Job Purpose

To define, build, and scale MPM’s Grocery business across the European Union, establishing a clear strategic direction and delivering sustainable, profitable growth.

This is a highly entrepreneurial leadership role, responsible for transforming MPM’s EU Grocery presence from a developing business into a scaled, strategically structured, and high-performing channel.

The Head of Grocery EU owns the full EU Grocery P&L, sets the long-term growth roadmap, prioritises markets and customers, and develops the organisational capability required to win in highly competitive European retail environments.

The role acts as the senior commercial lead for EU Grocery, leading top-level negotiations, building strategic partnerships, and representing MPM with senior stakeholders externally and internally

Key Responsibilities

Ownership

This role deals with a wide variety of tasks including, but not limited to the following:

·        Define and deliver the EU Grocery growth strategy, including market prioritisation, entry sequencing, and customer targeting

·        Develop and own a 3–5 year strategic roadmap, building a clear path from current footprint to scaled European retail presence

·        Identify and unlock new market opportunities, including expansion into major EU grocery retailers and regions not yet developed

·        Establish clear channel and customer strategies, tailored to different market structures (centralised vs local buying, specialist vs grocery)

·        Act as a thought leader for EU retail, shaping how MPM wins in complex, multi-market environments

Entrepreneurial Growth & Business Scaling

·        Build the EU Grocery business from a developing base into a scalable, repeatable commercial model

·    Create and implement go-to-market strategies, including route-to-market decisions (direct vs distributor-supported models where relevant)

·        Establish commercial frameworks, pricing architecture, and trade investment principles suitable for pan-European growth

·        Drive distribution expansion, category penetration, and brand visibility across priority markets

·        Identify structural opportunities to accelerate growth, including partnerships, new channels, or operating models

Performance and P&L Ownership

·        Own the full EU Grocery P&L, delivering against turnover, spend %, and profitability targets

·        Set and deliver ambitious growth targets, balancing investment with sustainable margin delivery

·        Build robust forecasting, planning, and reporting frameworks across multiple markets

·        Drive data-led decision-making, using market, customer, and financial data to prioritise actions and optimise ROI

·        Ensure disciplined management of trade spend and investment effectiveness

Senior Customer Leadership & Negotiation

·        Lead top-level relationships and negotiations with key European retail partners

·        Own and elevate Joint Business Planning (JBP) to a strategic, multi-year level

·        Position MPM as a strategic partner to retailers, driving category growth conversations

·        Lead key customer engagements including range reviews, strategic planning meetings, and commercial negotiations

·        Act as escalation point for complex or high-impact customer situations

Organisation Building & Team Leadership

·        Define and build the future EU Grocery organisation structure, aligned to growth ambitions

·        Recruit, lead, and develop a high-performing EU retail team over time (e.g. NAMs, Country Leads)

·        Coach and elevate commercial capability across negotiation, strategy, and execution

·        Establish clear ways of working, governance, and performance management across markets

·        Act as a leader within the wider Sales organisation, contributing to cross-channel alignment

Cross-Functional & Regional Collaboration

·        Partner closely with Brand, Marketing, Commercial Strategy, Supply Chain, and Finance to enable scalable EU growth

·        Ensure alignment of NPD, brand activation, and commercial execution across markets

·        Work with Distributor Management team where relevant to ensure coherent market approaches

·        Drive integration between commercial strategy and operational delivery across markets

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Essential

·        Proven success in a senior European retail/commercial leadership role (typically 8–12+ years) with a focus on Grocery

·        Strong track record in building and scaling business across multiple EU markets in the grocery sector

·        Deep understanding of European grocery landscape, including key customers, structures, and market dynamics

·        Demonstrated experience in P&L ownership, strategic planning, and high-value negotiations

·        Strong entrepreneurial mindset with ability to build businesses from early-stage to scale

·        Advanced analytical skills, with the ability to translate data into clear commercial decisions

·        Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills at senior/board level

·        Proven leadership capability, including building and developing high-performing teams

·        High level of autonomy, resilience, and ability to operate in ambiguous and evolving environments

Desirable

·        Experience in pet care, FMCG, or premium consumer goods

·        Fluency in English and at least one additional European language (e.g. German, Spanish)

·        Experience working across different European retail models and routes to market

·        Experience in a Private Equity-backed or high-growth environment

Personal Attributes

·        Entrepreneurial builder – thrives in creating structure, strategy, and growth from an early-stage base

·        Strategic leader – able to set direction across multiple markets and translate into execution

·        Commercially sharp – strong ownership of P&L and value creation

·        Influential communicator – credible with senior external partners and internal leadership

·        Resilient and adaptable – comfortable navigating complexity, ambiguity, and change