Senior New Business Acquisition Manager

Ocado; Hatfield; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading online grocery platform in the UK seeks a Senior New Business Acquisition Manager to drive business development and manage partnerships globally. The role involves strategic oversight of projects, financial modelling, and engaging high-level stakeholders. Candidates should have extensive experience in a commercial environment, strong data analysis skills, and be fluent in English. This position offers a hybrid working arrangement and requires international travel. Excellent compensation and benefits are provided.

Benefits

25 days annual leave, increasing after 5 years

Private Medical Insurance

22 weeks paid maternity leave

Pension with employer matching

15% off at Ocado.com

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in a commercial environment with strong acumen.
• Proficient modelling with Excel/Google Sheets.
• Fluent in written and spoken English with strong communication skills.
• Ability to operate autonomously in uncertainty.

Responsibilities

• Manage 1-4 business development projects in parallel.
• Perform research and outreach to connect with retailers.
• Build detailed online P&Ls to support negotiations.
• Lead day-to-day business development activities.

Skills

Data analysis

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation skills

Education

Degree or relevant experience

Tools

Excel

Google Sheets

Job description

The Ocado Solutions New Business Acquisition team is crucial to expanding our international grocery partnerships. This is an exciting opportunity where you'll be instrumental in guiding the strategic growth of the company and ensuring we continue to pioneer the online grocery retail market. As a Senior New Business Acquisition Manager, you will lead the entire business development process for new partners, from initial research and outreach to detailed partnership assessment, building P&Ls, negotiating complex agreements, and ultimately supporting contract signing. Your scope will be worldwide, spanning our three regions: Europe, Americas, and APAC/MEA. The role will require you to inspire potential partners on all levels, including C-level executives. You'll demonstrate ownership and autonomy to manage prospects, coordinating the various work streams overall (Tech, Logistics, Network Planning, Legal, etc.) and being the main day-to-day project lead on the commercial work stream, building business models, and driving strategic commercial decisions. We operate a hybrid model requiring at least two days in the office each week. This position is located at our Head Office in Trident Place, Hatfield. This role requires significant international travel (at least once a month). In this role you will

Responsibilities

• Manage 1-4 business development projects in parallel at varying stages of maturity
• Perform research and outreach to identify and connect with new and existing retailers with the potential to become partners
• Build detailed online P&Ls from the bottom up, explaining and supporting negotiation of complex fees to demonstrate long-term P&L improvement
• Develop excellent relationships with prospects and internal stakeholders to ensure client needs are met in a professional and timely manner
• Lead day-to-day business development activities including presentations, business case advice, commercial workshops and prospect visits
• Act as main point of contact with prospective clients, co‑ordinating project plans and regular check‑points internally and externally
• Support commercial and technical negotiation of complex contracts; contributing to successful deal conclusion
• Facilitate successful post‑sales activities and ensure a smooth transition to the implementation team

Qualifications

• Significant experience (10yrs+) of working in a complex commercial environment, demonstrating strong commercial acumen
• Excellent data analysis, deep understanding of financial statements/P&Ls, and high proficiency modelling with Excel / Google Sheets
• Comfortable engaging and building relationships with very senior stakeholders and influencing them through oral and written communication skills (fluent in written and spoken English)
• A self‑starter, able to dive into projects quickly and operate autonomously in uncertainty
• Proven experience in Business Development, strategic decision‑making, financial analysis, or consultative selling, preferably within Strategic E‑commerce, Logistics, Operations, or Technology projects
• Internationally minded, willingness to travel and engage with different cultures is essential
• Degree qualified or relevant demonstrable experience
• Retail / FMCG / E‑commerce / Consulting experience highly desirable

About the Company

We are Ocado Solutions, and we lead our global corporate partnerships, delivering the cutting‑edge Ocado Smart Platform (OSP) to top‑tier retailers around the world. OSP offers a comprehensive solution combining advanced automation technology with end‑to‑end software applications, enabling retailers to operate world‑class online grocery businesses. Our platform ensures optimal operational efficiency, exceptional customer experience, and superior service for our partners. Since 2017, we've secured agreements with some of the world's largest grocers, including Groupe Casino (France), Sobeys (Canada), ICA (Sweden), Kroger (USA), Coles (Australia), AEON (Japan), Alcampo (Spain), Bon Preu (Spain), Lotte (South Korea), Auchan (Poland), Panda (Saudi), and our UK partner Morrisons, alongside the Ocado/M&S joint venture.

Benefits

• Time to recharge: 25 days annual leave (rising to 27 after 5 years), plus the option to buy more - and 30 days a year to work from anywhere in the world.
• Health & wellbeing: Private Medical Insurance from your first month, wellbeing support through specialist apps and EAP, plus Income Protection and Life Assurance.
• Family‑first policies: 22 weeks paid maternity/primary carer leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave (after qualifying period).
• Financial support: Pension with employer matching up to 7%, share schemes (Sharesave & BAYE), and interest‑free loans for train tickets.
• Commuter perks: Cycle to Work Scheme and free shuttle buses to/from Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City stations.
• Exclusive discounts: 15% off at Ocado.com with free delivery (starting in your first month).

Ocado Group is an equal opportunities employer and as such makes every effort to ensure that all potential employees are treated fairly and equally, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, age, or disability or union membership status.