National Account Manager - Independent Grocery

Creative Activation is proud to partner with TCC Distributors (TCCD), supporting their operations across Australia.

TCC Distributors (TCCD) (Visit TCCD) is a leading Australian distributor specialising in the independent grocery channel. Since 2017, TCCD has helped brands accelerate sales, increase customer engagement, and build stronger retail partnerships. Backed by a dedicated team, deep industry expertise, and a national footprint, TCCD is committed to delivering exceptional service and outstanding results for its clients and customers.

About the Role

We're open-minded about your career stage and background. Whether you're an emerging account professional looking for greater ownership, or an experienced FMCG operator seeking a role where you can make a real impact, we're interested in people with the right attitude, ownership mindset and commercial learning agility.

This is a critical role where you'll take ownership of national customer relationships and drive commercial outcomes across Australia's independent grocery ecosystem, including national wholesalers and banner groups. You'll lead joint business planning, promotions and category initiatives that grow distribution, share of shelf, execution standards and ROI.

This role is first and foremost about building trusted relationships, delivering disciplined execution, applying sound commercial judgement, and understanding how consumer goods move through retailers, wholesalers and stores.

You'll join a high-performing, connected team that is privileged to represent tier-one brands through its partnership with Procter & Gamble. You'll have genuine ownership, the ability to make an impact, and the opportunity to contribute to meaningful business outcomes within a values-led organisation.

Reporting to the National Business Manager, you'll work closely with the Senior Leadership Team, customers, Procter & Gamble, and a dedicated independent field team servicing more than 800 of Australia's leading independent grocery stores.

If you're commercially minded, enjoy building strong partnerships, and want to be part of a growing business, we'd love to hear from you.

What you can expect from TCCD

We believe in transparency - it’s one of our four pillars - so here’s the honest picture.

This role sits at the intersection of a world-class FMCG principal and Australia’s most dynamic retail channel. You’ll manage multiple stakeholders with competing priorities: Procter & Gamble operates with rigorous global processes and structured ways of working; customers like Metcash and key banner groups are fast-moving and commercially demanding. Some days, both sides will need something from you at the same time.

You’ll need to build trust, communicate clearly, keep the execution agenda moving and make sound commercial calls even when the perfect answer is not available.

If you thrive on building relationships, enjoy seeing your work translate into commercial results, and love the pace and energy of FMCG, this role offers a unique opportunity to make a genuine impact.

Your work will be visible, your contribution will be measurable, and you'll be supported by a team that genuinely has your back.

What You’ll Be Working On

• National customer management for independent grocery: own the customer plan, calendar and pipeline across Metcash and key banner groups
• Annual and quarterly joint business plans: targets, distribution, promotions, displays and new product launches
• Promotional strategy and ROI: brief, negotiate, execute and review campaigns; optimise trade spend and mechanics
• Category development: planograms, shelf principles, merchandising standards and path-to-purchase initiatives
• Forecasting: revenue and spend planning with Finance; manage risks, opportunities, claims and accruals with discipline
• Field execution: partner with the operations team to deliver consistent in-store execution and close the loop between plan and instore impact

Core Responsibilities

• Build trusted, long-term partnerships with buyers, banner groups and internal stakeholders; be the voice of the customer internally and the voice of the brand externally
• Deliver gross sales, trade spend and market share targets for your national category portfolio
• Negotiate pricing, ranging, promotional programs and customer investments; manage accruals, claims and investment ROI
• Use financial and commercial insight to understand the trade-offs between price, investment and margin delivery
• Use modern commercial tools (Microsoft 365/Copilot, Tableau and analytics dashboards) to make faster, smarter decisions
• Partner cross-functionally with Business Analysts, Field Operations, Finance, Client and Supply to resolve issues quickly and unlock growth

Who You Are

Beyond the technical skills, we’re looking for a specific kind of person. The people who thrive in this role share four strengths: relationship building capability, execution discipline, commercial judgement and a genuine interest in consumer goods.

• You build relationships before you need them - customers, field teams, Finance, Supply and Client partners trust you because you follow through.
• You are execution-focused - you turn plans into action, chase the detail, close loops and know that great strategy only matters if it lands in-store.
• You are commercially curious - you want to understand the customer profitability, trade spend, price/investment tradeoffs, ROI and the financial logic behind decisions.
• You are comfortable with consumer goods pace - launches, promotions, range reviews, service challenges, customer requests and field feedback can all happen at once.
• You are organised and accountable - you would rather surface an issue early than let it surprise the team later.
• You genuinely want independent grocery to succeed - It might be complex, but you are genuinely interested in working in a channel where you are dealing with business owners

The Person This Could Suit

• An emerging account professional who is ready for greater ownership, broader customer exposure and faster commercial development than they may get in a larger organisation.
• A seasoned account manager who wants to contribute meaningfully while feeling valued as a person, not just a role title.
• An industry professional from FMCG or an adjacent consumer goods environment who understands that strong relationships, disciplined execution and commercial judgement are what turn plans into results

Essential Skills & Experience

• Experience in account management or a closely related commercial role within consumer goods
• Strong relationship-building capability across multiple stakeholders
• Execution discipline: experience turning plans into delivered outcomes
• Financial and commercial literacy: comfortable with revenue, trade spend, pricing and mix
• Negotiation experience across customer plans, ranging, promotional programs or commercial investments
• Experience working with or alongside field sales teams on retail execution
• Able to prioritise and manage multiple competing deadlines in a fast-paced, multi-stakeholder complex environment
• Takes ownership and accountability - comfortable being measured on outcomes, not just activity

Bonus (While not essential, exposure to these areas would be valued)

• Experience with national wholesalers and banner groups within independent grocery (e.g., Metcash, Drakes, Foodland, Ritchies, Foodworks)
• Formal category management training or experience
• Experience representing tier-1 FMCG brands
• Working in a principal - agency model

What you will experience

This is a role with real depth. You’ll own national customers, operate across a $40M portfolio and work at the intersection of a global FMCG leader and one of Australia’s most complex retail channels.

Progression here comes through expanding ownership, influence and commercial capability - not simply titles. For someone who takes pride in relationships, delivery, commercial thinking and consumer goods execution, this role is highly rewarding. The team have also been recognized by customers with multiple supplier of the year awards

If you want to be close to the decisions, close to the customer and close to the outcome, you will feel the impact of your work here.

Working Environment

We have a culture of being in-market - right where customers, retailers and our clients operate. This is the coalface, where business truly happens and where we spark the creative ideas that drive sales growth. We value teamwork, collaboration and knowledge-sharing, while also enjoying 3 dedicated days together in our offices.

There you’ll find daily breakfast provided, inspiring office space and a values-led team culture that makes working together both rewarding and impactful.