Business Development Manager - Manchester and Liverpool

Business Development Manager – Manchester & Liverpool

About the opportunity
Manchester and Liverpool have two of the UK's most exciting dining scenes, and First Table is looking for a driven, food-loving BDM to help grow its presence across both cities. You'll spend your time meeting restaurant owners and hospitality leaders, opening doors and winning new business. Backed by an established brand and a collaborative team across the UK, Australia and NZ, you'll have freedom to own your territory with strong support behind you.

About First Table
Our vision is to be the first place diners go to book a table. Established in Queenstown, New Zealand over a decade ago, we're a dining discovery platform operating across NZ, Australia and the UK, connecting diners to restaurants through clever tech — helping venues fill early tables and giving diners a reason to try somewhere new. Our values: Grow Together, Win-Win-Win, and Own It.

About the role
You'll grow First Table's restaurant network across Manchester and Liverpool, identifying and approaching prospective partners, understanding their needs, and communicating how First Table can support their business. Your primary focus is winning new restaurant partners — owning opportunities from first conversation through to onboarding, while supporting existing partners where needed. You'll work autonomously, meeting restaurant owners and operators in person, and use market insight, data and local knowledge to build a healthy pipeline — all while backed by an experienced team, clear systems, and regular coaching.

What you'll be doing

• Sign up new restaurants within your assigned territory
• Identify new acquisition targets and track them in the CRM
• Build relationships with key decision-makers and influencers
• Research prospects to assess sales value and profitability
• Win new business against agreed targets, running a call cycle to maintain a healthy pipeline
• Track market trends and competitors to spot new opportunities
• Attend trade shows and industry events relevant to your region as needed
• Respond to and close warm incoming enquiries
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for a seamless partner experience

What you'll bring

• Experience in business development, sales, field sales, partnerships or account management — ideally hospitality, food tech or SaaS
• A track record of meeting or exceeding targets
• Confidence building rapport quickly and turning opportunities into long-term partnerships
• Hospitality industry familiarity is a big plus — existing contacts will push you to the top of the queue
• No need for exact prior experience — just the spark to get people excited and the follow-through to make it happen
• Self-starter with a commercial mindset, comfortable working independently within a territory
• Tech-savvy, confident with CRMs, video conferencing and sales platforms
• A full, valid UK driving licence and access to a reliable vehicle (regular travel between Manchester and Liverpool required)
• A "can do" attitude and drive to grow with the company

Why you'll love it here
Full-time with flexible hours and autonomy over your schedule; remote-first but well-supported with regular coaching; competitive OTE (base + commission) plus travel allowance, laptop and phone; ownership of your patch with tools and team support to grow it; free First Table bookings; team recognition and referral incentives; and a purpose-led, award-winning brand.

How to apply
Submit your CV and a brief cover letter via the Apply Now link, telling us what excites you about the role. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so don't wait to apply.

Note: applicants must be based in or near Manchester or Liverpool (or well-placed to cover both), and must already have the right to work in the UK. First Table is an equal opportunity employer, happy to discuss flexible working and reasonable adjustments.