New Business & Acquisitions Manager

Join Musgrave – Empowering Communities, Innovating the Future. Musgrave is one of Europe’s most successful family-owned businesses, with a rich 150-year legacy in food and brand innovation. We are proud to serve communities across Ireland and Spain, feeding one in three people every day through 18 iconic brands like SuperValu, Centra, Mace, Frank and Honest, and Musgrave MarketPlace. By supporting thousands of retail and food service family businesses, we make a positive impact on the communities they serve. We are committed to becoming the most trusted and sustainable business in Ireland, and we are looking for dynamic, forward-thinking individuals to join us on this journey.

As we continue our journey toward becoming Ireland’s most trusted and sustainable business, we have an exciting opportunity for a successful candidate to join our team to lead the expansion of our network as Lead Business Development Manager. As a New Business and Acquisitions Manager, you will be responsible for leading the expansion of our network of stores across Northern Ireland. Acting as a senior ambassador for Musgrave, you will develop strategic relationships and growth plans, provide market expertise, and lead the Business Development team and wider sales teams to deliver outstanding results.

What you’ll do:

• Develop and deliver an ambitious growth strategy to drive new store openings and store conversions.
• Develop talent and engage the wider business.
• Lead and develop a direct team of Business Development Managers, working closely with sales teams to maximise network development opportunities.
• Build a strong pipeline of high-quality new store opportunities across SuperValu, Centra and Mace by developing relationships with competitor retailers who could become future Musgrave retailers.
• Create compelling tools to attract and recruit new retailers.
• Develop and present a comprehensive Selling Pack that clearly positions the benefits of Musgrave’s retail brands and retailer model against competitors, using relevant, accurate information.
• Create a focused, prioritised journey plan for you and your team, with clear call frequency and targeted cold calling activity.
• Develop a clear lead development process that uses the full resources of Musgrave NI, sets appropriate appointments, and stage-gates progress from initial meeting through to completion or conversion.
• Build a strong network of market insight through property agents and legal teams, including greenfield and brownfield opportunities.
• Develop robust, compelling business cases for new store opportunities, working with Retail Accounts to secure approval and include clear financial projections that meet defined targets, such as profitability, payback, and head-lease terms.
• Maximise profitability through skilled negotiation.
• Negotiate win-win outcomes for Musgrave and retailers, while championing strong negotiation capability across your team and the wider sales unit.
• Develop leading retail store designs.
• Work with the Project Manager and cross-functional teams to produce store plans, costings, implementation plans, and support plans for retail projects.
• Build strong external market awareness.
• Source, review, and share relevant market intelligence with appropriate Musgrave teams.
• Lead within the sales leadership team.
• Help shape a high-performance culture, strengthen engagement, and support the development agenda for the wider sales team.

What we’re looking for:

• Proven experience in a Business Development, Sales, Commercial, or Retail Management role.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute business growth strategies.
• Strong understanding of the retail marketplace and competitor landscape.
• Experience leading, coaching, or mentoring individuals or teams to achieve business objectives.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to assess opportunities, profitability, and return on investment.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills, with experience engaging and building relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Experience managing multiple projects and priorities within a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to analyse market and financial data to support business decisions.
• Full clean driving licence and willingness to travel extensively across the region.
• Experience within the FMCG, convenience retail, wholesale, or food retail sectors.
• Experience of new business acquisition, franchise development, or store conversion projects.
• Degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing, or a related discipline.
• Experience working with property agents, legal representatives, and external business partners.
• Previous experience leading cross-functional projects or strategic business initiatives.

Career Development: With a commitment to your personal and professional growth, Musgrave offers numerous opportunities for advancement and learning.

Collaborative Environment: Work alongside a passionate team, where your contributions will make a significant impact.

Innovation Focus: Be part of a company that values forward-thinking solutions.

Community Focus: Be part of a company that truly values its communities and strives to make a positive impact.

Be Part of a Legacy: Join a company with a long-standing commitment to community and innovation.

Musgrave is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from diverse candidates. If we can make any accommodations to enable you to be the best version of yourself during the interview, please let us know. Musgrave operate a Work Smart hybrid working model where you can alternate your time between connecting and collaborating in the business and working remotely.