On-Trade Controller

Role Overview

• Build and deliver Mother Root’s UK on-trade strategy end-to-end, aligned with wider business and brand goals
• Establish and prove the Mother Root Perfect Account Model
• defining where we win, why, and how to scale it
• Define and lead a phased route-to-market strategy, including both direct supply and wholesale partnerships, to maximise early momentum, learning, and long-term scalability
• Establish clear performance benchmarks including bottles per account per week, reorder frequency, activation ROI, and overall channel contribution
• Own and fully activate Mother Root’s existing on-trade accounts, ensuring strong relationships, visibility, menu presence, and repeat order velocity
• Build deep relationships with key operators, GMs, bar managers and group buyers
• Ensure Mother Root is properly represented on menus, positioned appropriately, and consistently served to a high standard
• Identify opportunities to increase performance within existing groups and flagship venues
• Identify, secure and grow relationships with the right premium pubs, restaurants, hotels and hospitality groups
• Prioritise quality and performance of accounts over volume of distribution
• Leverage your network and strategic outreach to secure flagship placements that reinforce brand positioning
• Develop a tightly curated portfolio of high-performing, category-defining venues
• Select, onboard and manage wholesale partners where appropriate, ensuring strong alignment and performance
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, and support structures that balance brand integrity with long-term commercial sustainability
• Full P&L responsibility for your accounts
• Ensure route-to-market decisions support both near-term learning and long-term scalability
• Build the playbook and inform future scale
• Track performance and extract learnings to inform future channel expansion
• Build compelling flagship case studies that demonstrate Mother Root’s success in hospitality environments
• Feed insights back into the wider business across sales, brand, marketing and product

Requirements

• Proven experience in senior on-trade commercial roles (Controller / Senior Manager level) within a drinks business
• Strong existing network across UK premium pubs, restaurants, hotels and hospitality groups
• Track record of opening accounts and successfully growing their long-term performance
• Experience building or scaling an on-trade channel, rather than inheriting a mature one
• Strong commercial judgement on where to invest time, effort and resources
• Experience working with distributors and managing route-to-market strategy
• Highly autonomous and comfortable building new channels in fast-moving, scale-up environments

Benefits

• 25 days per year
• Early finish Fridays (June–August)
• Up to 2 weeks per year
• 5% matched contribution
• Bike or Lime/Forest Pass
• £300 annual allowance for approved training
• Access to Spill app & Heka allowance (£40/month)
• birthday/work anniversary boosts
• Gastronomical & wellbeing-focused team away trip
• Competitive maternity/paternity package
• Lots of free Mother Root