Customer Business Manager

Job Title: Customer Business Manager

Location: Kingston

Fulltime: Hybrid - 2 days per week in the office + customer visits

Job Purpose

The Customer Business Manager (CBM) is an externally focused role, leading Unilever business with a Key Customers. The CBM is responsible for developing strong working relationships with senior customer contacts, leading a team of Customer Account Managers (CAMs) to develop and deliver customer strategies, taking overall accountability for financial performance within their area, and helping to drive consistency of process between customer teams. Key focus areas for this role are:

Develop sustainable customer relationships at all levels and cross functionally, underpinned by a strong JBP

Leverage our brand assets and Business Unit (BU) structure to deliver new and exciting innovation and category building plans. Develop and deliver plans omnichannel – Supermarkets, Convenience & Online. Loving the customer and developing a strong customer strategy. The need for extensive commercial rigour in the assessment and implementation of our Growth Strategy across channels. Leadership within the team, across teams and externally.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain strong senior level relationships:

• Develop strong relationships with both internal & external customers
• Work with the CAMs and Customer Operations Team to ensure significant commercial, customer service and finance issues/opportunities are resolved/exploited efficiently and that we do what we say.
• Own the Unilever & Customer relationship on all categories – Be the face of Unilever UK with the customer, Be at the top table of suppliers for your customer(s).

Lead customer strategy development and major customer and category initiatives

• Lead the development and delivery of the customer strategic business plan and the joint customer business plan, working closely with Category Managers, Shopper Marketing and CSP
• Resolve Customer / Category trade off’s within their area
• With Customer Marketing Managers, lead key in-store activation events
• Lead range and merchandising reviews (where appropriate)
• Deliver key Category Team initiatives at Customer e.g. Price Increases, Brand Activation, NPD etc

Be accountable for financial performance of categories within area of responsibility

• Deliver Turnover, Customer Profitability and TMI budgets
• Discuss and agree Gap Filling initiatives with Category Team
• Lead and develop our Growth Strategy with customers to win share whilst delivering profitability objectives for both Unilever and Customer
• Be able to handle a total business (5+ categories) CBM role

Line manage and develop Customer Account Managers

• Manage the performance of CAMs, Execs and cross functional team within their responsibility
• Provide on-the-job coaching and guidance
• Facilitate training and development opportunities – support the team in achieving their career goals
• Promote the adoption of best practice and consistent processes/standards by CAM’s under their responsibility
• Lead for Customer knowledge and capability within the company as a whole

All about you

• Customer management & selling essentials - ideally previous experience of performing a CAM role
• Experience of leveraging big customer relationships
• Consistent delivery of high-quality results in difficult trading/customer environments
• Experience of managing and developing others
• Experience of creating and delivering Joint Business Plans (JBP’s)
• Self Starting, Independent and Strong Conviction 

Key Behaviours

• PASSION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE: Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results. Has an owner’s mindset, using data and insight to make decisions. 

• PERSONAL MASTERY: Sets high standards for themselves. Actively builds own wellbeing and resilience. 

• CONSUMER LOVE: Whatever their role, always looks for better ways to serve consumers. Invests time inside and outside to understand the needs of consumers. 

• PURPOSE & SERVICE: Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside Unilever. 

• AGILITY: Explores the world around them, continually learning and developing their skills. 

What we offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all. 

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self.