Key Account Manager - North East

apetito; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food supplier is seeking a Key Account Manager to manage sales in the North East area, specifically around Sheffield/Leeds. This role focuses on generating business growth by promoting high-quality food solutions to schools and other educational institutions. The ideal candidate will have proven sales success, consultative sales experience, and strong relationship management skills. The position offers competitive salary, company car, and various benefits, including a bonus scheme, pension plan, and holiday benefits.

Benefits

Company car

25 days holiday

Competitive annual bonus scheme

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Employee benefits via Perkbox

Qualifications

• Proven experience of achieving and exceeding sales targets.
• Strong account relationship management skills.
• Good communication skills and numerical analysis.

Responsibilities

• Drive new business growth across Key Accounts.
• Develop and execute lead-generation strategies.
• Maintain sales growth in accordance with strategic targets.
• Work alongside Retention Managers to expand customer base.

Skills

Proven experience of achieving sales targets

Consultative, solutions-led sales experience

Strong commercial experience

Objections handling

Account relationship management

High standard of business communication skills

Networking experience

Education

Good GCSE (or equivalent)

Degree qualified

Job description

Competitive Salary + Car + Bonus + Benefits

• Location: UK-Home Based |
• Contract type: Permanent (Full-Time) |
• Closing date: 5th January 2026

Overview

Key Account Manager - North East Area

If you are a passionate self-starter who is driven to make a real difference to people and feel a sense of purpose and pride in your work, then you may be the perfect team member to join our mission.

We are looking for a Key Account Manager to own their sales region and lead-gen strategy to make the role their own.

It is important that candidates require to be located around the Sheffield/Leeds area M1/M62 regions to be in easy reach of your customers.

In return, you will have direct visibility of the real difference you can make to the lives of children through ensuring great-tasting and highly nutritious meals whilst helping Schools overcome their challenges.

apetito has seen significant growth within the Education sector, through a clear focus on providing exceptional quality meals to students in Multi Academy Trusts, Independent Schools and Special Educational Needs and Disability Schools.

Our proposition is genuinely revolutionising school catering with the highest quality food, which is the safest in the market, coupled with the broadest range, which offers something for every child.

The territory you will cover is from Derby, Sheffield, Nottingham, Doncaster, Hull & Lincolnshire areas.

Who we are

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

Responsibilities

• Generating new business growth across Key Accounts, with a personal sales target of £385k in-year revenue. This equates to approx.15 New schools pa.
• Ensure Sales growth is in accordance with strategic targets around setting size, delivery frequency and pricing to generate profitable growth in line with budget.
• Develop, execute, review and refresh regional lead‑gen strategies to ensure continued prospect flow into regional pipeline
• To achieve 2 Prospect Visits per week.
• Work with Retention Managers (CDM’s) to identify and develop further avenues for expansion within existing customer base.
• Identify the key needs and barriers for each prospect and highlight the benefits of apetito relevant to their needs, think creatively to overcome barriers
• To create and pursue a detailed database of high value, target prospects.
• Create excellent inter‑company relationships
• To promote apetito in the Education sector through extensive networking.

About you

Essential

• Proven experience of achieving and exceeding sales targets – focused on target achievement
• Personally responsible for closing deals – taking charge of the process all the way through
• Consultative, solutions‑led sales experience, not hard product sell
• Strong commercial experience – be able to justify a business‑case
• Objections handling focused around resistance to change/financial issues
• Proven experience of developing and managing an account relationship
• Good GCSE (or equivalent) to support a high standard of business communication skills and numerical analysis
• Full UK driving licence for at least 2 years

Desirable

• Experience of food/nutritional standards
• Experience of the Education sector
• Good Networking experience
• Degree qualified
• Food Hygiene training

Personal Qualities

• Able to demonstrate gravitas and credibility with senior level stakeholders
• Resilient, tenacious and determined - persistent in pursuit of achievement
• Strong influencing, negotiating, listening and communicating skills
• Strong team working skills at all levels within an organisation, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in delivery
• Must display a passion for this role and the business that we operate

Due to the geography of this role and the nature of working with customers in school and nursery settings, flexibility with working hours will be needed.

Travel to customers across the region and to national events, including overnight stays, will be a regular requirement - typically 1 night per week.

A company car is provided to facilitate this and a clean (or virtually clean) driving licence is essential.

As this role involves working in settings with children it is exempt from The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and requires an Enhanced DBS.

Company Benefits

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• Company car
• 25 days holiday per year
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Competitive annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 5%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• Access to employee benefits including Perkbox with salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

Our Values

As a family‑owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well‑being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer.

Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.