across your region, fostering trust, loyalty, and long-term collaboration.
- Work closely within your POD to optimise account profitability in line with budgeted revenue and margin.
- Partner with your internal packaging executive to identify opportunities for range expansion, category diversification, and cross-selling within the distributor network.
- Collaborate with the replenishment manager to maintain 100% stock availability, ensuring proactive forecasting and communication around inventory and deliveries.
Specialised Expertise
- Apply your specialist knowledge of foodservice packaging to advise distributors on the most effective and sustainable product solutions for their customers.
- Stay informed on market trends, legislation, and emerging technologies relevant to the distribution and packaging sectors.
- Provide ongoing training and category insight to distributor sales teams to help them represent Zeus products effectively.
- Contribute to category strategy and innovation, ensuring Zeus remains at the forefront of foodservice packaging solutions.
Business Support within the Group
- Act as the category expert, supporting group-wide initiatives, product development, and commercial strategies with distributor insight.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure distributors receive consistent, exceptional service and understand the full value of the Zeus Group offering.
- Promote the power of the group, ensuring distributors are aware of Zeus’ cross-category capabilities and sustainability credentials.
Sales, Margin & New Business
- Collaborate with your POD to identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities within the current distributor base.
- Support pricing and promotional strategies to enhance margin and profitability.
- Proactively identify and convert new distribution partnerships and regional growth opportunities.
- Maintain an accurate sales pipeline including tenders, prospects, and key growth projects.
Communication and Documentation
- Maintain accurate CRM records for distributor interactions, sales activity, and account feedback.
- Communicate important updates, promotions, and product launches to distributor stakeholders through structured plans (calls, visits, digital channels).
- Contribute actively to team meetings and commercial reviews, providing updates on distributor performance and growth opportunities.
- Address issues quickly and professionally, escalating and resolving complex matters promptly.
Feedback and Continuous Improvement
- Gather and relay feedback from distributors to improve Zeus’ product offering, pricing, and service.
- Collaborate with your POD to implement distributor-focused improvements and category initiatives.
Effective Distributor Account Management
- This role demands a strategic and customer-centric approach, where success depends on developing high-performing distribution partnerships and expanding Zeus’ market presence across the UK.
Key focus areas include:
- Relationship Building: Develop deep, trust-based relationships with distributors, understanding their business models, challenges, and opportunities.
- Strategic Planning: Conduct regular gap analyses to identify opportunities for Zeus categories to bridge market gaps within distributor portfolios.
- Training & Enablement: Empower distributor sales teams with Zeus knowledge, tools, and promotional resources to drive product adoption.
- Data Utilisation: Use data and analytics (SAP, CRM, and sales reports) to forecast performance, track trends, and identify actionable insights.
- Retention & Growth: Implement retention strategies that reinforce Zeus as the preferred packaging partner through consistency, transparency, and reliability.
- Collaboration: Communicate regularly with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment between sales, supply chain, and operations for distributor success.
SCOPE OF POSITION
- Reports to the Head of UK Food Service.
- No line management responsibilities.
- Full-time position (40 hours per week).
LOCATION
This position is home-based, aligned with the UK Head Office in Biggleswade.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Key Skills
Proven experience managing distributor or trade accounts within the food service or packaging industry.
Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
Strong commercial awareness and analytical capability.
Computer proficiency in Excel, Word, and Outlook (intermediate minimum); SAP experience is advantageous.
Knowledge and Experience
Minimum of 2 years’ experience in a distributor or trade account management role.
Proven ability to grow sales and margin within an assigned customer base.
Experience in the food service, packaging, or FMCG sectors preferred.
Demonstrated planning, organisational, and problem-solving skills.
Personal Attributes
A natural relationship builder with integrity, reliability, and maturity.
Proactive, commercially driven, and adaptable.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
A collaborative team player with a growth mindset.