Customer Relationship Manager - Defence Industry

DefendTex Pty Ltd; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive remuneration package

Professional learning & development

Access to advanced facilities

Collaborative, innovative culture

Job summary

DefendTex Pty Ltd. is seeking an experienced Customer Relationship Manager to lead end-to-end customer engagement with Defence, Government and allied international customers.

You will coordinate enquiries, quotations, orders and post-sales support, working closely with Engineering, Production and Operations to ensure timely fulfilment. The role requires strong relationship-building, B2B experience, and the ability to manage multiple priorities across internal teams, with a focus on delivering

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in customer relationship management, account management, sales coordination or a similar customer-facing role.
• Experience managing customer enquiries, quotations and orders within a B2B environment.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage confidently and professionally with customers, stakeholders and internal teams.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple customers and competing priorities.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of quotation, order and fulfilment processes.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple business functions.
• Experience within Defence, Government, engineering or manufacturing industries highly regarded.
• Experience with CRM or ERP, ideally M1, business systems advantageous.
• Australian Citizenship - must be eligible to obtain and maintain an Australian Government Baseline Security Clearance
• Not be a prohibited person under Section 3 of the Firearms Act 1996 (Victoria)

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop relationships with Defence, Government and allied international customers.
• Act as the primary point of contact for customer enquiries, requests and ongoing communications.
• Coordinate customer enquiries, requirements and the preparation and submission of quotations.
• Manage the quotation process, including follow-ups and progression through to order placement.
• Coordinate customer orders from acceptance through to production, fulfilment and delivery.
• Liaise with internal teams to monitor order progress, production schedules and delivery commitments.
• Proactively communicate order updates, milestones, delays and changes to customers.
• Manage post-sales customer support, feedback and issue resolution.
• Maintain accurate customer, quotation and order records and reporting.
• Identify opportunities to improve customer experience, strengthen relationships and support business growth.

Skills

Customer relationship management

Account management

Sales coordination

Interpersonal skills

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

CRM systems

ERP

M1

Job description

Customer Relationship Manager - Defence Industry

As winner of the 2024 and 2023 Defence Innovator of the Year and finalist in 2025 and 2026, our values of integrity, innovation, professionalism and passion are at the forefront of everything we do. Our vision is to be a world leader in defence innovation through developing and delivering innovative defence technologies to military and law enforcement communities around the world.

DefendTex is seeking an experienced Customer Relationship Manager to manage and develop relationships with our Defence, Government and allied international customers.

This is an end-to-end customer management role responsible for overseeing all pre-sales and post-sales customer engagement, from initial enquiries and quotation preparation through to order management, fulfilment and ongoing customer support.

Working closely with Engineering, Production and Operations, you will coordinate customer requirements internally to ensure enquiries, quotations and orders are managed efficiently and customers are kept informed throughout the process.

About this role

• Manage and develop relationships with Defence, Government and allied international customers.
• Act as the primary point of contact for customer enquiries, requests and ongoing communications.
• Coordinate customer enquiries, requirements and the preparation and submission of quotations.
• Manage the quotation process, including follow-ups and progression through to order placement.
• Coordinate customer orders from acceptance through to production, fulfilment and delivery.
• Liaise with internal teams to monitor order progress, production schedules and delivery commitments.
• Proactively communicate order updates, milestones, delays and changes to customers.
• Manage post-sales customer support, feedback and issue resolution.
• Maintain accurate customer, quotation and order records and reporting.
• Identify opportunities to improve customer experience, strengthen relationships and support business growth.

About you

• Demonstrated experience in customer relationship management, account management, sales coordination or a similar customer-facing role.
• Experience managing customer enquiries, quotations and orders within a B2B environment.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage confidently and professionally with customers, stakeholders and internal teams.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple customers and competing priorities.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of quotation, order and fulfilment processes.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple business functions.
• Experience within Defence, Government, engineering or manufacturing industries highly regarded.
• Experience with CRM or ERP, ideally M1, business systems advantageous.
• Australian Citizenship - must be eligible to obtain and maintain an Australian Government Baseline Security Clearance
• Not be a prohibited person under Section 3 of the Firearms Act 1996 (Victoria)

Why us?

• Competitive remuneration package.
• Opportunity to work with Australian and international Defence and Government customers.
• Be part of an innovative and growing Australian Defence technology business.
• Work alongside some of Australia's leading Defence engineers and scientists.
• Access to advanced manufacturing, engineering and prototyping facilities.
• Professional learning and development opportunities.
• A dynamic, innovative and collaborative culture where ideas become reality.
• Regular team events and a workplace that genuinely values its people.
• We are committed to ensuring diversity, inclusion and equality are embedded throughout our organisation for the benefit of our customers and our employees. We strive for a positive and engaging workplace where mental health and wellbeing are supported. We welcome applicants from all diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

If you are passionate about building customer relationships and want to contribute to the delivery of innovative defence technologies, we look forward to receiving your application.