Account Manager

Location: London (remote, with occasional travel to HQ in Brighton)
Hours: Full Time, Monday-Friday
Reports to: Co-Founders
Salary: £28,000-£32,000 per annum + performance-related bonus

About Shrub

Shrub supplies some of the UK's best restaurants with exceptional seasonal produce.

We work directly with growers who share our obsession with quality, seasonality and flavour. Our customers include some of the country's leading chefs, who rely on us to source produce that changes with the seasons and helps shape their menus.

We're growing and are looking for someone who understands restaurants inside and out to help us grow existing relationships and win new business.

We're also looking for someone who really gets Shrub. Someone who cares about great produce, understands what we're trying to achieve and wants to become a genuine part of the business as we grow.

The Role

This is not a desk-based account management role.

You'll spend much of your week visiting restaurants, talking to chefs, understanding menus, identifying opportunities and becoming a trusted part of your customers' kitchens.

You'll own a portfolio of existing customers while also helping recover dormant accounts and developing new opportunities within London.

Success isn't measured by the number of calls you make, it's measured by the growth of your customers and the strength of the relationships you build.

Responsibilities

Account Management

• Manage a portfolio of restaurant customers.

• Build genuine relationships with chefs, owners and kitchen teams.

• Visit customers regularly.

• Increase spend through cross-selling and seasonal recommendations.

• Identify opportunities to increase ordering frequency.

• Ensure every customer receives exceptional service.

Business Development

• Develop new restaurant relationships within London.

• Visit prospective customers.

• Arrange tastings and product demonstrations.

• Follow structured outbound sales campaigns.

• Convert prospects into long-term customers.

Customer Growth

• Analyse customer purchasing patterns.

• Spot opportunities to increase share of basket. 

• Promote seasonal produce and new products.

• Help chefs discover ingredients they may not currently buy from Shrub.

Customer Recovery

• Contact customers whose ordering has reduced.

• Understand why business has declined.

• Rebuild relationships.

• Win back lost customers.

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with Buying to understand seasonal availability.

• Feed customer insights back into the business.

• Collaborate with Customer Service to ensure excellent communication.

• Keep CRM records accurate and up to date.

What We're Looking For

Essential

• Previous experience working in restaurants is mandatory.

• Excellent understanding of professional kitchens and how chefs operate.

• Strong commercial awareness.

• Confident building relationships with people at every level.

• Self-motivated and organised.

• Comfortable spending most of the week on the road.

• A genuine interest in Shrub, what we do and the way we work.

Desirable

• Experience selling into hospitality.

• Produce or foodservice knowledge.

• Existing network within the restaurant industry.

• Experience using CRM systems such as Pipedrive.

• Previous experience of Shrub, whether that's working with us directly, ordering our produce or using Shrub veg in a restaurant environment.

We'd particularly love to hear from someone who already knows Shrub and understands what we're about.

The Ideal Person

You'll probably have worked as a chef, restaurant manager or front-of-house manager before moving into a customer-facing commercial role, or be looking to make that transition.

You naturally build trust, communicate well under pressure and understand the realities of running a busy service. You're equally comfortable discussing seasonal tomatoes with a head chef as you are reviewing sales figures and planning customer visits.

You enjoy being out in restaurants, are genuinely curious about food and are motivated by growing long-term relationships rather than chasing quick wins.

Just as importantly, you'll get Shrub. We're looking for someone who genuinely cares about the produce, the restaurants we work with and the relationships we've built. We want someone who will represent Shrub in the right way and feel invested in where the business is going.

How Success Will Be Measured

Success in the role will be measured through the growth and retention of your customer accounts, alongside bringing new restaurants on board and reconnecting with customers who have stopped or reduced their ordering. We'll also look at increases in average order value, regular and meaningful customer visits, and keeping CRM activity accurate and up to date.

Why Join Shrub?

You'll join a growing business that works with some of the most respected restaurants in the UK.

We care deeply about seasonality, sourcing and doing things properly.

This is an opportunity to become part of a close-knit team where you'll have genuine ownership, build meaningful relationships with exceptional chefs and play a key role in shaping the next stage of Shrub's growth.

If you're passionate about restaurants, thrive on building relationships and want to work with produce you're proud to sell, we'd love to hear from you.

Applications

If you think this is the job for you, please send a CV and cover letter to hr@shrub.london.