Account Development Executive – Job Description
Change Please is a social enterprise on a mission to end homelessness through coffee. Since launching from a small cart in Covent Garden in 2015, we’ve grown into an international, multi-award-winning organisation operating across four countries.
Our profits fund life-changing support for people experiencing homelessness, including barista training, living-wage employment, therapy, housing guidance and long-term career pathways. We believe in business as a force for good, one that unlocks potential, restores dignity and creates opportunity.
As we continue to scale nationally and internationally across wholesale, retail and fundraising operations, this is a pivotal moment to join Change Please and help shape the next phase of our growth.
Role Objective
The Account Development Executive will play a key role in achieving our sales, profit and social impact targets by supporting the Wholesale Team to develop existing customer relationships, identify new opportunities, and grow our customer base.
Location
This is a London-based role, with a primary base across our Peckham office and WeWork Aldwych, alongside regular travel to customer sites across the UK.
The role is expected to be office or client-site based for a minimum of three days per week, with flexibility depending on business needs.
We recognise that flexibility matters and are committed to supporting colleagues to balance work with family and other caring responsibilities wherever reasonably possible.
Reporting
Reporting to the Head of Wholesale, this role works closely with the wider Wholesale team and collaborates regularly with colleagues across Operations, Coffee & Training, Marketing and the wider Change Please business.
Key Responsibilities
- Training - deliver 1st class barista training to our wholesale partners on and off site, driving coffee passion and quality at every opportunity
- Plan and carry out audits from a call file of top performing client sites across London and the South - occasionally further afield
- Build trusted relationships and partnerships with contacts across our client base, including with central and operational teams
- Identify opportunities to increase sales through new product categories, seasonal drinks and promotional activity across existing accounts
- Support/manage new business tastings, engagement days, events and trade shows
- Support/manage customer barista competitions
- Develop relationships with customers that create employment and work experience opportunities for Change Please graduates
- Be an outstanding brand ambassador for Change Please, promoting our mission, values and products with our customers - existing and potential new ones
- Work closely with the Wholesale team to support account development and growth
- Manage a portfolio of customer accounts, ensuring excellent service, regular engagement and proactive problem solving.
- Respond to customer issues promptly, working with internal teams to ensure excellent customer service.
- Work closely with other teams across the business
KPIs - First 12 Months:
- On site training: offer to Top 20 customers, plus to fulfil customer requests
- Academy group training (train the trainer): offer to every key account
- Site audits: 10 audits each at David Lloyd and Nuffield, report back with improvement plan, implement the plan
- Visit customers & build partnerships (upsell): visit top 50 customers (3-4 visits per day, with quality follow up)
- Support / manage new business tastings: as requested by account managers (~50 per year)
- Support / manage engagement days: as requested by account managers (~40 per year)
- Support / manage events & trade shows: as requested by account managers (~10 per year)
- Support / manage customer barista competitions (~5 per year)
Skills, Experience & Attributes
- Strong experience as a barista trainer, with a desire to move into Account Management, particularly with foodservice clients.
- Existing coffee knowledge and existing barista skills is always a must - inspiring coffee quality and excellence
- Highly organised with excellent planning and prioritisation skills.
- Experience in building customer reports and presentations.
- Good computer skills; experienced in Outlook, MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint / presentational software.
- Selling, Negotiation & Influencing skills.
Person Specification
- Positive, proactive and solutions-focused, with a genuine desire to make a difference.
- A collaborative team player who builds strong relationships with colleagues, customers and external partners.
- Customer-focused, with a passion for delivering outstanding service and developing long-term partnerships.
- Commercially aware, with the ability to identify opportunities to grow existing accounts and support new business.
- Confident representing Change Please through customer visits, training sessions, presentations, trade shows and events.
- Organised and adaptable, able to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a professional and approachable manner.
- Acts with integrity, takes ownership and consistently delivers on commitments.
- Passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion, with a strong commitment to the Change Please mission of ending homelessness through employment.
Package
- Salary: £30,000–£32,000 per annum, depending on experience
- Contract: Permanent
- Hours: Full time, 40 hours per week
- Location: London
A note about Change Please Job Descriptions
A job description is an outline of this role, setting out the main responsibilities and the skills, knowledge and experience required. It is not intended to be a complete detailed account of all activities involved. We would encourage anyone who has experience that would match this role and wants to join our movement to get in touch.
Change Please is a fast moving, developing business so roles need to be flexible, and we need flexibility from our latest Changemaker!
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
At Change Please, equality, diversity and inclusion are not side projects; they sit at the heart of who we are and why we exist. As a social enterprise supporting people with lived experience of homelessness into employment, we see first-hand how systemic barriers, stigma and inequality can affect opportunity. We believe everyone deserves the chance to thrive, not just survive.
We are committed to building a workplace where people feel safe, respected and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly those from communities that are under-represented in our workforce or who may have experienced barriers to employment.
We are committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process and working environment. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will be happy to support you.
Safeguarding Statement
Change Please is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all clients, many of whom may be adults at risk.
All roles require a commitment to safeguarding, and the successful candidate will be expected to uphold safe working practices at all times.
This role may be subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including references, right to work verification, and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable.
Pay: £30,000.00-£32,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Employee discount
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Sick pay
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
