Client Retention Manager

Job Introduction

As a Client Retention Manager at Sodexo, you are also a highly sensitive and influential individual, capable of driving positive change in our company's retention philosophy.

In this role, you will champion the Clients for Life process and support our growth agenda by identifying opportunities for improvement in retention rates, and ensuring that our tools and techniques are utilised effectively across all segments.

Join Sodexo and be part of something greater. You belong in a team where you can act with purpose, have an impact, and thrive in your own way, while enjoying a flexible and dynamic work environment, competitive compensation, and countless opportunities to grow within the company.

Role Responsibility

• Champion the Clients for Life process across the business – ensure retention is at the top of the segment agenda – act as the conscience and the catalyst by acting as independent consultant to segment CEOs and their COMEX teams.
• Interview key client/prospect stakeholders to identify threats or opportunities and share key themes with operational and sales teams through structured reports (FreshEyes reviews, post-bid reports and Post Mortem audits). Ensure action planning and follow-up is timely and rigorous.
• Organize and execute planning meetings and debriefs that facilitate the identification of actions. Support the tracking and recording of follow-up from meetings and reports.
• Drive the embedding of Transition and Expectation meetings, ensuring that robust action planning and follow up is undertaken. Facilitate these meetings on behalf of operational teams on request.
• Provide training and refresher updates to ensure the business is well informed and confident with the tools, techniques and terminology of Clients for Life.
• Coach the senior segment team(s) with candour and confidence. Say what needs to be heard.
• Engage with the global Client Retention community and its activities as appropriate.

The Ideal Candidate

Key Behaviours:

The Client Retention Manager is a senior management position within Sodexo, requiring high levels of sensitivity, business acumen and personal influence. As part of a small team, CRMs are expected to be flexible and adaptable and to work collaboratively with the support team as well as with each other.

The role is advisory – it relies upon the holder’s ability to influence others to do the right thing without direct authority. High levels of emotional intelligence are required to position sensitive strategic and operational problems with confidence and candour. Superb written and aural communication skills are required. CRMs must be confident in interviewing a diverse and challenging range of clients and facilitating both client and internal meetings.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Minimum of 8 years’ business experience in an operations and/or sales role
• Experience of dealing with confidential information at a senior level
• Organized and efficient self-starter
• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• IT literate – proficient in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as other emerging technologies.
• In-depth understanding of Sodexo’s strategy and business drivers (Desirable) 

Package Description

Circa £73,000 + 20% annual bonus + £8K car allowance + excellent benefits

Working with Sodexo is more than a job; it’s a chance to be part of something greater. You’ll belong in a company and team that values you for you; you’ll act with purpose and have an impact through your everyday actions; and you’ll be able to thrive in your own way. In addition, we offer:

• Flexible and dynamic work environment
• Competitive compensation
• Access to ongoing training and development programs
• Countless opportunities to grow within the company
• Full training and full protective uniform supplied

About the Company

In the UK and Ireland, Sodexo employs around 30,000 people, and partners with clients in many sectors across business and industry; schools and universities; sports and leisure; energy and resources; government and agencies; healthcare; justice and defence.

Sodexo’s connected; people-centric approach brings together a diverse range of expertise. The breadth of services it offers ranges from food and hospitality; cleaning; reception; concierge (Circles); security; property management and technical services through to data driven workplace strategy and design (Wx); employee engagement and recognition services (Sodexo Engage) and personal home services through Prestige Nursing + Care and the Good Care Group.  

Vital Spaces is Sodexo’s value proposition that puts people at the heart of everything we do, bringing together services and solutions and focusing on the productivity and wellbeing of people wherever they are.

Sodexo is committed to being an inclusive employer; we welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds and identities.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations. 

We are building on our support to the Armed Forces community through the development of specific pathways within our recruitment process to  support ex-forces personnel and reservists, those applying for jobs with us who meet the ideal candidate criteria for the role advertised are guaranteed to progress to the selection process