Commercial Manager – Cheese

First Milk Limited; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading dairy organization in the UK is seeking a dynamic Commercial Manager to optimize business relationships and drive sales in cheese and whey ingredients. You will work with existing customers and develop new opportunities, ensuring financial returns and promoting the organization's interests. Ideal candidates should have experience in account management, a background in the food sector, and strong communication skills. This role involves travel within the UK and internationally.

Qualifications

• Experience in customer account management within FMCG/commodity/export markets.
• Proven track record of building effective relationships at all levels.
• Previous experience in the food sector (preferably dairy), with trading knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Develop and nurture new business relationships in the UK and export markets.
• Build and maximise customer relationships with excellent communication.
• Identify and deliver profitable commercial opportunities.

Skills

Customer account management

Relationship building

Strong communication skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Creative solutions

Tools

Excel

ERP systems

CRM systems

Job description

Commercial Manager – Cheese
Home Based with Travel

1 December 2025

Are you passionate about building strong business relationships and driving commercial success? We are seeking a dynamic Commercial Manager to join our Cheese team. In this pivotal role, you will manage and maximise existing customer relationships while developing new business opportunities, both in the UK and export markets. Your focus will be to achieve optimum financial returns from our members’ milk through cheese sales and whey ingredients, always promoting the image and interests of First Milk.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and nurture new business relationships in the UK and export markets, including trading cheddar downgrade to optimise returns.
• Build and maximise customer relationships, ensuring excellent communication and negotiation.
• Identify and deliver profitable commercial opportunities aligned with business strategy.
• Collaborate cross-functionally within First Milk to meet or exceed targets and ensure seamless customer service.
• Proactively build knowledge of the dairy industry, competitors, and markets to support business strategy.
• Maintain and review processes for efficiency and flexibility to meet business and market demands.
• Foster a positive, team-oriented working environment.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience in customer account management within FMCG/commodity/export markets.
• Previous experience in the food sector (preferably dairy), with trading knowledge.
• Proven track record of building effective relationships at all levels.
• Confident, decisive, resilient, and thrives under pressure.
• Strong communication, organisational, and analytical skills.
• Ability to work independently and deliver creative solutions.
• Proficient in IT systems, including Excel.
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally and internationally.
• Experience in the food/dairy sector across B2B, retail, and export.
• Knowledge of the dairy supply chain.
• ERP and CRM system experience.
• Foreign language skills are a bonus.

We value individuals who are approachable, inspiring, open, enabling, and positively challenging.

If you are ready to take on a challenging and rewarding role in a forward-thinking organisation, we would love to hear from you!