Senior Business Development Manager

Simaero; Île-de-France; Hybrid; EUR 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

High autonomy in shaping commercial strategy

International exposure across four continents

Flexible location with travel opportunities

Job summary

Simaero is seeking a Business Development Manager for its engineering division. This role is critical as it involves managing the full sales cycle, from identifying opportunities to closing contracts within the aviation simulation industry.

The successful candidate will have over 10 years of relevant experience and a strong technical background, ensuring successful engagement with clients across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Extensive travel is required for building and maintaining relationships.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in aviation simulation or pilot training, in commercial or technical sales role.
• Fluent in English; additional languages are a plus.
• Extensive travel requirement (40-50%).

Responsibilities

• Manage a pipeline of engineering services opportunities.
• Lead technical-commercial discussions and negotiations.
• Develop go-to-market strategy for service portfolio.

Skills

Experience in aviation simulation or pilot training industry

Full-flight simulator technology knowledge

B2B sales management

Fluent English

Entrepreneurial mindset

Job description

Simaero Engineering is the engineering services division of the Simaero Group, a PE-backed international flight simulator operator with training centers in Paris, Johannesburg, Changsha (China), and India, and active development toward a Saudi Arabia presence. Founded in 2015 and ISO 9001:2015 certified, the engineering division delivers turnkey solutions to commercial, defense, and governmental full-flight simulator (FFS) operators worldwide: upgrades, relocations, installation supervision, spare parts trading, and long-term maintenance support.

Our clients include airlines, independent training organizations, OEMs, and military operators across 65+ countries. We work on all simulator types, manufacturers, and generations. With the global FFS market expanding and Simaero’s footprint growing fast — including a new A320neo simulator at Paris CDG and a recently launched FFS & spare parts trading service — we are building a commercial function to match our engineering ambitions.

The Role:

Directly reporting to the Technical and Engineering Group Director, functionally reporting to Group Commercial Director, you will be in charge of Simaero Engineering’s business development. This is a high‑autonomy, hands‑on business development role in a niche, global, technically demanding market. You will own the full sales cycle: from identifying opportunities with simulator operators and airlines, to scoping technical solutions with our engineering team, to closing contracts and growing long‑term accounts.

This is not a desk job. You will travel regularly to meet clients and attend industry events. You will be the commercial face of Simaero Engineering in front of Technical Directors, and procurement teams at airlines and sim operators across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build and manage a pipeline of engineering services opportunities across existing and new accounts worldwide
• Identify and qualify prospects among airlines, independent training organizations,
• Lead technical‑commercial discussions: scope projects with the engineering team, prepare proposals and quotations, negotiate and close contracts
• Develop and execute the go‑to‑market strategy for Simaero Engineering’s expanding service portfolio (upgrades, relocations, FFS trading, spare parts, installation supervision)
• Represent Simaero Engineering at key industry events, conferences, and trade shows
• Maintain CRM discipline: accurate forecasting, pipeline reporting, and account planning
• Provide market intelligence on competitor activity, pricing trends, and emerging customer needs to inform strategic decisions
• Coordinate with the Group’s training center sales teams to identify cross‑selling opportunities between pilot training and engineering services

Must‑Haves:

• From 10 years of experience in the aviation simulation or pilot training industry, in a commercial, business development, or technical sales role — OR in an operational/technical role with strong client exposure (e.g., simulator engineering project manager, training center manager, airline training department)
• Working knowledge of full‑flight simulator technology: upgrade types (UPRT, PBN, visual systems, host computer rehosting, FMS, avionics), qualification processes, and the regulatory landscape (EASA, FAA, CAAC, SACAA, DGCA)
• Proven ability to manage complex, multi‑stakeholder B2B sales cycles with deal sizes in the €100k–€2M+ range
• Fluent English; additional languages (French, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi) are a big plus
• Willingness to travel extensively (40–50% of time) across Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia
• Entrepreneurial mindset: comfortable developing a commercial function from the ground up in a lean, fast‑moving organization

Nice‑to‑Haves:

• Existing relationships with FFS operators, airline training departments, or civil aviation authorities
• Direct experience with simulator OEMs (CAE, Thales, L3Harris, FlightSafety, Axis, Havelsan, CSS) or independent engineering providers
• Understanding of defense and governmental simulation procurement processes
• Experience in a PE‑backed or high‑growth environment
• Knowledge of the Middle East and Asian aviation training markets

What We Offer:

• Join a fast‑growing international PE‑backed scale‑up (+25% per year), at the heart of an exciting sector that combines technology and human development.
• Enjoy management that prioritizes proximity and active listening.
• High autonomy: you will shape the commercial strategy and build your own function
• The opportunity to define and build a new function from the ground up—this is a foundational hire, not a backfill.
• International exposure across four continents, working with diverse clients and cultures
• A technically rich environment: work alongside world‑class FFS engineers on cutting‑edge simulator projects
• Flexible location: the role can be based in Paris (near CDG HQ), or remotely from another major European, Middle Eastern, or Asian hub, provided you can travel freely