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SSP UK

About the Role Commercial Manager  - Ireland (based in Camden, London)

To create and execute the commercial plan for several OB propositions within Bars, to deliver EBITDA growth from like-for-like sales and gross margin improvement activity.

The role holder will be expected to use a variety of levers to drive like-for-like sales growth, such as range improvement, optimisation of price and promotion, upselling and maximisation of the use of space, and will drive category performance.  Creating a propositions that are customer led and consider all aspect from creating the menus to how it arrives in front of the customer.

The role holder will use a range of tools and approaches to achieve gross margin improvement: working with stakeholders to identify and take advantage of supplier income opportunities; drawing upon the expertise of the culinary team to simplify and standardise recipes or develop new ones; and finding ways to reduce the impact that commercial activity has on waste and labour.  

This role requires a rigorous and thorough commercial planning process with the aim for all commercial activity to be margin/sales/cash additive. Success in this role is highly dependent on an effective relationship with the operational teams, purchasing teams and NPD team. Full stakeholder alignment and influencing is a key aspect of this role to create rounded commercial plans that can be easily executed to support the operational teams and to deliver a great customer experience.  

The Commercial Manager may also need to manage external stakeholders in order to ensure that SSP achieves its commercial outcomes whilst satisfying the requirements of the client and partners that we work with.

About the Role

To create and execute the commercial plan for several OB propositions within Bars, to deliver EBITDA growth from like-for-like sales and gross margin improvement activity.
Commercial plan – support the Head of Bars and Casual Dining to create the commercial plan for each of the specified propositions
Analytics – ensure that every initiative is modelled on a product by product / unit by unit basis and forecast outcomes.  Test and learn based on the commercial results
Sign off - submit proposed sales and gross margin improvement activities to weekly trade / monthly commercial forum meetings for approval (background, financial value and suggested next steps) 
Preparation of proposition/menu briefs based on customer & commercial opportunity.
Work closely with marketing services such as NPD, creative design, marketing planning and brand development function.  
Implementation – once activity is signed off, total accountability for the successful implementation through operational teams
Review - report results at weekly trade and monthly commercial forum meetings.  Assess whether forecast has been achieved and EBITDA can be banked.  Course correct where necessary
Roll out – if successful, roll out and look for optimisation opportunities either in other brands or in other product categories where the same principles can be applied
New openings – manage the commercial set up for new openings including range, pricing, POS. Deliver action plans to drive sales and profit if business cases are not delivering to target
Monitor competitor and brand partner activity, as well as customer and market trends
Spend time in the field monthly – observing and supporting implementation in operational units
Effective management of Commercial Executives who support the implementation of the commercial plan where required.
Proactively looks for ways to optimise results and stay competitive with our competitors To be successful in this role you will need:
Essential:

Experience of using price, range, display and space, upselling, margin and category optimisation to deliver commercial results
Experience of delivering profit targets preferred, but experience of working in a sales environment also desirable
Must be able to drive decision-making through analysis and based on evidence, rather than intuition
Experience of drawing out business insights from analysis and presenting findings and recommendations persuasively
Must be able to develop innovative ideas to drive top and bottom line, testing, learning and refining and then operationalizing them
Excellent organisational, leadership, and communication skills 
Experience of managing and influencing senior stakeholders
Experience of managing client relationships
Excellent knowledge of external trends in the food and beverage industry, customer trends and expectations
Good understanding of the impact of external factors on growth, including competition and seasonality
Good understanding of the operational reality in units i.e. a good understanding of waste management and minimisation, labour planning and optimisation, equipment, space and layout etc. Desirable:

Analytical and commercial
Exceptional attention to detail
Data-driven
Ability to focus effort on most profitable outcome
Innovative and bold – able to find new ways of doing things, challenge the status quo, take an entrepreneurial approach (measured risk, high reward)
Ability to build and work to a solid plan to achieve margin but not afraid to adapt to changes to take advantage of opportunities and quick wins as they arise SSP are proud to be an equal opportunity employer who seek to recruit and retain the most talented individuals from a variety of backgrounds, skills and perspectives