Business Development Executive, Institutional Catering

Position Summary We are looking for a driven and commercially minded Business Development Executive to support the rapid growth of our Institutional Catering business. This is a hunter and bid-focused role. You will be responsible for identifying new business opportunities, opening doors with prospective clients, and turning opportunities into compelling proposals and successful tender submissions. You should be comfortable operating in a start-up environment within an established Group, where initiative, resourcefulness, cross-functional exposure and ownership are highly valued. Key Responsibilities Identify and prospect new institutional catering opportunities across targeted industry sectors.

Build a strong pipeline through cold outreach, networking, referrals, market research and industry intelligence.

Identify upcoming tenders, contract renewals and potential opportunities, including opportunities before they reach the open market.

Research prospective clients, identify key decision-makers and secure meetings, site visits and opportunities to introduce our capabilities.

Maintain an active CRM / opportunity pipeline and provide regular updates on prospects and conversion progress.

Manage RFPs, RFQs, tenders and proposal submissions from opportunity qualification through submission.

Interpret tender documents, identify key requirements and evaluation criteria, and coordinate inputs across Operations, Culinary, Finance, Procurement, HSE and other stakeholders.

Develop clear, persuasive and client-specific proposals, presentations, executive summaries and tender responses.

Manage bid timelines, clarifications, internal approvals and submission requirements to ensure complete and timely submissions.

Support costing, solution development, tender presentations, client interviews and commercial negotiations.

Maintain and continuously improve proposal templates, credentials, case studies and bid content as the business scales.

Monitor market developments, competitors and emerging client needs, and support the development of new service offerings and commercial solutions.

Support the transition of successfully secured accounts from Business Development into mobilisation and Operations.

Requirements Diploma or Degree in Business, Marketing, Hospitality or related discipline.

1-3 years of experience in Business Development, Sales, Bids or a related commercial role; strong fresh graduates may also be considered.

Excellent written English and strong proposal-writing ability.

Strong communication and presentation skills with confidence engaging prospective clients.

Proficient in PowerPoint, Word and Excel, with strong organisational skills and attention to detail.

Experience in institutional catering, foodservice, facilities management, hospitality or B2B services will be advantageous.

We Are Looking For Someone Who Has a hunter mentality and is comfortable creating opportunities rather than waiting for leads to arrive.

Is persistent, resourceful and confident approaching people they have never met before.

Can turn complex information into clear, polished and persuasive proposals.

Is meticulous about deadlines, details and submission quality.

Is self-driven and comfortable building processes and systems from the ground up.

Thrives in a fast-moving environment with broad cross-functional exposure and is willing to take ownership beyond a narrowly defined job scope.