National Account Management

NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER
RECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS

Seeking national account management or customer account management professionals in FMCG? Lime Talent specializes in aligning you with high-quality candidates tailored to your requirements. Based in London, our network of FMCG national account management candidates spans across the UK and internationally.

Many businesses struggle to discover the right candidates for roles within national account management. These roles are typically some of the most sought after in the industry and so working with the right recruitment partner is crucial.  Whether you’re looking for an established national account manager, national account controller or sales director, our team will help guide you to find the best possible candidate for your role.

Why Use Us?

Established in 2013, we recruit FMCG National Account Management candidates for many blue-chip businesses, as well as working with a range of fast-growing challenger brands. Each member of our team is an FMCG recruitment specialist which ensures you will be working with someone who fully understands your brief

You can see some of our clients below

Within National Account Management we cover the following sub categories:

Food & Drink

Alcoholic Drinks

Health, Beauty & Personal Care

Consumer Products

Direct to Consumer & Subscription

What our clients say

  • “Lime Talent are responsive, flexible, honest and therefore very easy to work with. When I need support for trickier roles, then Lime are my first port of call and I always recommend them as they strike a good balance of challenge/blue chip from their network.”

    UK Country Manager | Tony’s Chocolonely

  • “Lime Talent have been a fantastic partner to me as I’ve built out the UK & Europe team for Who Gives a Crap. Their ability to get a quick understanding of our business, the needs I had for the roles and the calibre of Lime’s candidate pool has been invaluable. It’s allowed us to move quickly to build out a team from scratch, hiring roles across a range of functions including commercial, marketing, strategy & insights. I simply wouldn’t have been able to do this without Lime’s support & expertise!”

    MD UK & Europe | Who gives a crap

  • “Lime Talent have remained our trusted partners for the last 5 years. Most of our hires have come through Lime with the team clearly identifying the talent that have made the business successful so far. The candidates we receive are incredibly well filtered and we know before we meet them, that they will have the requisite calibre to succeed.”

    Managing Director | Itsu

  • “Lime Talent demonstrate a high degree of honesty and openness about the risks and considerations of placing specific people and you are continually assured they take a long-term approach to working with Ferrero. Highly recommended.”

    Customer Development Director | Ferrero

  • “Lime Talent made the process as easy as possible by providing well-screened candidates along with regular updates. They also provided clear guidance on the recruitment landscape that helped us position our role as attractive to candidates with the relevant skill set.”

    Marketing Manager | Windmill Organics

  • “Lime did a good job for us and I’ve enjoyed working with them on roles. Moved quickly and have been communicative, understanding our requirements on limited information.”

    CEO | Hackney Gelato

  • “The best recruitment business I’ve worked with. Highly recommended.”

    Founder | Holy Moly

DIRECTOR

Chester-born Chris McWade, has an unrivalled network of commercial candidates within the consumer goods industry. In addition to this, he has worked with many of the UK’s leading consumer brands and also with SME manufacturers from around the globe. Having started his career in 2002, Chris brings a wealth of experience to the team at Lime Talent.

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    Client Portfolio

    • Tony's Chocolonely
      Track Record
      We started working with Tony’s in 2018 to assist with their UK launch securing them:
      - UKI Head of Marketing
      - UK Head of Sales
      - UK Operations & Finance Manager
      Feedback
      “I used Lime Talent in the very early days of our UK launch with the team helping me hire my (now) UK leadership team who are all still with us since 2018. "
      Feedback
      "Lime Talent are responsive, flexible, honest and therefore very easy to work with. When I need support for trickier roles, then Lime are my first port of call and I always recommend them as they strike a good balance of challenge/blue chip from their network.” UK Country Manager
    • Danone
      Track Record
      Preferred supplier for roles within commercial and supply chain functions
    • who gives a crap
      Track Record
      Helping to build their EU team with roles including:
      - EU Head of Consumer
      - EU Head of Commercial
      - As well as various other roles
      Feedback
      “Lime Talent have been a fantastic partner to me as I've built out the UK & Europe team for Who Gives a Crap. Their ability to get a quick understanding of our business, the needs I had for the roles and the calibre of Lime's candidate pool has been invaluable. "
      Feedback
      "It's allowed us to move quickly to build out a team from scratch, hiring roles across a range of functions including commercial, marketing, strategy & insights. I simply wouldn't have been able to do this without Lime's support & expertise!" MD UK & Europe
    • L'Oreal
      Track Record
      Various projects from Manager to Director level within functions such as
      - eCommerce
      - Market Intelligence
      - Revenue Growth
      - Category Strategy
      - Business & Data analysis

    FAQ Section

    What does a National Account Manager do in an FMCG or consumer goods business?

