Business Development Manager

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Find the Opportunity | Build the Relationship | Win the business.

Melbourne | Full-Time

Trippas White Group is one of Australia’s leading catering, hospitality and venues organisations, delivering premium food, beverage and hospitality experiences across workplaces, education, airline lounges, major venues, restaurants, retail locations and some of the country’s most recognised destinations.

We are continuing to grow and are looking for an accomplished Business Development Manager to develop and convert new business opportunities across the Corporate and Education sectors, while also building strategic pipelines across Venues and Events.

This is not a role where you simply manage incoming enquiries or wait for tenders to appear.

You will create opportunity. You will research markets, identify prospective clients, open doors, build relationships with senior decision-makers and lead opportunities through complex and often long-term sales cycles.

You will manage a multi-state portfolio and travel as required to meet clients, inspect sites, develop partnerships and represent Trippas White Group in priority markets.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Working closely with a highly experienced Executive Director, you will help shape and execute the growth strategy of one of Australia’s leading catering and venues groups.

You will pursue opportunities across corporate workplaces, commercial properties, schools, universities, residential colleges, venues, precincts, attractions and event environments. Some opportunities will involve contracted catering and workplace dining. Others may involve retail cafés, education food services, venue catering rights, event hospitality, licences, leases or management agreements.

You will need to understand the client, recognise the commercial opportunity and bring the right internal people together to develop a compelling solution. You will work with senior leaders across operations, culinary, finance, commercial, marketing, procurement and proposals to take opportunities from first conversation through to negotiation and contract award.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Develop and execute a structured BD plan across an assigned multi-state portfolio.
• Build qualified pipelines across the Corporate, Education, Venues and Events sectors.
• Proactively identify, research and approach prospective clients and strategic partners.
• Generate opportunities through targeted outreach, cold calling, referrals, networking, industry engagement and market intelligence.
• Secure meetings and build relationships with senior executives, procurement leaders and key commercial decision-makers.
• Develop opportunities across corporate workplaces, premium commercial buildings, schools, universities, residential colleges, venues, precincts and event destinations.
• Identify opportunities involving workplace dining, education catering, retail cafés, functions, venue hospitality and event services.
• Lead discovery meetings and understand each client’s strategic, operational and commercial requirements.
• Work with clients and internal specialists to develop bespoke, commercially sustainable hospitality solutions.
• Lead opportunities through qualification, solution development, proposal, presentation, negotiation and contract award.
• Contribute directly to EOIs, tenders, proposals, presentations and client submissions.
• Develop strong relationships with property owners, landlords, asset managers, workplace leaders, education executives, venue owners and event stakeholders.
• Navigate complex commercial arrangements, including service contracts, licences, leases and management agreements.
• Maintain an accurate and disciplined pipeline within the company’s CRM.
• Prepare reliable opportunity forecasts and communicate progress, barriers and required actions.
• Represent TWG at meetings, site inspections, industry events and networking events.
• Work collaboratively with operational teams to ensure successful handover and mobilisation of new business.
• Travel interstate as required to develop opportunities and maintain a strong presence across assigned markets.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

You will be an experienced business development professional who can demonstrate that you have personally created, developed and converted complex B2B opportunities.

You will also bring:

• a strong record of new-business development and revenue generation;
• experience managing complex and potentially long sales cycles;
• the confidence and persistence to initiate conversations with senior decision-makers;
• a genuine hunter mentality, supported by a consultative and relationship-led approach;
• strong commercial acumen including revenue, margin, investment and risk;
• the ability to identify opportunities before they reach the open market;
• experience developing tailored solutions rather than selling a standard product;
• strong proposal, presentation and written communication capability;
• confidence contributing to tenders, pitches and commercial negotiations;
• the ability to work effectively across functional departments and teams;
• excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills;
• disciplined pipeline management and CRM capability;
• resilience, initiative and accountability;
• the ability to manage several opportunities without losing momentum or focus;
• and the willingness and ability to travel interstate.
  

Experience in contract catering, hospitality, facilities services, commercial property, workplace experience, education, venues, events or another complex outsourced-services environment will be highly regarded. Established relationships within one or more of the priority sectors would also be advantageous.

THE PERSON WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• You create opportunities rather than waiting for them to arrive.
• You are comfortable making the first call, asking for the meeting and maintaining momentum.
• You can operate strategically while still doing the research, outreach and follow-up required to build a pipeline.
• You are credible with senior executives but equally comfortable working alongside operational teams.
• You listen carefully, ask intelligent questions and understand the client before proposing a solution.
• You know that relationships open doors, but commercial discipline and operational credibility win contracts.
• You can manage long sales cycles without becoming passive or losing focus.
• You take ownership of your pipeline, your commitments and your results.
• You bring ambition without ego and confidence without arrogance.
• You respond positively to challenge, coaching and direct feedback.
• You want to learn from experienced leaders and use that exposure to accelerate your own development.

Trippas White Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages First Nations Australians to apply.