Services Export Sales Lead

Thales Avionics, Inc. (AGS); Templecombe; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Thales seeks an Export Services Sales Lead to grow the UWS UK services pipeline and drive order intake. This role requires coordinating diverse teams, engaging government stakeholders, and developing long-term capture strategies to maximize value for Thales equipment in service across multiple countries.

You will lead campaigns, establish senior relationships, and ensure alignment with Thales governance while navigating defence and international trade environments.

Qualifications

• Experience leading major sales captures and bid campaigns for government, institutional, and industrial clients.
• Strong understanding of military maritime environment and service operations advantages.
• Ability to manage cross-functional, multi-national teams delivering complex engineering solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead UK and export sales for the UWS services line, targeting order intake growth.
• Develop long-term capture plans and strategies with leadership and country managers.
• Maintain strategic relationships with senior customer stakeholders including ministries of defence.

Skills

Sales leadership

Bid campaigns

Government sector experience

Cross-functional teams

Security clearance

Job description

Location: Templecombe, United Kingdom

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

Export Services Sales Lead

Role overview:

The Export Services Sales Lead is an important role responsible for growing the UWS UK services sector through growing the sales pipeline and leading prospects through to achieved Order Intake inline with forecasts. UWS's growing installed base of sonar systems spans over a dozen countries. The candidate will be responsible for sales to provide through life support and managed services to surface ship, airborne and submarine domains, ensuring our customers get the maximum value from the investment they have made in Thales equipment.

The role will require extensive liaison with export customers and UK government organisations involved in international trade to secure opportunities that enable the growth of the UWS business line.

The Export Services Sales Lead is a key member of the UWS sales team and wider business line.

Primary Purpose of the role:

• Responsible for reaching business objectives specifically order intake by managing people, influencing customers and engaging key stakeholders by leading diverse teams, influencing customer decisions and engaging stakeholders at all levels-including ministries of defence and major defence primes.
• Development of a robust OI pipeline through sales, capture leadership, and Business Development activities and ownership of delivery of that pipeline
• Maintain current, establish new and own the strategic relationship with senior members of customer organisation
• Maintain an overview of all Thales programmes and projects being delivered to the customer, and lever off these to provide support / training solutions
• Identify and capitalise on new business opportunities related to the UWS business line activities
• Establish strong long term relationships with customers in the UK and targeted countries of interest, this role is about 'playing the long game', Thales wants to support our equipment in service with customers, which can often be for 30 years +.

Main Duties of the role:

• Work closely with the UWS Services Head of Sales & Strategic Campaigns and Services Department to develop a 5+ year strategy delivering OI growth
• Consultative sales and solution leadership to enhance maturity of in-country service provision towards availability and managed services.
• Develop campaigns and strategies to enable business winning and growth. Leading the UK team and liaising with the BL services teams and country managers globally to ensure global offerings are made where appropriate.
• Capture leadership including sharing capture information with relevant Businesses within Thales
• Improve P2 (Thales chance of winning the opportunity) through customer knowledge
• Engage and establish relationships across other industrial companies that work within the specific account and analyse their capabilities
• Gather and own customer information to support business forecasts and bid planning
• Establish regular outcomes-focused meetings with key customer contacts
• Develop messages and themes for relevant shows and events
• De-conflict any issues in internal positioning and strategy to ensure good partnering behaviour is followed
• Provide and translate (where required) customer technical requirements and capability gaps to inform the Product Line Management process
• Build relationships with relevant Key Account Managers in UK and other countries
• Produce, present and agree relevant capture plans and progress through Thales internal governance (CHORUS) as required for applicable phase of opportunities

Candidate specification:

• Strong understanding of the military maritime environment. Experience of minehunting / services operations would be an advantage
• Proven track record of leading major sales captures and bid campaigns (>£10m) for government, institutional, and industrial clients (such as ministries of defence and national primes) in the UK and export (up-to Thales B2)
• Experience of managing cross-functional, multi-national teams to deliver complex engineering solutions including: in underwater services in the military maritime environment across Platform, Sensor and Combat Systems
• Comfortable knowledge of the suites of services at Thales including modifications, spares/repairs, ILS, deployed support, tech pubs, obsolescence availability solutions, and DRACAS etc
• A proven track record of developing trusted senior level relationships
• Holding Security Clearance at SC, and ability to achieve up to DV level
• Alongside sales and capture leadership skills strong contract negotiation, bid/project management, and new product i