At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive business growth by signing up new restaurants and building partnerships in Manchester and Liverpool.
- Company: Join First Table, a dynamic dining discovery platform with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible hours, competitive pay, travel allowance, and free dining experiences.
- Other info: Autonomous role with strong support, regular coaching, and excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Be part of an exciting food scene and make a real impact on local restaurants.
- Qualifications: Experience in business development or sales, ideally in hospitality or tech.
The predicted salary is between 29700 - 36300 £ per year.
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)
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
- 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.
Business Development Manager - Manchester and Liverpool employer: First Table
First Table is an exceptional employer that champions autonomy and flexibility, allowing you to thrive in a remote-first environment while making a significant impact in the hospitality tech sector. With a strong focus on professional growth, competitive compensation, and a collaborative team culture, you'll find ample opportunities to develop your skills and advance your career in this dynamic role.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Business Development Manager - Manchester and Liverpool
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We think you need these skills to ace Business Development Manager - Manchester and Liverpool
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Analytical Skills:In the business intelligence field, showcasing your analytical skills is a must. Make sure your CV includes relevant experience with data analysis tools, programming languages like SQL or Python, and any projects where you've interpreted complex data sets to drive business decisions.
Showcase Your Business Acumen:Don't just focus on data; show us how you can apply your insights to real-world business problems. Highlight projects where you made a tangible impact on company performance, and be prepared to explain your thought process in your cover letter.
Tailor Your Documents for Us:When applying for a full-time role at First Table, tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect our organisational goals and strategies. Mention specific tools and methodologies that align with what we do—this shows you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in our mission!
Include Relevant Certifications:Certifications like Google Data Analytics or similar qualifications can really make you stand out in business intelligence. Include these in your application, as they demonstrate your commitment to the field and your willingness to stay current with industry standards.
How to prepare for a job interview at First Table
✨Show off your analytical skills
In a business intelligence role, you're going to need to demonstrate your analytical prowess. Be prepared to discuss specific tools you've used, like SQL, Tableau, or Power BI. Have real-world examples ready where you’ve turned data into actionable insights – this is what makes us shine in interviews!
✨Practice your technical know-how
Expect some technical questions during the interview that dive deep into your understanding of data modelling and analytics frameworks. Brush up on your knowledge of data warehousing concepts and be ready to tackle any real case scenarios they might present. They’ll want to see how you approach problems using your BI toolkit.
✨Portfolio of Projects
Since it's a full-time role, having a strong portfolio is key! Compile case studies demonstrating your previous projects, preferably showing how your insights led to business improvements. This can help us display how you think through complex datasets and your problem-solving process, which is what employers are keen on seeing.
✨Know their business model
Get familiar with First Table’s business model and recent data-driven decisions. Be prepared to discuss how your skills can specifically support their objectives or challenges. Understanding their landscape shows that you’re not just a data buff, but you’re also genuinely interested in how BI can impact their bottom line.