Commercial Executive

Commercial Executive - Bars & Casual Dining 9 Month FTC

About us

SSP is a leading operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, with c.42,000 colleagues in over 600 locations across 37 countries. We operate sit-down and quick service restaurants, cafes, lounges and food-led convenience stores, principally in airports and train stations, with a portfolio of around 550 international, national and local brands.

These include our own brands Upper Crust, Millie's Cookies etc. as well as franchise brands such as M&S, Starbucks and Burger King.

Our purpose is to be the best part of the journey, and this is underpinned by our aim to bring leading brands and innovative concepts to our clients and customers around the world, with an emphasis on great value, taste, quality and service.

The Role

To execute a commercial plan for a brand or small portfolio of brands within a category e.g. Casual Dining & Bars, Coffee & Bakery, Retail. To support the delivery of EBITDA growth from like-for-like sales and gross margin improvement activity.

What you'll be doing:

• Prepare and submit marketing briefs to access marketing services such as NPD, creative design, marketing planning and brand development which are provided by the Group Marketing function
• Track the progress of briefs and ensure delivery to time and budget
• Once a commercial initiative is signed off, ensure successful implementation through internal stakeholders process & operational teams
• Support periodic tracking of brand performance (e.g. if achieving top line sales & GP targets)
• Support full rollout across the brand, additional brands or product category
• Course correction where testing and learning has been applied to commercial initiatives and changes need to be made in order to optimise
• Support the delivery of range, pricing and POS for units
• Support full rollout of new systems ( e.g. symphony, mercury and tent kites)
• Maintain brand support material for the brand or brands, including brand standards, point of sale guides, brand templates, equipment lists, product lists, price bands, and local marketing
• Monitor competitor activity (new products, promotions and pricing) on a regular basis to support commercial proposals and highlight any opportunities to the Commercial Manager
• Monitor compliance of commercial activity through structured site visits, recognising opportunities and recommending feedback to relevant stakeholders
• Liaise with relevant teams to ensure availability of products and maintenance of stock levels at sites and central distribution to agreed targets
• Respond to ad hoc brand queries from operational, and cross functional teams within a timely manner

Key Working Relationships

External:

• Suppliers
• Clients

Internal:

• Wider UK Commercial team (Commercial Analytics, Trade Marketing, other Commercial Executives and Managers who look after different brands)
• Marketing team (NPD/culinary, creative and design services, innovation) Operations teams
• Procurement and supply chain
• Data and EPOS Teams
• Customer Care

To be successful in this role you will need:

Essential:

• Some experience of using price, range, display and space, upselling, margin or category optimisation to deliver commercial results
• Knowledge of external trends in the food and beverage and/or grocery industry (depending on brands allocated)
• 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.
• Proficient user of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and brand and category management systems
• Effective verbal and written communication
• Flexible and adaptable approach
• Ability to work at pace and effectively prioritise competing demands on time

Desirable:

• Analytical and commercial
• Good attention to detail
• Data-driven

What you'll get form us:

Our commitment to learning and development is our commitment to unlocking our people’s success. We strive to provide a wide range of resources that boost our people’s skills today, and help them fulfil their potential tomorrow. No matter where you join us, you’ll have all the tools you need to take charge of your development. Surrounded by like-minded colleagues and guided by industry experts, it’s your career, your way at SSP.

Belong at SSP:

Great food and drink is diverse by nature. It’s authentic, creates great experiences and brings people together. The same goes for our DEI strategy at SSP. By empowering our colleagues and celebrating our differences, we create great experiences for our people and help them thrive as one global team. Spanning 6 continents, we’re very diverse when it comes to our backgrounds. But it’s so much more than that, it’s listening with humility, taking conscious action, and having the determination to do things right. True diversity, equity and inclusion can only happen when everyone feels able to bring their full self to work.

Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at SSP. We are an equal opportunities employer committed to engaging all of our people, so they feel valued and motivated; we champion diversity, promote inclusion, and ensure equality. We respect and protect human rights and prevent discrimination; and we positively impact our communities. We encourage and welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates regardless of background, gender, race, religious beliefs, disability, sexual identity and orientation or age.