Business Development Lead

Saab; Fareham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Saab UK locates a senior Business Development professional to expand strategic relationships in global offshore energy markets, with emphasis on work-class ROV operations and subsea services.

You will lead market intelligence, account planning, and collaboration with engineering, product and service teams to translate customer needs into successful business outcomes. Expect engagement across multinational operators and EPCs, with exposure to tender activities and long sales cycles.

Qualifications

• Proven stakeholder engagement across complex organisations.
• Experience in Business Development, Sales or Account Management.
• Ability to build relationships across functions and geographies.
• Track record of securing high‑value, technical contracts.
• Strong commercial acumen translating tech to business value.
• Proficient with CRM systems and sales processes.
• Excellent presentation and negotiation skills.
• Understanding of subsea technologies and offshore operations.

Responsibilities

• Analyse market trends, competitor activity and customer demand in global work-class ROV markets.
• Develop and execute customer capture plans with regional teams and stakeholders.
• Identify decision makers in operator, EPC, vessel owner and service provider organisations.
• Maintain account plans, stakeholder maps and CRM pipelines.
• Grow Seaeye sales through engagement with customers and partners.
• Provide market intelligence on pricing, project cycles and competitor positioning.
• Identify opportunities to upsell Saab Seaeye products and lifecycle services.
• Build long-term relationships with offshore operators, contractors and industry partners.
• Support bids, tenders and framework agreements with customers.
• Engage through all sales lifecycle stages from identification to post-delivery support.
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to translate requirements into outcomes.
• Develop opportunities using the Winning Business process with governance.
• Represent Saab Seaeye at industry events and conferences.
• Identify emerging offshore energy opportunities including wind, CCS, and decommissioning.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Business development

Account management

Relationship management

Contract negotiation

CRM proficiency

Communication

subsea technologies understanding

Job description

Introduction

Saab UK is part of Scandinavia’s largest defence company, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation. Saab offers world‑leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space, and civil security to keep people and society safe. Our UK presence has been growing at pace, meaning we can offer a wide range of opportunities for personal fulfilment and career growth. We currently employ over 600 people across eight sites in the UK, and our specialisations include software engineering, underwater robotics, radars, AI, and armed forces training.

Introduction

Saab UK is part of Scandinavia’s largest defence company, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation. Saab offers world‑leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space, and civil security to keep people and society safe. Our UK presence has been growing at pace, meaning we can offer a wide range of opportunities for personal fulfilment and career growth. We currently employ over 600 people across eight sites in the UK, and our specialisations include software engineering, underwater robotics, radars, AI, and armed forces training.

What You Will Be Part Of

Saab is a leading defence and security company with an enduring purpose, to help nations keep their people and society safe. Empowered by its 28,000 talented people, Saab constantly pushes the boundaries of technology to create a safer and more sustainable world. Saab designs, manufactures and maintains advanced systems in aeronautics, weapons, command and control, sensors and underwater systems. Saab is headquartered in Sweden. It has major operations all over the world and is part of the domestic defence capability of several nations.

The Role:

This role will be focused on maintaining, developing, and expanding strategic relationships with clients and stakeholders across the global offshore energy sector, with a particular emphasis on work‑class ROV operations, subsea intervention, offshore wind, oil and gas, decommissioning, and emerging offshore energy markets.

Key Responsibilities:

• Analyse and assess market trends, competitor activity, customer demand, and technology developments within the global work‑class ROV and subsea robotics market.
• Develop and execute customer capture plans and growth strategies in collaboration with regional Customer Sales Responsible teams and key internal stakeholders.
• Identify and influence key decision makers throughout operator, EPC, vessel owner, offshore contractor, and ROV service provider organisations.
• Maintain detailed customer account plans, stakeholder maps, and opportunity pipelines within the CRM system.
• Develop and grow the Seaeye sales pipeline through proactive engagement with existing and prospective customers.
• Provide market intelligence and commercial insight regarding pricing, fleet expansion plans, upcoming projects, asset replacement cycles, and competitor positioning.
• Identify opportunities to upsell and bundle products and services from the wider Saab Seaeye portfolio, including vehicle systems, tooling, autonomy, digital solutions, and lifecycle support services.
• Build and maintain long‑term strategic relationships with offshore operators, ROV contractors, leasing companies, EPC contractors, system integrators, and industry partners.
• Identify opportunities across the entire Seaeye product family and position Saab Seaeye as a strategic technology partner within global energy markets.
• Support bid, tender, and proposal activities for major capital equipment programmes, fleet renewals, and long‑term framework agreements.
• Engage with customers throughout the full sales lifecycle, from opportunity identification through technical qualification, proposal development, negotiation, contract award, and post‑delivery support.
• Work closely with engineering, programme management, product management, and service teams to ensure customer requirements are translated into successful business outcomes.
• Develop business opportunities using the Winning Business (WB) process, ensuring effective qualification, risk management, opportunity progression, and governance.
• Represent Saab Seaeye at industry conferences, exhibitions, trade associations, and customer events, promoting the company’s position as a market‑leading provider of work‑class ROV solutions.
• Support the identification of emerging opportunities within offshore wind, carbon capture and storage (CCS), subsea mining, energy transition projects, and other developing offshore markets.

Qualifications And Skills

Required Skills

• Proven stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills across complex customer organisations.
• Demonstrable experience in Business Development, Sales, or Account Management within technical or engineering‑led industries.
• Ability to build strong internal and external relationships across multiple functions and geographies.
• Proven track record of securing high‑value, technically complex contracts and strategic customer agreements.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to understand customer operational challenges and translate technical solutions into business value. Experience managing long sales cycles involving multiple stakeholders and decision makers.
• Proficient in CRM systems and structured sales management processes.
• Strong negotiation, influencing, and closing skills.
• Confident presenter with excellent communication skills, capable of engaging customers from operational through to executive level.
• Ability to understand subsea technologies, offshore operations, and work‑class ROV applications.
• Experience developing account strategies, opportunity pipelines, and long‑term growth plans.

Desirable Skills

• Commercial and contractual awareness, including experience supporting major tenders and framework agreements.
• Experience within the offshore energy, subsea, work‑class ROV, marine robotics, offshore wind, oil and gas, or defence sectors.
• Product knowledge of Saab Seaeye ROV systems and associated tooling packages.
• Established network across offshore operators, ROV contractors, EPC contractors, vessel operators, and subsea service providers.
• Operational experience or strong understanding of work‑class ROV systems, launch and recovery systems (LARS), control systems, tooling, and subsea intervention operations.
• Knowledge of offshore field development, inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR), decommissioning, and renewable energy project activities.
• Understanding of industry procurement processes and project delivery models within the offshore energy sector.
• Experience operating in international markets and managing global customer accounts.
• Familiarity with autonomous and remotely operated subsea technologies, digitalisation, and the evolving energy transition market.

By submitting an application to Saab UK you consent to undertaking workforce screening activities that may include but are not limited to: Baseline Personnel Security checks, National Security Vetting, reference checks, verification of working rights and in all circumstances preferred candidates will be placed through a security interview.