Senior Business Development Manager

First Table Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hours

Remote-first culture

Travel allowance

Laptop and phone provided

First Table bookings for the team

Job summary

First Table Group is seeking a driven Business Development Manager to expand its presence in London’s vibrant dining scene. You’ll own your patch, nurture restaurant partnerships, and pursue new opportunities to grow the footprint.

The role is remote-first with regular in-person meetings with restaurant partners. Based in Greater London, you will join London-based BDMs and work with an existing portfolio while identifying new opportunities to help restaurants thrive and drive bookings on First

Qualifications

• Experience in a similar role such as business development, field sales or partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow your local market within London, spending 4-5 days a week out in the field.
• 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.

Skills

Relationship-building

Communication

Negotiation

Presentation skills

Mentoring sales teams

Self-starter

Commercial mindset

Autonomous workstyle

Job description

About the opportunity

We’re looking for a driven, food-loving Business Development Manager to help grow First Table’s presence in London, one of the UK’s most dynamic dining scenes. 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 London-based BDMs, each owning their own patch. In this role, you’ll take ownership of your area, working closely with an existing portfolio of restaurant partners while identifying new opportunities to grow our footprint. This is a remote-first role with regular in-person meetings with restaurant partners.

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 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.

Learn more about our story here:

www.firsttable.co.uk/our-story

About the role

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 London, spending 4-5 days a week out in the field
• 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

• Experience in a similar role such as business development, field sales and partnerships experience.
• Experience mentoring sales teams
• 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, especially if you’re located in London, where we have a strong presence and teammates who love connecting in person
• 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.

Things to keep in mind:

• Applicants must already be based in Greater London to be considered for this role
• Applicants for this position must have pre-existing rights to work in United Kingdom