As the Senior National Account Manager for Ireland, you will be the strategic lead for WaterWipes’ partnerships with major grocery retailers and distributors across the Irish market. This pivotal role is responsible for delivering commercial, financial, and brand objectives through high-impact account management and collaborative leadership.

You will own and drive joint business plans, lead negotiations, and execute initiatives that expand distribution, grow market share, and elevate WaterWipes’ presence across omni-channel platforms. Your ability to build trust-based relationships with key accounts and influence cross-functional teams will be critical to achieving sustainable growth and strategic partnership status.

Beyond account management, you will play a key leadership role within the sales team, oaching and developing talent, fostering a high-performance culture, and inspiring collaboration across departments. You will work closely with Customer Marketing, Category Insights, Supply Chain, Finance, and other stakeholders to ensure flawless execution of trade investments, promotional strategies, and new product launches.

This is a hybrid role based in Ireland, with approximately 20% travel per quarter for in-person meetings and customer engagement.

Key Duties

Customer and Channel Management

Own and manage relationships with retailers and distributors across Grocery, Wholesale, Convenience and Discounters
Build and execute joint business plans (JBP), lead negotiations, and deliver NPD/core range initiatives.
Drive vertical distribution targets (range, space, distribution).
Lead the development and execution of the omni-channel or grocery/retail channel strategy, including distribution, PPA, and GTM, tailored to market needs.
Manage distributor relationships as relevant to market.

Leadership & Team Environment

Inspire and energize the cross functional commercial team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and high performance.
Lead, coach, and develop National Account Executive and wider sales team, providing guidance, training, and mentorship.
Demonstrate leadership that motivates cross-functional teams to deliver on strategic objectives

Performance & Forecasting

Full forecasting and spend management across customer portfolio.
Identify and progress incremental growth opportunities (risks/opportunities profile).
Ensure accurate, up-to-date forecasts and monthly NSV estimates.

Cross-functional Collaboration

Work closely with Customer Marketing, Shopper Marketing, Category Management & Insights, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, and Credit Control to:
- Develop and execute joint business plans.
- Ensure flawless execution of trade investment and promotional activities.
- Leverage insights and data to identify growth opportunities.
- Coordinate supply chain and demand planning for product availability.
- Manage budgets, spend, and profitability for customer accounts.
- Support brand and NPD activation in market.
- Ensure compliance with credit terms and resolve account issues.
- Drive cross-functional projects that deliver customer and business objectives.

Key requirements:

Essential (Non-negotiable):

Minimum 5 years’ commercial experience in FMCG, with strategic responsibility and leadership influence (direct or indirect), managing large-scale grocery retail accounts.
Proven track record of delivering growth and exceeding business targets.
Strong negotiation, forecasting, demand planning, and margin management skills.
Excellent communication, organisation, and presentation skills.
Experience influencing diverse stakeholders and building cross-functional relationships.
ERP system experience in sales management.
Versatile, self-motivated, results-driven.

Desirable (Value Adding):

Experience with distributor management and omni-channel/grocery strategy.
Exposure to matrix/cross-functional environments.
Leadership or mentoring experience.
Additional languages, industry certifications, or project experience.

Qualifications & Certifications:

Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, sales, or related field (or equivalent experience).

WaterWipes Competencies to perform the role:

Accountability: Delivers commercial and strategic commitments for key accounts and channels; fosters a culture of ownership and reliability within the sales team.
Decision Making: Makes timely, data-driven decisions on customer strategy and resource allocation; confidently owns outcomes and explores innovative solutions.
Driving for Results: Holds self and wider team accountable for NSV, distribution, and brand targets; adapts plans to ensure objectives are met and develops team capability.
Leading Others: Models collaborative leadership; communicates clear strategy and expectations; empowers and inspires the wider team.
Driving Performance: Sets SMART goals; provides constructive feedback and coaching to maximize commercial impact of the team.
Managing Resources: Aligns team and resources to deliver account and channel objectives; adapts priorities to changing market or customer needs.
Driving Strategy: Communicates WaterWipes’ vision and commercial strategy; aligns actions with long-term business objectives and keeps team informed of developments.
Teamwork: Fosters collaboration and unity across sales and cross-functional teams; values diverse perspectives and celebrates shared successes.

Functional Competencies to perform the role:

Strategic Account Management: Builds trust-based relationships with key accounts; proactively identifies opportunities and develops joint business plans for mutual growth.
Omni-channel/Grocery Channel Execution: and implements channel strategies to drive distribution and sales across retail, distributor, and digital platforms.
Distributor Relationship Management: Manages distributor partnerships to optimize supply, compliance, and commercial outcomes; resolves issues promptly.
Forecasting and Spend Management: Delivers accurate forecasts and manages budgets; monitors spend and takes corrective action to meet financial targets.
Negotiation and JBP Development: Leads negotiations to achieve win-win agreements; develops and executes joint business plans aligned with strategic priorities.
Cross-functional Project Leadership: Leads cross-functional teams to deliver complex projects; fosters collaboration and ensures accountability for shared outcomes.

Why work for us?
‘The WaterWipes Way’ is underpinned by our Values of: Bravery, Excellence & Respect
We look for individuals who will drive acceptable actions and behaviours that will reflect our vision and values.

WaterWipes offers all the benefits of an established global brand, along with the exciting possibilities of an organisation that lives and breathes change.

There are so many reasons to join us on our ambitious journey to becoming an iconic global brand. Check out our careers page to find out more !

Senior National Account Manager

Job Description