Senior Business Development Manager - Maritime

QinetiQ Group plc; Farnborough; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense and technology firm in the UK seeks a Sales Manager to drive growth and manage order intake of over £15M. Responsibilities include leading sales strategies, ensuring timely bids, and fostering customer relationships. Ideal candidates will have extensive sales experience and demonstrate leadership skills. A competitive benefits package is offered, including a matched pension scheme and health plans.

Benefits

Matched contribution pension scheme

Competitive holiday allowance

Compressed working hours

Health Cash Plan

Employee discount portal

Volunteering opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in a sales/business development role at a management level.
• Demonstrable ability to influence at senior levels.
• Knowledge of sales concepts and project delivery.

Responsibilities

• Own annual order intake and lead growth strategy.
• Ensure timely and competitive bids.
• Deliver sales orders and market intelligence.

Skills

Sales/business development experience

Leadership skills

Relationship management

Strategic thinking

Commercial awareness

Job description

Overview

This role will require regular travel between London and the South Coast, and QinetiQ can accommodate a home site of Farnborough, London, Boscombe Down, or Portsmouth.

Role Purpose

• Own an annual order intake of c£15M+ and collaborate with the business to build growth across a 3-5 year timeline.
• Dynamic, agile and pro-active, the person will take ownership of the opportunity—leading the development and implementation of a clear capture strategy against deadlines to innovate and transform the order intake portfolio and build new business.
• Lead by example to uphold the values of teamwork, loyalty and integrity to collaborate and drive continual improvement in sales and wider team performance.
• Articulate customer issues at a high level and deliver solutions as part of a wider and enduring strategy exploiting our competitive advantage.
• Deliver direction in sales and support the business strategy, using feedback and tools such as Shipley, PESTEL, pwin/PTW, SWOT/TOWs to support IRAD/business cases and achieve sales close to budget.
• Previous demonstrable experience in the maritime domain would be a distinct advantage.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead the generation of business, translating opportunities into profitable and value-for-money (VFM) solutions.
• Own the delivery of orders, margins, cash/mobilisation targets and associated business area performance.
• Accurately forecast orders and the associated revenue.
• Provide timely market intelligence.
• Network with customers and strategic partners to foster relationships that will assure delivery of sales orders targets and future growth as declared in the business plan.
• Work internally with others in QinetiQ to define the sales strategy and build larger sales opportunities.
• Ensure bids released are timely, competitively priced and that risks to delivery are understood and mitigated with all relevant stakeholders satisfied.
• Ensure appropriate assurance of bid proposals (technical, financial, business & commercial).
• Ensure staff members within the group are competent and appropriately qualified to carry out their duties.
• Ensure day-to-day operation of the Foundation Sales area is properly and tightly managed.
• Ensure effective communication with stakeholders so resources and facilities are aligned to customer requirements.
• Ensure compliance and adherence to legal and QinetiQ processes, with auditable visibility.

Key Capabilities/Knowledge

• Broad Thinking - Thinks broadly and creatively about the industry and customer landscape, effectively considering wider factors and longer-term opportunities that fit with QinetiQ's core capabilities.
• Draws clear linkages between issues and extracts key data relevant for the short and longer term; understands what to sell and where to sell it in international or adjacent markets; takes a longer-term view of the pipeline and the market.
• Takes information from a range of sources to arrive at conclusions; adopts a creative approach focused on long-term benefit.

• Relationship Building - Builds and maintains trusting relationships with a wide network in the industry, customer and QinetiQ; leverages these relationships appropriately.
• Has the network to bring together a team quickly and get the best people from across the business to work on an opportunity.
• Invests time in building industry contacts; develops a stakeholder map and plan to maximise effective use of network.
• Establishes rapport quickly and builds relationships on trust and transparency.

• Customer Focus - Understands the customer's perspective and needs; translates customer needs into bespoke solution offerings aligned to capabilities.
• Manages customer expectations throughout the engagement; asks difficult questions tactfully; creates a value proposition aligned to customer needs and business goals.
• Checks in at regular intervals with customers throughout the opportunity.

• Commerciality - Evaluates issues to optimise growth and profitability; balances QinetiQ interests with customer loyalties; understands competitive strengths and weaknesses.
• Develops value-based propositions; understands risks and considers longer-term implications of actions.

• Personal Impact - Communicates clearly and credibly; uses non-verbal cues effectively; conveys passion and conviction; translates complex ideas succinctly; clarifies to drive conversation forward.

• Resilience - Maintains a positive, proactive approach; adapts to new methods; remains focused under pressure; handles change with composure; delivers difficult messages calmly.

• Takes Ownership - Takes accountability to deliver for the customer and QinetiQ; guides proposals through the process; prioritises time effectively; maintains progress of bids; exercises authority as needed; balances control and autonomy.

• Collaborates Across Boundaries - Drives cross-boundary collaboration; involves functional experts early; plans interactions to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes; maintains collaborative approach even when not immediately rewarded.

Note: Some capability statements include line breaks that have been consolidated into properly formed list items.

Experience and Skills

• Previous demonstrable experience in a sales/business development role at a management level in a commercial environment.
• Leading advocate and practitioner of winning business, liaising with customers at senior level, structuring propositions and overseeing proposals and bids.
• Comprehensive understanding of sales concepts and principles and related technological disciplines and project delivery.
• Experience of leading a team of professionals.
• Understanding of sales competencies, tools, and current thinking on effective, commercially sound sales strategies.
• Strong at managing relationships and conflicting priorities at senior levels; coaching, facilitation and consultancy skills with a proven track record of influencing at all levels.
• Knowledge of sector challenges and changes and how they relate to QinetiQ.
• Ability to use multiple sources of information to evaluate situations and drive the best outcomes.

Our People and Benefits

As we grow into new markets around the world, you will experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds collaborate widely. We value diverse perspectives and an inclusive culture. Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture: www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq

• Matched contribution pension scheme with life assurance
• Competitive holiday allowance, with option to purchase additional days
• Compressed working option with Friday afternoons or alternative Fridays off
• Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and more
• Support for Armed Forces community via the Armed Forces Covenant
• Volunteering opportunities

Recruitment Process

We are committed to inclusive recruitment. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect performance in assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about reasonable adjustments. Some roles require national security vetting; applicants may transfer vetting at appointment. All roles may be subject to additional restrictions, including nationality requirements. All applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance as a minimum.