New Business Manager - Marketplace

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work‑life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. From fragrance to car care, clothing and pots and pans, our General Merchandise team delivers all the non‑food items for Sainsbury’s, Habitat and Argos customers. This multi‑brand environment means you get to work across most areas. You can also be a pioneer, because the team believes in being brave, iterating and learning as they go. They also develop deep connections to other departments, which opens up a lot of different career opportunities for you. What’s certain is that you’ll spend time on the shop floor to get closer to customers, and bring a broad perspective and the full support of your manager with you wherever you decide to develop next.

In a nutshell, to drive the growth of our Ecommerce marketplace by identifying, engaging, and onboarding new sellers and partners, expanding our product and service offering in line with the marketplace strategy. This role is pivotal in delivering ambitious growth targets and enhancing our marketplace’s value proposition to customers and sellers alike.

What I Am Accountable For:

• Identify, research, and prospect new business opportunities, including brands, retailers, and service providers, to join the marketplace.
• Conduct initial analysis and viability checks to ensure the target sellers and partners are the right ‘fit’ (e.g. product access, pricing, logistics, brand reputation etc.) to achieve the marketplace objectives.
• Lead, coach, and develop the New Business development team to develop and execute outreach strategies to attract high‑potential sellers and partners.
• Effectively pitch the marketplace’s value proposition to potential sellers and partners, both in one‑to‑one meetings and at designated industry events, clearly articulating the benefits of joining our platform and tailoring messaging to the audience’s needs.
• Lead commercial, SLA and contracting negotiations with new sellers to deliver our commercial targets and ensure smooth processing.
• Collaborate with internal teams (e.g., Marketing, Product, Operations) to deliver compelling propositions and integration solutions.
• Regularly monitor and report on pipeline progress, conversion rates, and commercial outcomes against agreed KPIs.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with prospective and onboarded sellers and partners, acting as a trusted advisor.
• Analyse market trends and competitor activity to inform business development strategy.
• Resolve challenges and remove barriers to onboarding, using experience and established processes, working in a continuous improvement framework to improve speed to market and scalability.
• Communicate regularly with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and progress.
• Own and maintain all materials to support seller acquisition.
• Coach and develop Direct reports and colleagues to achieve their best potential.

Key Performance Measures:

• Number and quality of new sellers/partners onboarded.
• Revenue and GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) generated from new business.
• Seller and partner pipeline conversion rates and time‑to‑sign.
• Seller and partner satisfaction and retention rates.
• Contribution to overall marketplace growth targets.
• Range coverage in target categories.
• Team engagement and development.

What I need to know:

• Proven experience in business development, sales, or commercial roles within ecommerce, retail, or digital marketplaces.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Proven people management and team leadership skills.
• Analytical mindset with experience using data to drive decisions.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Knowledge of ecommerce platforms, seller ecosystems, and marketplace dynamics.

Desirable:

• Experience onboarding partners or sellers to a digital marketplace.
• Understanding of seller acquisition and experience using CRM and email campaigns to achieve outreach goals.
• Familiarity with integration processes (APIs, feeds, etc.).
• Degree or equivalent experience in Business, Marketing, or related field.

What I Need To Show:

• Own it: Do what you say you’ll do. Don’t walk past a problem.
• Make it better: Improve things for your customer. Spot opportunities to simplify.
• Be human: Walk in the shoes of your colleagues and customers. Show care and respect to everyone.

Support we will provide:

• Access to training and development, including online learning, mentoring, and industry events.
• Regular feedback and personal development planning.
• Tools and resources to enable success in the role.

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and in‑store at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We’ve also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You’ll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance‑related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on how we perform. Your wellbeing is important to us too. You’ll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy up to an additional week’s holiday, and we provide private healthcare. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, interest‑free car loan of up to £10k, cycle‑to‑work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well as access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an Employee Assistance Programme. Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.