Commercial Lead

At Herbert Parkinson, a proud and historic part of the John Lewis Partnership, we are embarking on an exciting transformation journey to secure our long-term success. By investing in state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, streamlining our operations, and creating broader, more fulfilling roles for our Partners, we are building a more sustainable and agile future. Join us as we continue to deliver exceptional quality and service for our customers while empowering our partners to thrive

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will hold a shared accountability for the business unit's financial sustainability, profitability, and operational delivery of an exceptional end-to-end customer experience

With strategic accountability for commercial operations, you will own the full commercial lifecycle—driving revenue growth, margin profitability, and market expansion across diverse sales channels while nurturing key customer partnerships.

You will translate the JL Partnership plan into local, actionable strategy, taking accountability for the critical paths to delivery and engaging your teams to deliver these.

• Expected salary - £68,100- £75,000 (Depending on experience)
• Contract type - This position is a Permanent contract.

• Location - This role is based at our Herbert Parkinson office in Darwen, Lancashire.

Key responsibilities 

• As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will hold a shared accountability for the business unit's financial sustainability, profitability, and operational delivery of an exceptional end-to-end customer experience.
• You will translate the JL Partnership plan into local, actionable activities. Taking accountability for the short, medium & long term Commercial strategy & the critical paths to delivery; engaging your teams to deliver these
• You will own the full commercial lifecycle to drive revenue growth, margin profitability, and market expansion across diverse sales channels while nurturing key customer partnerships.
• Set bold, ambitious revenue, margin & conversion targets, spearheading high-impact sales strategies to exceed performance expectations
• Shape a robust & repeatable process ensuring every opportunity moves efficiently from prospect to profitable, long-term customer.
• Own the rigorous evaluation and selection of strategic supplier partnerships—balancing uncompromising product quality with competitive pricing to maximise commercial margins and supply chain reliability 
• Manage supplier terms & conditions (e.g., payment windows, service level commitments) to ensure the relationship remains sustainable for both parties 
• Accountable for bringing commercially viable products to market, ensuring accurate systemic setup.
• Lead and manage a diverse team of Partners across complex commercial operations. Collaborating to set ambitious functional goals to achieve local business plans

Essential skills/experience you’ll need 

• Proven track record of leading high-performing sales team to deliver sustained revenue growth and expanded profit margins 
• Proven track record of managing customer care teams that consistently deliver an industry-leading end-to-end customer experience 
• Demonstrable experience of developing & translating strategic plans into commercial business activities
• Sound knowledge of  Made to measure (M2M) and Filled Goods market
• Proven ability to lead complex commercial negotiations securing high value agreements

Desirable skills/experience you may have 

• Exposure of working in both Retail & B2B markets (Contracts)
• Extensive knowledge of the textile industry, sourcing and sales
• Large scale project management experience

#LI-EB1

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.