Business Development Manager - South West

We’re looking for a driven, food-loving Business Development Manager to help grow First Table’s presence across England’s South West, home to a vibrant and diverse dining scene. This is a relationship-focused role where your ability to connect, pitch, and follow through will make a real impact. You’ll join a collaborative team of UK-based BDMs, each owning their own geographic patch. In this role, you’ll take ownership of the South West region, working closely with an existing portfolio of restaurant partners while identifying new opportunities to grow our footprint across key cities and coastal hubs. This is a remote-first role with regular in-person meetings with restaurant partners.

At First Table, our vision is simple: to be the first place diners go to book a table. Proudly established in Queenstown, New Zealand, we've been leading the charge in the hospitality tech industry for over a decade, with operations spanning New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. First Table now offers our great dining experiences at amazing restaurants across the UK. Following the recent city launches in Bournemouth, Leicester, Norwich, and Southampton, we are doubling down on building a strong presence and connected team across the UK. First Table is a dining discovery platform that connects diners to restaurants through their love of food. Through our clever tech, we help restaurants get their night off to a great start and give diners a compelling reason to try somewhere new. It’s a win-win situation. From early bird offers to last table reservations, we make discovering and booking great dining experiences fast, easy, and rewarding. At the heart of everything we do are our values: Grow Together, Win-Win-Win, and Own It. These guide how we show up for each other, our restaurant partners, and our diners and they’re a big part of what makes First Table a great place to work.

Join us at a truly exciting time of growth as we expand First Table’s presence across the UK. As a Business Development Manager, you’ll build relationships with local restaurants, uncover new opportunities, and bring our platform to more diners to help restaurants thrive. This role is tailor-made for individuals who thrive on networking, can take ownership, embrace challenges with open arms, and value the essence of teamwork.

What you’ll be doing:

• Own and grow your local market within the South West.
• Build long-lasting, win-win relationships with restaurants in your assigned patch.
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of market trends and competitors, using this knowledge to identify new opportunities.
• Drive user acquisition and retention strategies.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams.

What you’ll bring:

• Proven experience in a similar role such as business development, sales, partnerships or account management.
• Excellent relationship-building, communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Familiarity with the hospitality industry is a massive plus, and your ability to hit the ground running with existing contacts will push you to the top of the queue for this position.
• Be a self-starter with a commercial mindset - someone who thrives in an autonomous environment and knows how to spot opportunities (then go after them).
• A “can do attitude” and the drive to grow with us.

Why you’ll love working with us:

• A full-time role with flexible working hours and the autonomy to manage your own schedule.
• Remote-first, but never remote-feeling.
• Competitive OTE (base salary + commissions), plus travel allowance, laptop and phone.
• Hit the ground running with an existing client base and the freedom to shape and grow your market, guided by achievable KPIs, supportive coaching and shared wins.
• Free First Table bookings as a team perk - perfect for fellow food lovers.
• We recognise great work, with team-wide recognition shoutouts, referral incentives, and regular opportunities to celebrate wins.
• Being part of a purpose-led, award-winning brand that champions exceptional dining experiences and values creativity, collaboration and growth.

What’s next?

Ready to make your mark on the South West dining scene? We’d love to hear from you. Please submit your application, including your CV and a brief cover letter, via the Apply Now link. In your cover letter, let us know what excites you about this opportunity and how your experience sets you up for success. We’ll be reviewing and progressing applications as they come in, so don’t wait to submit your application.

Things to keep in mind:

• Applicants must already be based in Cardiff or Bristol to be considered for this role.
• Applicants for this position must have pre-existing rights to work in United Kingdom.