Senior Sales Manager

QinetiQ; Farnborough; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the Defence sector is seeking a Senior Business Development Manager to generate new business opportunities. You will collaborate with technical leads to achieve growth objectives, maintain relationships with customers, and ensure compliance in all business activities. Successful candidates will have a proven track record in Defence BD and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• At least 4 years in Defence industry Business Development.
• Established professional network within Defence research.
• Experience in managing customer relationships.

Responsibilities

• Develop and win new business within S&T business.
• Drive the Integrated Strategic Business Plan growth.
• Lead the implementation of winning capture strategies.

Skills

Customer Focus

Communication

Relationship Building

Job description

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The Science and Technology business within QinetiQ's UK Defence sector delivers leading-edge research and development, and exploits developed technologies for our customers across some of the most challenging areas in Defence, including advanced materials, signature management, autonomous systems, AI-ML, power sources and vehicle electrification, human performance, complex weapons, hypersonics and directed energy.

We are expanding the S&T Business Development team to ensure we have the depth of leadership across all of our technology areas. We are proud of our partnerships, spanning government agencies in the UK and internationally, the Defence industry in UK and abroad, and with academia. This role will suit those with Business Development experience in R&D and technology exploitation, and also someone considering a move into Business Development from a technical career background.

Role Purpose

• This Senior Business Development Manager role will have responsibility for developing and winning new business within the S&T business within the QinetiQ UK Defence Sector
• Work with business and technical leads to drive growth in the ISBP (Integrated Strategic Business Plan) to support the UK Defence Sector growth objectives
• Develop a clear understanding of our customer’s desired outcomes, and use these to develop and lead the implementation of winning capture strategies
• Uphold the values of teamwork and integrity to collaborate and drive continual improvement in business winning and the wider team
• Apply business development and sales tools and techniques to provide BD direction and guidance in our business winning activities
• Help lead development of existing and new R&D capability, supporting investment business cases to increase our reach in our existing and new markets and opportunities

Key Accountabilities

• Order Intake: develop and maintain a credible pipeline, and secure in-year order intake commitments, whilst building the platform for future growth and the delivery of longer-term ISBP order intake commitments
• Capture /Bid Management: Shape opportunities and provide leadership during early qualification phases, leading and/or supporting the QinetiQ Business Winning process as appropriate through to contract award
• Business Acuity: Ensure opportunities and our solutions are developed to maximise our customer’s outcomes while optimising our competitive and market positions, and that our Intellectual Property is suitably protected and/or utilised
• Operations: Maintain opportunities in CRM to accurately forecast orders (in-year and in ISBP)
• Compliance: Ensure all business winning activities are conducted in full compliance to Group business winning policies and procedures. Ensure that Group policies relating to Ethical Trading Policy, Exports and the appointment and use of third party Commercial Intermediaries are fully complied with
• Engagement: Network with our customers, our industry partners and our Commercial Intermediaries to foster and maintain relationships that will assure the delivery of the sales orders target and future growth as declared in the business plan
• Effectiveness: Work collaboratively across the organisation to define and lead Growth Objective-led Business Development strategies

Key Capabilities/Knowledge

• Track Record: Proven record of accomplishment in leading the generation of new and follow-on business to build a credible pipeline with high conversion rate, or demonstrated record of responsibility in technical delivery, with successful customer engagement to define, deliver and develop future business.
• Domain Relevance: Relevant experience of winning business with customers and industrial partners in defence-related Research and Development, and the application and exploitation of technologies commercially and in defence capability.
• Broad Thinking: Thinks broadly and creatively about our industry and our customer landscape, considering wider factors and identifying longer-term opportunities that offer benefit and fit our research and development capabilities
• Relationship Building: Actively seeks to build and maintains trusting relationships with a wide network of relevant people in the industry, our customers, and within QinetiQ, leveraging these relationships appropriately
• Customer Focus: Ensures they listen and understand the customer’s perspective and needs - both professionally and personally. Be able to challenge our customers’ plans and thinking in a positive way, offering invention and innovation to deliver outcomes and value to them that differentiates QinetiQ
• Communication: Highly skilled at managing relationships and conflicting priorities. Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Commerciality: Evaluates issues and situations in terms of what will optimise growth and profitability for QinetiQ over the medium and long-term, taking into account the wider commercial landscape
• Personal Impact: Adapts their approach to communicate clearly, credibly and positively when engaging different stakeholders, focusing on earning trust and getting buy-in
• Resilience: Maintains a positive and ‘can do’ approach in difficult situations and over a long period of time; delivers difficult messages constructively when required

Experience & Qualifications
• At least 4 years demonstrated success in Defence industry BD, with some international business development and sales experience,
or
• Business Development Experience of Advanced Materials, Additive Manufacturing and/or Power Sources.
or
• At least 2 years’ demonstrated experience as a complex programme technical lead, with customer relationship responsibilities in AM or Power Sources technology development, engineering or research, with the associated depth of experience in technical project and programme management
• Established professional network within the Defence research and capability development communities, with a strong reputation built upon consistent delivery.
• Established professional network within other commercial organisations that operate within this market with strong reputation built upon trust and mutual respect.
• Already holding a minimum of a SC security clearance is an advantage.

Please note that all applicants must be eligible for SC clearance: UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK ()