Business Growth Advisor - Food & Beverage

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 comp