Community Foods Limited is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of dried fruit, nuts and seeds to the UK food industry, with customers in both the manufacturing and the retail sectors.
Our site at Witham, Essex is a fully allergen-controlled site, with multiple capabilities to pack products for large supermarkets and process dried fruits nuts and seeds in bulk for bakeries and manufacturers. We also own several brands, including the UK’s largest organic dried fruit and nut brand, Crazy Jack.
THE ROLE
The Trading Assistant will play a key supporting role within the Ingredients Department, helping to manage internal processes, data integrity, and direct interactions with customers. This position offers a blend of administrative, commercial, and customer-facing responsibilities - making it ideal for someone who is eager to learn, has a keen eye for detail, and enjoys working in a fast-paced, product-driven environment.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
· Commercial and Contract Management:
o Load sales Business Agreements (BAs) into internal systems accurately and on time.
o Monitor and track customer forecasts versus actual orders; highlight discrepancies and assist in planning and supply chain call offs.
o Track contract timelines and provide proactive alerts when sales contracts are approaching expiry (3-month notice).
o Proactively support Sales in preparing and updating customer pricing, volumes, and product data.
· Customer Engagement & Sample Management:
o Coordinate customer sample requests with NPD and Warehouse, ensuring timely despatch and tracking.
Performance Monitoring & Margin Review:
o Analyse customer activity to identify potential problem areas in which to improve margins and/or operational efficiency.
o Contribute to business reviews by compiling sales reports by customer and products together with margin summaries.
· Team Support & Process Improvement:
o Assist the Sales team with day-to-day activity, reporting, and coordination with Supply chain, Logistics, Finance, and Technical/QA.
o Help identify ways to improve internal systems, information flows, and customer processes.
o Contribute ideas to improve service and drive additional value from existing customer relationships.
CONFIDENTIALITY
During your employment, you may have access to, see or hear information of a confidential nature relating to customer plans etc. and must not disclose it to other customers unless the information is already in the public domain.
You must not make any disclosure to any unauthorised person or use any confidential information relating to the business affairs, unless expressly authorised to do so by the Company.
REQUIREMENTS
Skills and abilities
- Experience working directly with customers in a commercial or sales support environment is required.
- Strong interpersonal, communication and people skills, with a confident and professional manner.
- Self-starter with the ability to work independently and prioritise effectively.
- Fast learner with a genuine interest in products, markets, and food ingredients.
- Team player with a hands-on, can-do attitude.
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail and accuracy.
- Problem-solving and troubleshooting.
- Effective time management and prioritisation skills.
- Commercially curious and analytical, with a keen interest in developing a career in Sales.
- High standard of numeracy and literacy.
- Excellent attention to detail, with a high degree of accuracy.
Good Working Knowledge / Experience of
- Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and Word is required.
- Experience with SAP and Reflex or similar ERP systems is preferrable.
- Understanding of sales administration, trading documentation, or FMCG supply chains is desirable.
This job description is intended to outline the general nature and key responsibilities of the role. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities associated with the position, as these may change or evolve in response to the needs of the business.
Pay: From £27,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
