Cooktastic, in partnership with OpenSeat, is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic individual to join our team as a Business Development Officer.
Cooktastic Hub NPC is a culinary skills development company in Cape Town, empowering young talented people from disadvantaged backgrounds through Culinary Training, Job Placement Support and a Springboard to Entrepreneurship in the prospering field of the hospitality industry.
OpenSeat is a digital meal-sharing platform that aims to reduce the barriers to hospitality and community-building that are commonly experienced by both individuals and organisations; the platform enables users to host and attend meals, as well as outsource aspects of the meal to caterers and venues in our ecosystem.
The successful candidate shall be appointed to play a role as a ‘networking champion’ serving multiple stakeholders, with a mandate to enable and promote entrepreneurship by graduates of Cooktastic’s culinary training.
The primary responsibility of the Business Development Officer will be sales, to create and help satisfy demand for catering services provided by food entrepreneurs affiliated with Cooktastic as well as Cooktastic’s in-house Bakery, Bistro and Catering services, using Cooktastic’s digital OpenSeat Portal.
This position requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a strong entrepreneurial mindset and a desire to assist food entrepreneurs to flourish, and a passion for the culinary industry.
Key responsibilities:
Partnership Development and Client Acquisition
- Identify and forge strategic partnerships with food entrepreneurs, chefs, and local culinary talent.
- Actively seek out and brokering partnerships with individuals and organisations interested in catering services fulfilled by graduates of Cooktastic (as food entrepreneurs), as well as the bakery, bistro and catering services offered by Cooktastic itself.
- Establish and maintain relationships with event organizers, wedding planners, corporate clients, and other potential partners.
- Attend industry events, trade shows, and conferences to network and promote food entrepreneurs and the Cooktastic brand.
Expanding Market Access through OpenSeat
- Promoting use of Cooktastic’s OpenSeat Portal, through which individuals and organisations will be able to set up events and request catering and venue services from Cooktastic.
- Broadly selling OpenSeat platform usage and subscriptions to create demand and market access for Cooktastic’s food entrepreneurs, catering and venue services for their own internal events.
- Providing hands-on OpenSeat Portal training for each cohort of Cooktastic trainees
Assisting Cooktastic & Its Food Entrepreneurs
- Work with the Cooktastic and OpenSeat team to create promotional materials and meal campaigns that highlight Cooktastic’s unique offerings.
- Helping to monitor and support Cooktastic-affiliated food entrepreneurs in their provision of catering services, particularly when at Cooktastic venues, in order to provide feedback
- Build strong relationships with key stakeholders to assist Cooktastic graduates who cannot find industry placements to become successful entrepreneurs
General Business Development
- Develop and implement a business development strategy to achieve revenue targets and market expansion for both Cooktastic’s Bakery, Bistro and Catering services as well as services provided by Cooktastic-associated food entrepreneurs.
- Data Analysis and Reporting – collect and analyse data related to partnerships and business development efforts, and prepare regular reports and presentations to share insights and progress with the management team at Cooktastic and OpenSeat.
- Conduct catering and food enterprise market analysis and prepare reports, to identify potential areas for growth and improvement for both Cooktastic as an enterprise as well as its graduates.
Salary and Contract:
- R25,000 monthly (total cost to company)
- 1 year contract
- Potential for renewal, dependent on a performance review.
Qualifications and Skills Required:
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field.
- Proven experience in business development, sales, or marketing, preferably in the culinary or food industry.
- Strong understanding of market dynamics and customer behavior in the culinary training industry.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
- Ability to build and maintain relationships with clients and industry professionals.
- Self-motivated with a strong entrepreneurial mindset.
- Analytical thinker with the ability to identify business opportunities and develop strategies.
- Proficiency in Microsoft 365/Office Suite or Google Workspace apps.
- Tech-savvy and able to explain how to use digital platforms similar to openseat.co.za
Desirable Skills:
- Previous experience working in the culinary or hospitality industry.
- Knowledge of marketing strategies and techniques specific to the food industry.
- Familiarity with collaborative project management tools (e.g. Trello)
- Familiarity with social media platforms and digital marketing.
- Ability to multi-task and work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
If you have a passion for business and entrepreneur development and a strong interest in the culinary industry, we encourage you to apply for the position of Business Development Officer.
Apply via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3806662498/