Business Development Manager – Catering | Permanent | Full-Time | Ireland | Competitive Salary + Benefits
Key Points
- Salary: Competitive
- Location: Ireland
- Contract: Permanent, full-time
- Sector: Contract Catering, Workplace Dining & Hospitality
- Focus: New business development, client growth and retention
- Background: Catering, food service, hospitality operations or business development
- Benefits: Car allowance, 6% employer pension and €6,000 flexible benefits allowance
- Sales Incentive: Performance-related sales incentive scheme
Job & Company Overview
Do you understand what makes a great catering operation – and can you turn that knowledge into a compelling proposition for a prospective client?
We are recruiting a Business Development Manager – Catering to join the growing Irish commercial team of a major international services organisation.
This role will focus on developing new business across contract catering, workplace dining, corporate hospitality, leisure and event catering throughout Ireland. You’ll work with prospective clients to understand their requirements and bring together culinary, operational and commercial specialists to develop solutions capable of winning their business.
Importantly, you don’t necessarily need to come from a traditional sales career.
The client is also interested in commercially minded professionals from contract catering, food service and hospitality operations who understand the industry and can demonstrate an ability to build client relationships, identify opportunities and contribute to commercial growth.
What You’ll Be Doing
Develop New Catering Business
You’ll identify, develop and convert new business opportunities across Ireland within both the public and private sectors.
You’ll:
- Build and manage a strong pipeline of prospective clients
- Develop new customer relationships
- Identify cross-selling opportunities within existing accounts
- Support contract retention and renewals
- Develop market and competitor intelligence
- Help deliver ambitious commercial growth targets
Create Winning Catering Solutions
This isn’t about selling a standard catering package.
You’ll meet prospective clients, visit their sites and understand what they’re trying to achieve for their employees, customers or guests.
Working alongside culinary teams, operational leaders and subject-matter experts, you’ll help develop solutions across:
- Workplace and corporate dining
- Contract catering
- Corporate hospitality
- Employee food experiences
- Leisure catering
- Event food and beverage services
You’ll lead customer meetings, presentations, workshops and site visits, helping clients understand how the right catering solution can improve employee experience, workplace culture and wellbeing.
Bids & Proposals
You’ll play an important role in major tenders and proposals while working with an established Bid Management team.
You’ll collaborate with Culinary, Operations, Bid Management, Marketing, Commercial, Finance, Legal and Procurement colleagues to develop high-quality submissions and presentations that are both commercially attractive and operationally achievable.
Build Client Relationships
Strong relationships will be central to your success.
You’ll engage with prospective clients, industry partners and senior stakeholders and represent the business at customer meetings, networking opportunities and industry events.
You’ll need to understand what matters to each client and use that insight to develop long-term commercial relationships rather than simply pursuing individual sales.
What We’re Looking For
We’re interested in candidates with experience in operations, business development, sales or other growth-focused positions within catering, food service or hospitality.
Your background could include:
- Contract Catering
- Catering Management
- Workplace Dining
- Corporate Hospitality
- Food Service
- Hospitality Operations
- Leisure Catering
- Event Catering
- Food & Beverage Management
You should bring:
- Strong knowledge of catering, food service or hospitality
- Commercial awareness and an ability to identify opportunities
- Experience building strong client relationships
- Confidence engaging and influencing senior stakeholders
- Excellent presentation and communication skills
- An ability to understand customer requirements and create value-led solutions
- Experience managing multiple opportunities and stakeholders
- Strong organisational skills
- Confidence using CRM systems and managing a commercial pipeline
- A collaborative approach to working with culinary and operational teams
Coming from Catering Operations?
You don’t need to already have Business Development Manager on your CV.
If you’re currently managing a catering, food service or hospitality operation and have strong commercial ability, the client is interested in speaking with you.
Perhaps you’ve helped retain a major catering contract, expanded the services provided to a client, introduced new food concepts, participated in tenders or presentations, or identified opportunities to increase revenue.
That operational knowledge can be a significant advantage in this role because you understand what can actually be delivered.
The client is looking for someone who can combine that operational credibility with the confidence and commercial ambition required to win and grow business.
Why Join?
This appointment forms part of a wider investment in the organisation’s Irish Growth Team.
You’ll work alongside experienced Business Development Managers as well as Bid Management, Marketing, Culinary and Food Innovation specialists, operational leaders and Finance, Commercial, Legal and Procurement teams.
The goal is to create catering and workplace experiences that clients are proud to provide and that the people using them genuinely value.
Salary & Benefits
Competitive salary
The client has specifically requested that the salary range is not advertised.
The package also includes:
- Car allowance
- 6% employer pension contribution
- €6,000 flexible benefits allowance
- Performance-related sales incentive scheme
Location
Ireland
This is a nationwide Business Development role involving client meetings, site visits, presentations and networking activity across Ireland.
Apply Now
If you’re an experienced Catering Business Development professional, or a commercially minded Catering, Food Service or Hospitality Manager ready to move into a growth-focused position, we’d like to hear from you.
At Hall Recruitment, we’re dedicated to building diverse and authentic workplaces. We also know that excellent candidates rarely match 100% of a job description. If you meet around 70% of the criteria for this role, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
