Business Development Manager - Melbourne

About the opportunity 

Melbourne is one of the world’s great food cities, and we’re looking for a driven, food-loving Business Development Manager to help grow First Table’s presence across it.

If you love opening doors, building relationships and winning new business, this is the role for you. You’ll spend your time meeting restaurant owners and hospitality leaders, uncovering opportunities and helping more venues discover the value of First Table.

Backed by an established brand, a proven proposition and a collaborative team across Australia, New Zealand and the UK, you’ll have the freedom to own your territory and the support to make a real impact.

This is a remote-first role with regular in-person meetings with restaurant partners across Melbourne.

About us

At First Table, our vision is simple: to be the first place diners go to book a table.

Proudly established in Queenstown, New Zealand - where our head office is based -  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 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.

About the role

As the Business Development Manager for Melbourne, you’ll be responsible for growing First Table’s restaurant network across your assigned territory.

Your focus will be on identifying and approaching prospective restaurant partners, understanding their commercial needs, and clearly communicating how First Table can support their business. Your primary focus will be winning new restaurant partners.  You’ll own opportunities from the first conversation through to onboarding, helping restaurants launch successfully on the platform while supporting existing partners where needed.

You’ll work autonomously and spend plenty of time meeting restaurant owners, operators and hospitality leaders in person. You’ll also use market insights, performance data and local knowledge to prioritise opportunities and build a healthy sales pipeline.

You’ll be supported by an experienced wider team, clear systems and processes, and regular coaching, while retaining the ownership and flexibility to manage your territory in the way that delivers the strongest results.

What you’ll be doing

• Own and grow your local market by identifying and winning new restaurant partners.
• Build a healthy sales pipeline through proactive prospecting, networking and territory planning
• Develop trusting win-win relationships with restaurant owners and operators to help them launch successfully and unlock long-term value from First Table.
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of market trends and competitors, using this knowledge to identify new opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to deliver seamless experience for restaurant partners
  
  

What you’ll bring

• Proven success in business development, field sales, partnerships or another customer-facing sales role where you’ve consistently won new business and built lasting commercial relationships.
• Proven experience in a similar role such as business development, sales, partnerships or account management. 
• Confidence building rapport quickly, influencing decision-makers and turning opportunities into long-term partnerships.
• 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.
• You don’t need to have done this exact role before, but you’ve got a spark to get someone excited about trying something new and the follow-through to make it happen.
• 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 current Australian driver’s licence and access to your own reliable vehicle. This role involves regular travel across Melbourne to meet restaurant partners, so being comfortable on the road is key to success.
• 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, with regular coaching and support from your manager and opportunities to connect with the wider team
• Competitive OTE (base salary + commissions), plus travel allowance, laptop and phone
• You’ll take ownership of your own patch, with the tools, coaching, and team support to grow it into something great.
• 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 this unique dining scene? We’d love to hear from you. For more insights into our culture, the role and what we are looking for, we encourage you to check out our candidate page.

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 or near Melbourne to be considered for this role
• Applicants for this position must have pre-existing rights to work in Australia