Head of Commercial Business Development

The Thrive Team; North East; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Thrive Team is seeking a visionary Business Development leader to steer commercial strategy in demanding sectors like Defence and Nuclear. This role requires a strategic thinker capable of identifying opportunities and building relationships, ensuring the company thrives in highly regulated environments.

Qualifications

• Experience in safety-critical industries such as Defence, Nuclear, Rail, Marine.
• Comfortable with UK and international travel.
• Proven success in commercial growth within regulated environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the business development strategy to achieve revenue goals.
• Explore new market opportunities domestically and internationally.
• Build and inspire a high-performing business development team.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving mindset

Customer relationship management

Team motivation and development

Education

Background in engineering or commercial sales

Job description

5 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Are you a dynamic, results-driven leader ready to drive growth in some of the world’s most demanding and highly regulated industries?

This is your opportunity to take the helm of commercial strategy across sectors such as Defence, Nuclear, Rail, and Marine, industries where precision, quality, and safety truly matter.

We are seeking a visionary Business Development leader who can identify opportunities, expand market presence, and build powerful client relationships. If you thrive in technically complex, fast-paced environments and have a passion for sustainable growth, this could be the next step in your career.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Leading the commercial business development strategy to achieve ambitious revenue and market share goals.
• Exploring new market opportunities both in the UK and internationally, your ideas and insight will shape our growth roadmap.
• Building, inspiring, and developing a high-performing business development team.
• Strengthening relationships with key customers and partners, championing a customer-focused, solution-led approach.
• Leading bids, proposals, and negotiations to win new contracts and deliver real commercial impact.
• Representing the business at industry events, trade shows, and conferences, becoming a true ambassador for our capabilities.
• Collaborating with technical, engineering, and production teams to deliver client requirements with excellence.
• Delivering strong reporting and insight into sales pipelines, conversion rates, and growth opportunities.

Who You Are:

• A strategic thinker with proven success in commercial growth within regulated and safety-critical industries
• Skilled at working cross-functionally and navigating complex stakeholder environments
• Passionate about building and maintaining trusted customer relationships
• Capable of motivating and developing high-performing teams
• Commercially sharp with strong analytical thinking and a problem-solving mindset
• An excellent communicator, comfortable influencing senior leaders and technical experts alike
• Confident in engaging with technically complex products and industries, such as precision manufacturing, supply chains, and high-specification engineering
• Comfortable with UK and international travel

What You’ll Bring:

• Deep understanding of safety-critical industries, ideally within either Defence, Engineering,Nuclear, Rail, Marine, Oil & Gas or Aerospace.
• Technical credibility, perhaps from an engineering background, now operating in commercial sales
• Familiarity with relevant quality standards, manufacturing processes, and regulatory frameworks
• An entrepreneurial spirit, a true “hunter” who can open new doors, especially in the Northeast and beyond
• Resilience, adaptability, and a collaborative mindset

Why Join?

You’ll have the chance to transform and grow a respected business, spearheading market entry into new and exciting sectors. You’ll gain exposure to world-class engineering and play a pivotal role in shaping the commercial future of the organisation.

If you’re ready to make your mark in a leadership role with huge growth potential, and you want the freedom to bring your strategic ideas to life, we’d love to hear from you.

PLEASE NOTE : Due to the nature of work involved, the successful candidate must be able to achieve UK Security Clearance.For this you MUST currently hold a valid British Passport, and have lived and worked in the UK for at least the past 10 years. If you do not meet this criteria, your application will be unsuccessful.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Director

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Sales and Management

• Industries

  Human Resources Services

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