Who is New England Seafood International? NESI was established in 1991 and is an importer and processor of premium fresh and frozen sustainable fish and seafood. NESI employs circa 850 people across three sites in the UK and imports a wide range of wild and farmed fish and shellfish from all around the world. We are part of the Sealaska Corporation, an Alaska Native corporation formed in 1971 and which is owned by 26,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders, who are all bloodline descendants of the first settlers to the Americas.
Our vision is to “show people how to enjoy fish every day” and we pride ourselves on our supply chain integrity, sustainable sourcing and high-quality product. Our values run through our business and are Respect, Customer Care, By Learning We Grow, Team Spirit and Integrity.
Title: Business Development Manager – Foodservice
Location: Field based – UK wide. Regular travel required
Salary: Competitive DOE + bonus + car allowance
The Opportunity
New England Seafood International (NESI) is making a significant and sustained investment in expanding its British crab proposition, underpinned by enhanced domestic processing capability in Paignton. This investment represents an exciting phase of growth for the business and creates a high‑impact opportunity for an experienced commercial professional to play a pivotal role in shaping NESI’s presence within the UK foodservice market.
The Business Development Manager – Foodservice will be instrumental in accelerating sustainable volume growth, developing new customer partnerships, and strengthening NESI’s position as a trusted supplier of premium seafood. This role offers the opportunity to work across a wide range of foodservice and commercial channels, contributing directly to NESI’s long‑term growth ambitions while representing a business committed to quality, sustainability, and customer collaboration.
The Role
The Business Development Manager – Foodservice is responsible for delivering new business growth across UK foodservice, wholesale, and manufacturing customers, with a primary focus on expanding crab volumes at pace. In addition to driving new customer acquisition, the role will support the broader growth of NESI’s seafood portfolio, including tuna, salmon, and whitefish.
This position requires a proactive, commercially astute individual who is comfortable working autonomously in a field‑based role while collaborating closely with internal sales, operations, and service teams. The successful candidate will balance strategic planning with hands‑on execution, building a strong and sustainable sales pipeline that supports both short‑term results and long‑term customer partnerships.
Key Responsibilities
- Identify, develop, and secure new business opportunities across UK foodservice, wholesale, and manufacturing channels, contributing to significant incremental revenue growth.
- Deliver ambitious volume growth targets for NESI’s British crab range, aligned with commercial strategy and operational capability.
- Develop and expand business within a diverse range of channels, including pubs, travel and tourism, airlines, stadia, and contract catering partners.
- Build, manage, and maintain a robust pipeline of prospective customers, ensuring consistent momentum and future growth opportunities.
- Establish and nurture strong, long‑term customer relationships founded on trust, service, and mutual commercial value.
- Collaborate closely with the wider sales team, service desk, and internal stakeholders to convert leads effectively and deliver a seamless customer experience.
- Act as a knowledgeable and credible ambassador for NESI, representing the business as a seafood category expert and promoting its premium and sustainable offering.
- Provide market insight and customer feedback to support continuous improvement of propositions, go‑to‑market activity, and category development.
What We’re Looking For
- Strong new business track record
- Experience in foodservice or seafood sales
- Hunter mentality and highly driven
- Strong commercial and relationship skills
- Understanding of UK foodservice market
What Success Looks Like
- Delivered incremental new business revenue within 18 months, in line with agreed commercial targets and margin expectations.
- Achieved significant and measurable growth in crab volumes, supporting NESI’s strategic investment in crab processing capability.
- Secured new customers across priority foodservice, wholesale, and manufacturing channels.
- Built and maintained a strong, forward‑looking sales pipeline, providing confidence in continued medium‑and long‑term growth.
- Established trusted, value‑led relationships with customers, underpinned by commercial credibility, service excellence, and insight‑driven collaboration.
- Worked effectively with internal sales, service, and operations teams to ensure consistent execution, high customer satisfaction, and efficient onboarding of new business.
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