Head of Client Leadership

At IGD, we’re proud to be a Great Place to Work, where our people are empowered to grow, inspired to lead and ready to make a difference. At the heart of that experience is how we attract, welcome, and support new colleagues to join us. 

That’s where you come in. 

We’re looking for a Head of Client Leadership who will lead our client service team for Fresh & Frozen suppliers, delivering better engagement from clients with better IGD solutions. The team sits at the forefront of our commercial engagement, powering commercial success.   

You’ll thrive on listening and responding to client needs, have a passion for improving outcomes for our industry, and be able to lead commercial engagement at all levels and all types of business across a portfolio of clients. 

This is one of four Head of Client Leadership roles, and they play a critical role in leading client engagement and ensuring we are optimising engagement and revenue for IGD. 

Reporting to the Director of Client Leadership and Consulting Services, you will lead a Client Management team responsible for a portfolio of c. 70 supplier clients. 

What you’ll do 

Key Account Management  

• You will directly lead a portfolio of c.10 existing and strategically important clients, overseeing overall engagement with the customer, with a primary focus on commercial activity. 

• This will mean ensuring all clients get full value from current services by creating and delivering engagement activity and identifying growth opportunities in key clients across the full range of IGD services and benefits. 

• Comfortable operating up to CEO level, with a primary focus on commercial leaders and insight teams, you’ll deliver excellent customer service, working closely with our support teams, ensuring a swift and effective response to incoming queries and acting as a partner to your key accounts. 

Commercial Growth 

• You’ll drive renewals AND upgrades to existing client subscriptions through additional support and where appropriate, engage new stakeholders on our other online services. 

• A key aspect of the role will be identifying new opportunities for IGD Consulting projects. Working together with our Consulting and Insight teams to generate quality leads, proposals and solutions and create strong partnerships with strategic clients. 

• We set monthly and annual targets for sales of our online and consulting services, designed to ensure our continued high level of client retention. This will be the primary measure of your success. 

Leadership  

• You will lead and develop two Commercial Managers, each of whom will be responsible for managing a portfolio of c.30 clients, setting clear goals, and driving accountability. You will motivate and inspire your team, ensuring high performance and alignment with business objectives. You will be experienced in coaching and mentoring individuals of varying experience levels, fostering professional growth and encouraging collaboration.  

• Strong communication and stakeholder management will be key, as you guide their team through challenges and support decision-making. You will also drive continuous improvement, implement best practices, and lead the team through change to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. 

What we’re looking for 

• You should have gravitas and a strong interest in the Grocery industry 

• A natural curiosity to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and drive efficiencies 

• You can demonstrate a proven commercial background, with experience gained from working in the retail/manufacturer/research space 

• You will need leadership and coaching skills to help develop our wider customer facing team 

The rewards 

We offer a range of benefits, including a market leading pension, a bonus scheme, the ability to buy and sell annual leave plus a generous medical insurance package. You will have a great work-life balance, where you are empowered & trusted to manage your time. 

The location 

We are operating a hybrid approach to working with a mix of home and office-based working. We are based in a very accessible location within the M25, just 20 miles from Central London. 

Our behaviours 

We're hungry for better

We solve it together

We make it happen

We say what needs to be said  

More about our people 

We’re looking for inspiring professionals; talented people who seek personal and career growth and are ambitious to develop their potential and unlock opportunities for society, for our clients and themselves. 

We seek and attract the very best people and create an environment that supports and includes them. We aim to encourage a culture where people can be themselves and be valued for their contribution. We welcome applications from diverse candidates. Please discuss any adjustments that you may require throughout the selection and assessment process. 

More about IGD 

We are a strategic insight foresight and learning organisation. Here to unite the industry and benefit society. We invest all our profit into Social Impact. 
We foster collaboration through a broad range of forums, bringing together businesses, policymakers, and thought leaders. By providing evidence-based insights, credible research, and strategic foresight, we help organisations make informed decisions that benefit their operations and contribute to the collective good of society.