Head Of Defence

Dhl; Sydney; On-site; Confidential; Full time

Job summary

DHL Global Forwarding in Australia seeks a Head of Defence, Aerospace & Aviation to drive growth, build strategic relationships with government, Defence bodies and industry partners, and lead complex tender activities.

The role focuses on new business acquisition, strategic account development, market expansion, and delivering integrated logistics solutions across Defence and related sectors. Senior leadership and cross-functional collaboration are essential.

Qualifications

• Australian Citizenship is a mandatory requirement for this position.
• Demonstrated experience working within the Defence sector.
• More than 6 years' relevant professional experience, including senior business development or strategic account responsibilities.
• A bachelor’s degree is required.
• Strong B2B sales and business development capability with ability to convert opportunities to outcomes.
• Demonstrated capability in business negotiation, sales processes, and stakeholder management.
• Strong strategic planning, business performance, and project management capability.
• Proven leadership and performance management skills.
• Confident in engaging and influencing senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Commercially focused mindset balancing growth, customer outcomes, and profitability.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute go-to-market strategy for Defence, Aerospace & Aviation sectors.
• Identify, pursue, and secure new business, building a strong pipeline of opportunities.
• Grow and retain strategic accounts through account planning, engagement, reviews and tender activity.
• Lead and coordinate complex tender and bid processes across multiple transport modes.
• Lead and provide direction to specialist resources supporting the sector.
• Build senior relationships with customers, government, Defence organisations, industry suppliers and stakeholders.
• Monitor portfolio performance, revenue, profitability and provide commercial reporting.
• Maintain security accreditations and ensure they remain current.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, Industrial Projects, Product teams and regional colleagues.
• Support onboarding and delivery of new business wins.

Skills

Defence sector experience

B2B sales

Business development

Senior leadership

Strategic account management

Tender processes

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Head of Defence, Aerospace & Aviation

Are you an experienced Defence sector leader with the commercial drive to build business, develop strategic customer relationships and turn complex opportunities into sustainable growth?

We are seeking a Head of Defence, Aerospace & Aviation to lead our growth strategy across these important sectors in Australia. This is a senior commercial role focused on new business acquisition, strategic account development, market growth and building strong relationships across customers, government, Defence organisations, and the broader industry.

What you'll be doing

In this role, you will:

• Develop and execute the go-to-market strategy for the Defence, Aerospace & Aviation sectors.
• Identify, pursue, and secure new business, building and maintaining a strong pipeline of qualified opportunities.
• Grow and retain strategic accounts through effective account planning, customer engagement, reviews, and tender activity.
• Lead and coordinate complex tender and bid processes across multiple transport modes.
• Lead and provide direction to dedicated specialist resources supporting the sector, where applicable.
• Build senior relationships with customers, government departments, Defence organisations, military institutions, industry suppliers, and other key stakeholders.
• Monitor portfolio performance, revenue and profitability and provide meaningful commercial reporting.
• Maintain required security accreditations and ensure they remain current and aligned with applicable requirements.
• Work closely with Sales, Operations, Industrial Projects, Product, and global sector teams to develop and deliver integrated solutions.
• Support the successful onboarding and service delivery of new business wins.

What you'll bring

• Australian Citizenship is a mandatory requirement for this position.
• Demonstrated experience working within the Defence sector.
• More than 6 years' relevant professional experience, ideally including senior business development, sales, or strategic account responsibilities.
• A bachelor’s degree.
• Strong B2B sales and business development capability, with experience developing opportunities and converting them into commercial outcomes.
• Demonstrated capability in business negotiation, sales processes, and stakeholder management.
• Strong strategic planning, business performance, and project management capability.
• Proven leadership and performance management skills.
• Confidence engaging and influencing senior internal and external stakeholders.
• A commercially focused mindset with the ability to balance growth, customer outcomes, and profitability.

Why this role?

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a strategically important sector, combining business development, strategic account leadership, and sector expertise to strengthen DHL Global Forwarding's position in the Australian Defence, Aerospace & Aviation market.

You'll operate across a broad stakeholder network and collaborate with Country Leadership, Sales, Operations, Industrial Projects, Product specialists, and regional colleagues while developing relationships across Defence, government, and industry.

If you bring established Defence sector experience, strong commercial capability, and the ambition to shape and grow a strategic portfolio, we'd like to hear from you.