Account Manager

Hi there, so glad you found us…! Allow us to introduce ourselves…

North Star is a coffee company and family united by a love for great coffee and a desire to protect all it supports. We were founded with the aim of proving that a quality and impact-led approach creates viable business models across our supply chain to ultimately build an industry that works for everyone. This is our guiding star and our basis for decision making around further growth, helping to build impact into all that we do.

Our Story

Our love for coffee began at source, wandering the coffee trees of Nyeri in Kenya, talking shop over hot tea and donuts…

In pursuit of research to support our final year dissertation, we spent a few months amongst smallholder coffee farming communities in rural Kenya to ask them about their experiences of Fairtrade. This opportunity changed our lives. It showed us how deeply emotive coffee is but also how deep seated issues in this global supply chain have placed a serious question mark over the industry’s future.

Fast forward to 2013, we took the plunge on a 5kg second hand roasting machine working out of a small industrial unit in Meanwood, Leeds. A decade later with a wholesale customer base of over 120 national partnerships, two of our own coffee shops and a team of 30 across our business we are so proud to have built a brand and business that brings joy to so many.

B Corp, what is it?

In 2022, North Star (roastery + coffee shops) became a certified B Corp. In simple terms, we are assessed for the overall ethics and sustainability of our business across 5 areas.

1. How the business is governed (how decisions are made/core mission/values etc)

2. Employee experiences

3. Environmental practices

4. How customers are treated

5. How supply partnerships are formed and nurtured.

The idea is that not only are businesses verified to be having the impact they say they are having, but they become a part of a movement focused on constant improvement, sharing practices and ideas to challenge the ‘normal’ way of doing business.

As a Certified B Corporation and a leader of this emerging economy, we believe:

• That we must be the change we seek in the world
• That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered
• That, through our products, practices, and profits, we should aspire to do no harm and benefit all
• To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.

Our Values

Be a Star - we celebrate being genuinely kind and thoughtful with a can-do attitude. We are in the business of hospitality and we go out of our way to find a ‘yes’ for someone be they a customer, supplier or fellow team member.

Be bold, be proud - We take pride in a job well done and we own our mistakes. We are accountable and responsible for the role we play in this business knowing that we have the capacity to spark change. We do not take the easiest route, we understand our goal of building an industry that works for everyone and we do not shy away from acting boldly and standing out for the right reasons. Ever curious, we enjoy constant learning to add value to ourselves and to the business.

Be resourceful - Our business was established from the desire to positively impact the world around us. We want our environmental impact to be minimal, we want our social impact to be positive. We want to be resourceful and efficient with our time, our money and our energy.

The Role

As we enter our tenth year of operating, we are so excited to be growing our team with the addition of an account management role specifically for our B2B customer base. We are searching for a coffee obsessive who has a natural desire to make people feel good.

Someone who understands the coffee industry, the specialty sector and the role that North Star can play within it. You will be tasked with working alongside new and existing wholesale partners to further the reach of our brand and mission and to grow our sales and revenue in further support of our impact activities. You will seek to create community and pride in all that you do; taking responsibility for customer engagement and satisfaction as a key measure of your success.

This role sits within the Sales and Marketing team at North Star and will be directly managed by our co-founder and Sales Director Krag. You will work closely alongside our Head of Coffee, Coffee Trainer, Branding Lead and Marketing Lead.

Responsibilities:

• Obsess over customer satisfaction, highlighting opportunities to further our brand and reach to communicate our wider mission.
• Help to drive growth within our existing customer base through sales of new products/cross-selling.
• Proactively respond to inbound customer enquiries, maintaining our customer journey and utilising our internal systems and processes.
• Work with the head of Sales to outline opportunities and execute outbound sales strategies.
• Work effectively and collaboratively with our Marketing team and Head of Coffee.
• Maintain relationships with key suppliers, keeping abreast of new equipment releases and industry trends and developments.
• Represent North Star at industry events throughout the year.

Requirements

• 2+ years experience in relationship management in coffee with a proven record of success.
• A full clean UK driving licence.
• A love for coffee and a passion to do good in the world.
• Experience as a barista.
• Exceptional oral and written English communication skills, proficiency with technology.
• Strong organisational skills, the ability to prioritise and meet deadlines.
• Ability to carry out occasional weekend and evening work for which time will be given back in lieu.
• Ability to manage your own workload/schedule, be trustworthy and honest.
• Self awareness placing importance on personal integrity - have a natural inclination to be accountable for doing the right thing with honesty and good judgement.
• Be genuinely kind and thoughtful with a can-do attitude.
• Energetic, personable, and outgoing.
• Have an inherent desire to look after people – be someone who goes above and beyond to find a ‘yes’ and to treat others as you would want to be treated.
• Obsessive attention to detail, an eye for creativity and the skill to jump between projects quickly and efficiently.
• You have a growth mindset, you own your mistakes and look for opportunities to learn wherever possible.

Benefits

• £27-32k per annum depending on experience.
• Permanent, full time contract.
• We can offer flexible working, we have an office based in Leeds which you will report into but this role will require frequent visits to our wholesale customer base, most of whom are based in Yorkshire but some of whom can be found in London, Birmingham, Wales/Scotland.
• Private healthcare package.
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free coffee (to drink + 1x250g retail bag per week)
• 20% discount in our coffee shops.
• Professional and personal development – ‘Stay Curious’ fund of £150/year to be put towards developing an interest or hobby.
• Industry accredited SCA courses.
• An environment in which you are encouraged to feedback and help us do better.
• The chance to genuinely have positive impact on the lives of others.