Associate Director - National Security Business Developer

Cambridge Consultants; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Cambridge Consultants in the United Kingdom is seeking an experienced Senior Business Developer / Account Manager to grow the National Security business, leveraging established sector networks to identify opportunities and shape bids.

Based in Cheltenham with occasional travel to Cambridge, you will own client relationships during delivery and work with cross‑functional teams to bring innovative solutions to clients.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in business development or account management within the National Security sector, with evidence of significant sales delivered (e.g. multi-million-pound accounts).
• Established relationships and contacts within National Security client organisations and their supply base.
• Experience developing and executing account plans, and supporting bids with client value proposition, win themes and commercial input.
• A technical or science background giving you the credibility to engage confidently with technologists and clients alike.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to build trusted relationships quickly.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own your plan for growing business within a National Security account.
• Identify and build consultative relationships with key clients and stakeholders across the National Security community, to enable further sales opportunities.
• Identify sales opportunities and work with our technical teams to shape propositions, maximise conversion and close substantial sales.
• Support bids with positioning, win themes and pricing strategy.
• Interact with teams across the whole of Cambridge Consultants to bring the best technology to our clients to solve their problems.
• Build and maintain deep domain knowledge of the National Security market and its challenges.

Skills

National Security experience

Relationship building

Business development

Account management

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Education

Technical or science background

Job description

Introduction

We are proud of the work we do in National Security and the difference it makes to the safety and prosperity of the UK. We are looking for an experienced business developer / account manager to join our thriving Defence and Security Business Unit and grow our National Security business - bringing established sector experience, a strong network of contacts, and a track record of building trusted client relationships that turn into repeat business and deliver real impact.

Main purpose of the job

As Senior Business Developer / Account Manager, you will join an established commercial team working with clients across the National Security community. You will own and grow an area of our National Security business, using your existing relationships and sector knowledge to identify opportunities, shape work programmes and develop the commercial approach to bids, working on your own initiative to build your own line of business. Key client relationships and repeat business built on trust are the cornerstone of our commercial approach, and your responsibilities will include client management during project delivery.

This role is based in Cheltenham, with occasional travel to our Cambridge office.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own your plan for growing business within a National Security account

• Identify and build consultative relationships with key clients and stakeholders across the National Security community, to enable further sales opportunities

• Identify sales opportunities and work with our technical teams to shape propositions, maximise conversion and close substantial sales

• Support bids with positioning, win themes and pricing strategy

• Interact with teams across the whole of Cambridge Consultants to bring the best technology to our clients to solve their problems

• Build and maintain deep domain knowledge of the National Security market and its challenges

What we’re looking for

We are specifically looking for someone with established experience within the National Security sector, an existing network of contacts, and credibility gained through working closely with National Security clients and their delivery partners. You will have exposure to, and ideally direct experience in, one or more of:

• Operational Cyber

• Novel communications

• Operational technology

• Artificial Intelligence

To meet the requirements of this role you will have:

• A proven track record in business development or account management within the National Security sector, with evidence of significant sales delivered (e.g. multi-million-pound accounts)

• Established relationships and contacts within National Security client organisations and their supply base

• Experience developing and executing account plans, and supporting bids with client value proposition, win themes and commercial input

• A technical or science background giving you the credibility to engage confidently with technologists and clients alike

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to build trusted relationships quickly

Previous experience of working in a consultancy, systems integrator, government agency or other 'fee for service' organisation would be an advantage. Due to the nature of the work, this role will be subject to Security Clearance Vetting procedures, and the successful applicant must hold UK nationality.

Type of work undertaken by the division

The Defence and Security Business Unit specialises in the design and development of innovative solutions for impactful client needs, from early research through to prototype manufacture and long-term delivery of equipment and services. Our workforce has broad expertise across Artificial Intelligence, sensing and data analytics, signal processing, radio frequency engineering, electronics, software development, mechanical design, physics and mathematics, allowing us to develop complete systems for our clients.

Why Cambridge Consultants?

Cambridge Consultants creates exciting and novel breakthroughs in technology and products, helping our clients achieve the kind of game-changing leap forward that will transform their whole business. At the heart of what we do are talented, motivated multi-disciplinary teams, empowered to solve difficult problems for our clients. We recognise and celebrate individual talent and support our people to pursue the projects that interest them and develop their careers in whatever direction they choose. Promotion is linked to merit.