This role is based in midtown Manhattan, New York. 

Who we are:

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is New Zealand's international business development agency. We work with some of New Zealand's most forward-thinking companies, helping them grow bigger, better, and faster around the world.

New Zealand is home to some of the world's most innovative food and beverage companies. From premium dairy and seafood to cutting-edge ingredients and foodservice innovation, Kiwi brands have a compelling story to tell in the U.S. market. We're looking for a commercially savvy advisor with strong American market experience to help those companies turn opportunity into tangible business growth.

What you’ll be doing: 

As a Business Growth Advisor, you'll work with a portfolio of New Zealand Food & Beverage (F&B) companies to support their growth in the U.S. market. These companies range from those exploring opportunities in the market to established businesses looking to expand customer relationships, enter new channels, or strengthen their existing position. 

You'll build relationships with company founders, key executives, and commercial teams to understand their goals, opportunities, and challenges. Drawing on your commercial experience, market knowledge, and NZTE's services and networks, you'll help companies with their go-to-market strategy,  access relevant information, and support to progress their growth ambitions. 

This is primarily an advisory and strategic management role. You won't be responsible for executing company sales plans, managing customer accounts, or owning commercial contracts. Instead, you'll help companies better understand the U.S. market, identify opportunities and challenges, grow their knowledge, and support their strategic thinking.

Your portfolio will primarily focus on companies operating across protein, dairy, seafood, ingredients, foodservice, and private label. You'll work closely with colleagues across North America and New Zealand, as well as the wider NZ Inc network, to support individual companies and broader food & beverage sector initiatives. 

This role is based in Midtown Manhattan, New York, and requires a minimum of three days per week in the office. Light travel (up to 3-4 times per year) within the United States may be required to attend customer meetings, industry events, and team activities. This position works standard East Coast US business hours with some flexibility to work across a New Zealand morning timezone.  

What you’ll need to be successful: 

Success in this role comes from building strong relationships, understanding company needs, sharing relevant market insights, and connecting companies with useful people, opportunities, and resources. The role suits someone who enjoys variety, working across multiple businesses at the same time, and helping others succeed. 

You'll also contribute to F&B sector activities, share market intelligence, maintain industry relationships, and support NZTE's wider food & beverage portfolio priorities.

 You will have:

• 8+ years of experience in the U.S. Food & Beverage sector, with experience in one or more areas such as protein, dairy, seafood, ingredients, foodservice, private label, or nutrition. 

• Commercial experience in areas such as strategy, advisory, management consulting, business development, category management, distribution, sourcing, or related disciplines. 

• An understanding of how Food & Beverage companies bring products and services to market in the United States. 

• Experience working with customers, distributors, manufacturers, retailers, foodservice operators, or other industry participants. 

• Strong communication and relationship-building skills. 

• Sound commercial judgement and a practical, solutions-focused approach. 

• The ability to manage multiple priorities and work across a diverse portfolio of companies. 

• An interest in helping businesses grow and succeed in the U.S. market. 

• A collaborative approach and willingness to work across a range of stakeholders and teams. 

Responsibilities 

• Manage a portfolio of New Zealand Food & Beverage companies, working closely with a New Zealand based counterpart.

• Help companies explore growth opportunities across channels such as ingredients, foodservice, private label, and enterprise partnerships. 

• Support companies to better understand opportunities and challenges in the U.S. market and to build networks in the US, with relevant customers, partners, service providers, industry organizations, and other useful contacts. 

• Help companies access NZTE's services, tools, resources, and networks. 

• Support companies at different stages of growth, from early market validation through to expansion and market development. 

• Maintain and grow industry relationships that strengthen NZTE's understanding of the U.S. market. 

• Contribute to sector initiatives, customer engagement activity, and wider New Zealand government inter agency collaboration opportunities. 

• Work collaboratively with colleagues across North America and New Zealand to deliver value for New Zealand companies. 

Note: internally, this role is known as a Business Development Manager (BDM). 

Why you’ll love working here:  

NZTE offers a flexible and stimulating environment with a unique opportunity to develop and access world-class business networks within a talented, diverse, and global group. We’re a public service organization that cares for our team and supports them with flexible working options, technology, development opportunities, and support so they can perform at their best. 

This role is banded NYC L17

The total compensation range for this role is USD $147,000–$164,000 per year. 

This range represents a ‘total package’ approach to compensation and includes the value of a platinum medical insurance plan, including dental and vision coverage. 

You may enroll in this group medical plan (pre-tax benefit) and the per-pay-period cash value of compensation will be adjusted accordingly. Alternatively, if medical plan enrollment is not desired, its value may be taken as cash-in-lieu of coverage.  

What’s next:

Please check out the Position Description and apply with a current CV and include a cover letter describing why you are interested and why think you are suited to this role. 

This vacancy closes 11.59pm EDT on Monday 27 July.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Employment visa sponsorship is not available.

If you have any issues uploading your resume  and cover letter, please send directly to: tas@nzte.govt.nz

We believe New Zealand is good for the world. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is an equal opportunity employer. At NZTE it is all about our people and we seek diversity of thought; we welcome and encourage you to apply regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, neurodiversity or disability. We also welcome applications from Veterans.