Senior Business Development Manager – Submarines

BMT; Teddington; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Medical Insurance

Enhanced Pension

Maternity Pay

Family-friendly policies

Wellbeing Fund

26 Days Leave

Holiday trading

Discounts

Subscriptions paid

Job summary

BMT in the United Kingdom seeks a Senior Business Development Manager – Submarines to drive growth across the UK submarines portfolio. You will build senior relationships across MoD, Navy Command, and industry partners, shaping opportunities from early engagement to successful bids.

This high-profile role within the Future Business team requires DV clearance, strategic thinking, and willingness to travel to customer, MOD and partner locations.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in UK defence and submarine market.
• Strong relationships with MoD, Navy Command, Defence Industry Partners.
• Proven track record securing strategic growth opportunities.
• Experience leading opportunity capture and bid processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead growth across UK submarines portfolio.
• Shape opportunities across lifecycle including AUKUS/SSN-AUKUS, Dreadnought, Astute, in-service support.
• Develop senior relationships with MoD, Submarine Delivery Agency and Royal Navy.
• Lead capture activities and bid submissions.
• Collaborate across technical, programme, commercial and capability teams.
• Influence investment decisions and growth strategy.

Skills

Business development

Submarines sector

Defence industry

Stakeholder management

Bid capture

Relationship building

Job description

Job Title

Senior Business Development Manager – Submarines

Contract Type

Permanent

Flexibility

At BMT, we believe people do their best work when they have the freedom to balance their professional and personal lives. We understand that everyone’s circumstances are different, so we’re always happy to discuss what flexibility might look like for you. While we can’t guarantee every request, we will always listen and explore options that support both you and the needs of the role.

Location

United Kingdom

Flexible, with routine travel to BMT offices expected.
Local, regional and international travel as required, including travel to customer, MOD, naval base, industry and partner locations associated with the UK submarines enterprise.

Security Clearance

Please note that this role requires Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance. Applicants must be sole British nationals and will normally need to have resided in the UK continuously for at least the last 10 years to meet clearance eligibility requirements.

About BMT

BMT is dedicated to solving some of the most important engineering challenges of our time. Our people use their technical excellence to deliver practical, meaningful solutions that make a real difference.

We are committed to building a safer, more efficient, and more sustainable future. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our mission, shaping our culture and supporting our purpose. Learn more about us at www.bmt.org.

Benefits

• Private Medical Insurance (including family cover)
• Enhanced Pension
• 18 weeks’ enhanced maternity pay (after 1 year’s service)
• Family‑friendly policies
• Inclusive and supportive culture
• Annual Wellbeing Fund for hobbies and personal interests
• 26 days' annual leave plus bank holidays
• Holiday trading
• Retail and lifestyle discounts
• Professional subscriptions paid

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and commercially driven Senior Business Development Manager – Submarines to lead growth across BMT's UK submarines portfolio. Working within our Future Business team, you will play a key role in shaping and securing strategic opportunities across the full submarine lifecycle, including AUKUS/SSN-AUKUS, Dreadnought, Astute, in-service support, infrastructure, safety, assurance and nuclear enterprise programmes.

With a strong understanding of the UK defence and submarine landscape, you will develop and maintain senior relationships across the Ministry of Defence, Submarine Delivery Agency, Navy Command, Defence Nuclear Enterprise, Royal Navy stakeholders and industry partners. You will identify, qualify and shape new opportunities, building a high-quality pipeline that supports both short‑term order intake and long‑term sustainable growth.

Working collaboratively across technical, programme, commercial and capability teams, you will lead capture activities, develop compelling customer propositions and position BMT for success in a highly regulated and strategically important market. You will use market insight, customer knowledge and commercial judgement to influence investment decisions, capability development and growth strategy.

This is a high‑profile role offering the opportunity to shape the future of BMT's submarines business while contributing to some of the UK's most significant and complex defence programmes.

About You

You are an accomplished business development professional with deep knowledge of the UK submarines sector and a strong understanding of the defence, nuclear and maritime landscape. You will bring established relationships across government, MOD, the Submarine Delivery Agency, Navy Command, Royal Navy submarine stakeholders and industry partners, together with the ability to identify, shape and secure strategic growth opportunities in complex, safety‑critical environments.

You combine strong commercial acumen with strategic thinking, using market insight, customer understanding and competitor awareness to translate ambiguity into clear business priorities and actionable growth plans. Experienced in working within matrix organisations, you are skilled at influencing senior stakeholders, building alignment across cross‑functional teams and leading opportunity capture activities from early engagement through to successful bid submission.

You will have excellent communication and relationship‑building skills, with the credibility and confidence to represent your organisation externally and engage effectively with customers, partners and senior leaders. A track record of developing high‑quality pipelines, delivering sustainable growth and creating winning propositions within defence, aerospace, maritime or similarly regulated sectors would be highly advantageous.

Most importantly, you are a collaborative and resilient individual who thrives on delivering results, coaching others and building trusted relationships, while demonstrating the professionalism, judgement and integrity needed to succeed in a strategically important market.