Customer Lead

THE POSITION

The Customer Lead for Pets at Home is responsible for leading and developing one of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK's most strategically important retail partnerships. The role is accountable for delivering sustainable and profitable growth through excellent customer management, commercial execution and the development of joint business plans.

The role is responsible for developing and delivering the customer strategy, driving commercial performance, stakeholder engagement and executional excellence. Success requires strong commercial acumen, strategic thinking and the ability to build effective cross-functional partnerships. Through strategic account management and collaboration, the role identifies growth opportunities and delivers sustainable sales and market share growth.

This is a 12-month fixed-term opportunity with a hybrid working model, combining remote working with regular travel to customer sites and Boehringer Ingelheim office.

TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Account Management

• Develop and implement a customer strategy aligned with business objectives and commercial priorities
• Create, execute and maintain customer business plans to deliver sustainable sales, profit and market share growth
• Identify category, customer and brand growth opportunities through market analysis, customer insights and business performance data
• Develop and maintain stakeholder maps, customer profiles, competitor assessments and market landscape reviews
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customer stakeholders across commercial, category, marketing and leadership functions
• Lead customer business reviews, performance updates and strategic planning discussions
• Influence internal and external stakeholders to align priorities and deliver mutually beneficial outcomes

Commercial Leadership

• Participate in commercial negotiations, including annual agreements, pricing strategies, promotional plans and trade investment discussions
• Manage customer P&L performance to ensure profitable and sustainable growth
• Monitor account performance against agreed business objectives and identify opportunities, risks and corrective actions
• Build accurate sales forecasts and contribute to business planning processes
• Apply strong commercial judgement to anticipate changing customer, market and competitive dynamics

Customer Growth & Execution

• Drive excellence across range optimisation, availability, pricing, promotions, digital shelf performance and in-store activation
• Ensure effective execution of customer initiatives in line with agreed retail activation plans
• Use customer, category and shopper insights to develop growth opportunities and commercial recommendations
• Partner with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Customer Excellence and Category teams to deliver best-in-class execution
• Monitor KPIs and performance metrics, implementing actions to improve commercial outcomes and customer results
• Identify and implement initiatives that strengthen customer partnerships and deliver category growth

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, Category, Finance, Customer Excellence and Global Retail teams to achieve shared business objectives
• Maintain effective communication with local and global stakeholders, providing regular performance updates, insights and recommendations
• Coordinate internal resources to support successful delivery of customer plans and strategic initiatives
• Gather and share customer, competitor and market insights to support business planning and decision-making

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure all activities are conducted in accordance with the Boehringer Ingelheim Code of Conduct, company policies and relevant industry requirements
• Maintain a strong understanding of applicable governance standards, compliance requirements and business procedures
• Complete all mandatory compliance and governance training within required timelines
• Promote a culture of compliance, transparency, accountability and continuous improvement
• Support the identification, escalation and resolution of compliance-related issues where required

REQUIREMENTS

Education

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience

Skills & Experience

• Proven success in Key Account Management, National Account Management or Customer Development within FMCG, Consumer Healthcare, Retail or comparable customer-facing environments
• Significant experience managing high-value, strategically important customer partnerships and delivering sustainable commercial growth
• Strong commercial acumen with a proven ability to manage customer P&Ls, trade investment, forecasting and business performance
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing customer business plans and long-term growth strategies
• Exceptional negotiation, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage credibly at all levels of an organisation
• Strong understanding of retail and category management principles, customer development strategies and commercial planning processes
• Ability to build and maintain trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders and key decision-makers
• Proven ability to lead, influence and align cross-functional teams to achieve shared business objectives without direct authority
• Highly developed analytical and strategic thinking capabilities, with the ability to translate data and insights into actionable commercial recommendations
• Excellent communication, presentation and relationship-building skills
• Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities, navigate complexity and deliver results within a fast-paced commercial environment
• Strong planning, organisational and problem-solving skills, with a proactive and solutions-focused approach
• Experience collaborating effectively across Sales, Marketing, Finance, Category, Customer Excellence and other cross-functional teams
• Ability to identify growth opportunities, manage commercial risks and develop accurate business forecasts

WHY THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK

Boehringer Ingelheim has been recognised as a Top Employer in the UK, demonstrating our commitment to building an exceptional workplace through strong people practices and supportive HR policies.
Learn more: https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.co.uk/careers/uk-careers/why-great-place-work