Account Director

The Retail Key Account Director is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational excellence, and commercial performance of all cleaning services delivered across a national portfolio of retail stores.

The role ensures safe, secure, welcoming, and compliant environments for customers, and colleagues while driving continuous improvement, contract performance, and value creation.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and deliver a national strategy for cleaning services aligned with client objectives.
• Act as the senior subject-matter expert for health & safety, customer safety, and cleaning excellence within retail environments.
• Lead nationwide initiatives covering innovation, technology adoption, sustainability, and service transformation.
• Represent the organisation at senior level meetings, client forums, and industry bodies.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee cleaning operations across multiple retails locations
• Ensure consistent high service standards, customer experience, and brand alignment across all sites.
• Establish and monitor KPIs, SLAs, and performance frameworks, driving accountability at regional and local levels.
• Manage critical incidents, high-risk events, and business continuity planning.
• Preparation and delivery of monthly and quarterly client review presentations.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with UK legislation and industry standards, including:
• Health & Safety at Work Act
• COSHH and cleaning compliance
• Equality, Safeguarding, and Data Protection requirements
• Lead risk assessments, audits, and governance reviews across the national estate.
• Act as the escalation point for serious incidents, reputational risk, and client concerns.

Commercial & Financial Management

• Hold full P&L responsibility for multi million pound contract.
• Manage budgets, cost control, margin delivery, and value engineering.
• Lead contract negotiations, mobilisations, retentions, and renewals.
• Identify growth opportunities, added-value services, and innovation pathways.

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop senior relationships with:
• Key Customer Stakeholders
• Exec Board Members
• Retail directors Store Teams
• Serve as the primary national escalation point for key clients.
• Support bids, tenders, and proposals relating to shopping centre security and cleaning.

People Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing soft services team at each centre.
• Drive engagement, diversity, wellbeing, and talent development across large frontline workforces.
• Ensure robust succession planning and capability building.
• Champion a culture of professionalism, accountability, and customer focus.

Person Specification

• Proven senior leadership experience in multi-site FM operations, ideally within:
• Retail estates
• Strong understanding of cleaning industry, standards, and best practice.
• Demonstrable experience managing large-scale P&L and complex contracts.
• Ability to operate credibly at client, and executive level.
• Excellent people leadership skills across geographically dispersed teams.
• Commercially astute, data-driven, and outcome focused.
• Willingness to travel extensively across the UK.