    A National Account Manager (NAM) leads strategic relationships with major retail and wholesale customers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Discounters and Amazon. In FMCG and consumer goods businesses, NAMs own joint business planning (JBP), pricing and promotional strategy, forecasting, range reviews and commercial negotiations.

    At more senior levels, National Account Managers carry significant revenue and margin responsibility and play a central role in aligning sales with marketing, supply chain and finance to deliver sustainable, profitable growth.

    What is the difference between a National Account Manager and a Key Account Manager?

    In FMCG organisations, National Account Managers typically manage large grocery multiples or strategically critical national customers with broad distribution and significant trade investment. Key Account Managers may oversee smaller retail groups, wholesale accounts or regional customers.

    As businesses scale, NAM roles tend to increase in commercial complexity, with greater exposure to trade investment management, margin delivery and long-term retailer partnerships.

    What salary does a National Account Manager earn in the UK FMCG sector?

    Typical UK salary ranges are:

    • National Account Manager: £50,000–£70,000 + bonus + car allowance
    • Senior National Account Manager: £65,000–£90,000 + bonus
    • Head of Grocery / Controller level: £90,000–£130,000 + bonus + LTIP

    Compensation varies depending on retailer portfolio size, team structure, P&L exposure, geographic scope and the growth stage of the business. To provide an accurate market benchmark, it’s important to understand the specific remit and organisational context.

    Lime Talent also provides tailored FMCG salary benchmarking support to help consumer brands structure competitive and commercially aligned reward packages.

    What skills and experience do FMCG businesses look for in a National Account Manager?

    Employers typically look for:

    • Strong retailer negotiation and relationship management
    • Ownership of joint business plans (JBPs)
    • Promotional strategy and trade investment management
    • Forecasting accuracy and demand alignment
    • Margin and pricing discipline
    • Data literacy across platforms such as Nielsen, Circana or Dunnhumby
    • Cross-functional collaboration with marketing, supply chain and finance

    At senior levels, leadership capability and the ability to scale commercial structures become increasingly important.

    When should a growing FMCG brand hire a National Account Manager?

    Common triggers include:

    • Securing a first major grocery listing
    • Expanding into multiple national retailers
    • Increasing promotional and trade investment complexity
    • Scaling revenue beyond early growth stages
    • Preparing for structured investor reporting or commercial governance

    As distribution grows, structured account management becomes critical to protecting margin, managing retailer expectations and delivering sustainable growth.

    How does the National Account Management structure evolve as a business scales?

    In early-stage brands, founders or Sales Directors may manage key retailers directly. As revenue grows and retailer complexity increases, dedicated National Account Managers are introduced to own individual accounts.

    In larger or investor-backed organisations, this often evolves further into Senior NAMs, Heads of Grocery or Controllers overseeing multi-retailer portfolios, trade investment budgets and commercial strategy across channels.

    How do Lime Talent recruit National Account Managers?

    Lime Talent specialises in FMCG and consumer brand recruitment, supporting growth-stage, investor-backed and established businesses in hiring commercial talent.

    Our process includes targeted market mapping, structured competency assessment, retailer portfolio evaluation and salary benchmarking to ensure candidates have both the commercial capability and cultural alignment required to deliver long-term value.

    Why do growth-stage and investor-backed brands work with Lime Talent for National Account Management recruitment?

    As consumer brands scale, commercial hires become increasingly strategic. Retailer complexity, margin pressure and multi-channel expansion require experienced account leaders who can balance revenue growth with profitability and operational alignment.

    We understand how commercial structures evolve as businesses grow, allowing us to identify candidates who can operate effectively within both founder-led scale-ups and more structured, investor-backed environments.

    How long does it take to hire a National Account Manager?

    Most searches take 3–6 weeks depending on seniority, retailer specialism and candidate availability. More senior or portfolio-heavy roles may require a longer process to ensure strong strategic and cultural fit.

    Can Lime Talent support interim National Account Management hires?

    Yes. We regularly place interim and contract National Account Managers, particularly during periods of accelerated growth, retailer expansion, maternity cover, restructuring or commercial transition.

    What types of FMCG businesses do you support with National Account Management recruitment?

    We work with:

    • VC and PE-backed consumer brands
    • Founder-led scale-ups
    • Mid-size FMCG organisations
    • International brands expanding into the UK

    Global consumer goods businesses