Commercial & Growth Manager

Position Title: Commercial & Growth Manager
Reports To: Managing Directors
Employment Status: Part Time | 0.5–0.6 FTE | Flexible
Location: Cairns, Queensland

Little Tuna is a proudly Australian-owned and Australian-caught tuna business based in Cairns.

We work closely with Australian fishing families to deliver premium, sustainable Australian seafood and are passionate about reconnecting people with where their food comes from.

We are a growing, forward-thinking business that values good ideas, strong relationships, innovation and people who genuinely enjoy what they do.

We move quickly, there is always something happening and no two days are quite the same.

The Commercial & Growth Manager is a newly created role designed to help drive Little Tuna’s next stage of growth and create genuine capacity for the Managing Directors.

This isn’t a traditional sales role. We’re looking for someone who can think commercially, spot opportunities, build strong relationships and turn good ideas into action.

We want someone naturally curious about what could be next — a new customer, channel, flavour, partnership or simply a better way of doing something. As a new role, there is genuine scope to shape it around your strengths and grow with the business.

• Proactively identify and assess opportunities across customers, stockists, channels, products, partnerships and markets.

• Bring well-considered commercial ideas and recommendations to the Managing Directors.

• Progress agreed opportunities from initial discussion through assessment, negotiation, implementation and follow-through.

• Identify and pursue new retail and wholesale stockists to grow Little Tuna’s distribution and market reach.

• Manage day-to-day commercial relationships with distributors and selected key customers, ensuring opportunities and agreed actions continue moving.

• Review sales performance and identify opportunities for increased ranging, distribution, promotions and customer growth.

• Support the Managing Directors with major retail relationships and negotiations through research, analysis, preparation and follow-up.

• Lead agreed new product and flavour projects from concept and commercial assessment through to launch, coordinating suppliers, stakeholders, timelines and actions.

• Use customer, category and market insights to identify and prioritise future product opportunities.

• Apply a commercial lens to new ideas, considering customer need, pricing, margin, scalability and market opportunity.

• Take ownership of agreed commercial projects from idea through to delivery.

• Use sales, pricing, margin and market information to support commercial decisions and growth planning.

• Contribute to forecasting and ensure commercial opportunities align with production and supply capability.

• Maintain a clear commercial opportunity pipeline and help prioritise where the business should focus next.

• Develop practical commercial processes for distributor reviews, stockist growth, new product development and project delivery.

• Build strong relationships with retailers, distributors, suppliers, processors, industry partners and other stakeholders.

• Represent Little Tuna confidently and authentically with customers, partners and visitors.

• Develop a strong understanding of Little Tuna’s story, products, fishing families and the Australian seafood industry, including learning and delivering the Little Tuna factory tour experience.

• Work collaboratively with Administration, Communications & Marketing and Production to turn commercial priorities into action while respecting each team’s area of responsibility.

• Bring initiative, ideas and a positive, down-to-earth approach to the Little Tuna team.

Applicants are encouraged to briefly address the following:

1. Commercial thinking – You can spot a good opportunity, assess whether it stacks up and turn it into action.

2. Relationship building – You build strong, genuine relationships with customers, distributors, retailers and stakeholders.

3. Project ownership – You can take an idea, organise the moving parts and drive it through to delivery.

4. Commercial confidence – You’re comfortable with sales, pricing, margins and the numbers behind good business decisions.

5. Initiative & judgement – You think ahead, solve problems and don’t need to wait to be told what to do next.

6. Team fit – You communicate well, work collaboratively and bring a positive, down-to-earth approach to a fast-moving team.

Highly regarded: Experience in Australian food, FMCG, retail or consumer brands, and/or qualifications in business, commerce or marketing.

You’ll have genuine influence in a growing Australian business, work closely with the people making the decisions and have the freedom to bring ideas forward and see them come to life.

The role is flexible, varied and intentionally designed to grow with the right person.

Please apply through SEEK by 31 August and provide:

• Your resume.

• A short cover letter briefly addressing the six selection criteria.

We’re looking for capability and commercial thinking, but just as importantly, we’re looking for the right person to become part of the Little Tuna team.