New Business Manager

Joining Sainsbury's as the New Business Manager for the Argos division means embarking on an exciting journey where you will drive profitable range growth and enhance customer choice through the Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) new business development programme. In this role, you will have the opportunity to lead supplier acquisition, shape range proposals, and establish impactful relationships with key stakeholders, both internally and externally. As a passionate and proactive professional, you will play a pivotal role in expanding our product assortment through innovative supplier partnerships and collaborative efforts with the Commercial Buying teams, making a tangible impact on our business success and customer satisfaction. 

As a New Business Manager you will be part of a dynamic and innovative team dedicated to driving growth and maximising assortment opportunities within the General Merchandise category. As a key player in our Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) new business development process, you will have the chance to collaborate closely with category teams, suppliers, and various stakeholders to shape and deliver impactful strategies that meet customer needs and service expectations. With a focus on continuous improvement and team development, you will have the opportunity to lead and inspire a high-performing team while contributing to the overall success of our organisation. 

What you'll do as the New Business Manager at Sainsbury's, you will be accountable for developing knowledge of the broader GM category strategy to inform Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) planning and prioritisation, working closely across category teams to understand assortment gaps and priorities for the new business development plan. Your role will involve researching the market to identify potential sourcing routes, proactively engaging with brands and suppliers to evaluate opportunities, and collaborating with Buying & Merchandising to source capable new business routes to maximise assortment growth. You will also manage category team relationships, contribute to the development of the Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) new business process, negotiate commercial terms with suppliers, develop business cases, and lead the launch of new ranges, ensuring alignment with range strategy and Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) targets. Additionally, you will serve as the Supplier Direct Fulfilment (SDF) subject matter expert for various cross-functional teams, coordinate supplier onboarding processes, and manage the team to achieve departmental budget metrics and objectives, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and compliance with legal and ethical standards. 

What I need to know and show  
Essential Criteria: 

•    Previous Commercial Account Management, Vendor Management and/or New business development experience within a retailer environment

•    Confidently utilise advanced influencing skills with internal and external stakeholders and peers up to and including Senior Director level 

•    Demonstrate project management experience with proven results of leading and delivering change that impacted multiple divisions/functions 

•    Deep understanding of Commercial and Supplier dynamics, and the appropriate levers to use to impact success against each other's KPI's 

•    Show exceptional negotiation skills that have delivered and sustained incremental profitability whilst maintaining outstanding relationships 

•    Demonstrate proven experience in workload and activity sequencing, managing inputs to capacity limits and outputs to budget delivery 

•    Previous experience managing and delivering growth via a stockless service proposition 

•    Previous line management experience of a team 

•    The ability to travel nationwide to suppliers etc 
 
Technical skills:  

•    Good degree of commercial acumen with a proven track record of commercial successes within this or other organisations  

•    A knowledge and understanding of Legal, competition law, anti-bribery and corruption and Intellectual Property and TSI 

•    Ability to analyse complex data from multiple sources to drive decisions and strategies   

•    Financially astute, understanding how own business decisions can influence shareholder value, and the financial levers to manage in order to drive performance  

•    Programme-manage cross functional activity to ensure milestones are met and blockers escalated & resolved, holding internal and external stakeholders to account 

•    Line management skills to create a culture of development and progression, ensure team delivers objectives and role models corporate values 
 

Knowledge & experience:  

•    Commercial awareness from Account Management or New Business development experience, preferably within a Non-food E-Commerce environment 

•    Proven track record of delivering results to targets as an individual and within a team   

•    Demonstrate strong supplier relationships   

•    Ability to identify market trends and opportunities 

•    Able to balance short- and long-term objectives to deliver the channel strategy  

•    Ability to work under pressure in a fast-moving dynamic retail environment  

•    Effective communicator, presenter, and team player with an ability to bring others with them to deliver the strategy, always approachable and visible.  

•    Demonstrate confidence and credibility with stakeholders (internal & external), influencing colleagues and suppliers at a Senior level 

•    Acts as a change agent and embraces new ways of working and share best-practice, responding resiliently when faced with ambiguity, able to challenge the norm  

•    Demonstrates understanding of business performance to understand that impact of their decisions  

•    Addresses difficult issues in an open and constructive way. Asking appropriate questions about performance   

•    Creating an environment of ownership and pro-active to make things happen  

•    Builds an effective network of stakeholders both internally and externally  

•    Brave decision making, mitigating risk to make effective commercial choices  

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