Business Development Manager

The Plaza Group | Nationwide (travel across all Plaza motorway service stations) | Full clean driving licence required

The Role

The Plaza Group is looking for a commercially driven Business Development Manager to grow footfall, sales, and profitability across our motorway service stations nationwide. You'll build partnerships with coach operators, tour companies, schools, GAA clubs, and corporates, run a calendar of events and promotions, and work with site teams to improve the customer experience and average spend.

This is a hands-on, on-the-road role — you'll be regularly visiting sites across the country and need to be comfortable with weekend event work.

What You'll Do

• Business development – Win group bookings, pre-booked catering, and partnership deals with coach operators, tour companies, schools, sports clubs, and corporates.
• Events & promotions – Plan and deliver an annual events programme (community, family, motoring, charity) across Plaza sites.
• Sales & customer experience – Drive average spend through upselling initiatives and train site teams on service and sales.
• Marketing & brand – Support local and national campaigns and keep branding consistent across sites.
• Reporting – Track footfall, sales, and partnership performance, and recommend improvements.

What You Need (Must-Haves)

• 3–5 years' experience in business development, sales, or a commercial role, with a track record of growing revenue and building partnerships.
• Experience organising events or promotional campaigns.
• Full clean driving licence and genuinely happy to travel nationwide, including some weekend event work.
• Strong negotiation, networking, and communication skills — you can walk into a room and build a relationship from scratch.
• Comfortable working independently across multiple sites, without close day-to-day supervision.

Strongly Preferred

• Background in hospitality, retail, tourism, or motorway/roadside services.
• Experience working across a multi-site business.

Not the Right Fit If...

• You're looking for a desk-based, single-location role.
• You can't travel nationwide or work occasional weekends for events.
• You have less than 3 years of business development/commercial experience.

Success Looks Like

Higher footfall and average spend, new partnerships signed, a strong events calendar delivered, and measurable improvement in customer satisfaction across sites.

"Only candidates who currently have the legal right to work in Ireland will be considered."