Strategic Account Manager (Defence and Aerospace)

TÜV SÜD; Fareham; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid/permanent home‑working

Company car/Car allowance

Private medical insurance

Wellbeing and pension benefits

Job summary

TÜV SÜD Group is recruiting a Strategic Account Manager in the UK Defence and Aerospace sector to lead high‑value, multi‑service accounts. You will manage end‑to‑end opportunities, align with internal stakeholders, and drive profitable growth while maintaining strong client relationships.

The role combines strategic account leadership with hands‑on commercial execution, including quotation management and governance reviews, with potential hybrid/home‑working and a competitive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Experience managing and growing large, complex customer accounts in Defence, Aerospace or highly regulated industries.
• Ability to manage complex consultative sales cycles with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong capability in qualification, deal structuring and progressing opportunities to order.
• Experience in account-based selling with long-term strategy.
• Strong negotiation and influence to achieve commercial outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Own and develop strategic relationships with Defence and Aerospace key accounts, to understand customer objectives and position TÜV SÜD as a trusted partner.
• Drive profitable revenue growth by managing order intake, margin, and pipeline performance.
• Lead qualification and progression of opportunities to order.
• Coordinate with Industry Sector and delivery teams to ensure on‑time delivery and quality.
• Lead annual strategic account reviews with key customers and senior leadership.
• Escalate risks and issues to ensure timely resolution and satisfaction.
• Develop detailed account plans and rolling 12‑month pipelines.
• Identify opportunities to expand technical service provision and deliver innovative solutions.
• Chair regular account review meetings and governance sessions with customers.
• Cross-sell and up-sell across TÜV SÜD service lines.
• Monitor project delivery performance and initiate corrective actions.

Skills

Account management

Strategic selling

Negotiation and influence

Stakeholder management

Cross-selling

Education

Bachelor's degree (preferred)

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Outlook

LinkedIn

Job description

At TÜV SÜD Group we are passionate about technology. Innovations impact our daily lives in countless ways, and we are dedicated to being a part of that progress. We test, we audit, we inspect, we advise. We never stop challenging ourselves for the safety of society and its people. We breathe technology, we strive for professional excellence, and we leave a mark. We take the future into our hands. We are TÜV SÜD Group.

The Strategic Account Manager role focuses on delivering high-quality test, certification, consultancy and assurance services while developing long‑term, trusted partnerships that support customer objectives and drive sustainable business growth. Acting as the primary commercial interface for both new and existing key accounts, the role manages complex, multi‑service projects end‑to‑end, ensuring customer requirements are clearly understood, technically validated, and delivered efficiently. Working closely with internal stakeholders, the Strategic Account Manager is accountable for building and maintaining robust account strategies, developing a rolling 12‑month pipeline, and achieving agreed order intake, revenue, and profitability targets.

Whilst the focus will be on promoting test and certification solutions relating to climatic, vibration, EMC services for Defence and Aerospace sector, you will also proactively identify opportunities where the broader TÜV SÜD portfolio can provide additional value and support to clients. The role combines strategic account leadership with hands‑on commercial execution, including quotation management, active progression of opportunities, governance of ongoing projects, and regular performance reviews with customers. Through structured engagement, continuous improvement and proactive relationship management, the Strategic Account Manager ensures TÜV SÜD is positioned as a trusted, long‑term partner to its Defence and Aerospace clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and develop strategic relationships with new and existing Defence and Aerospace key accounts, to understand customer objectives, influence long‑term programmes, and position TÜV SÜD as a trusted partner.
• Drive profitable revenue growth across assigned accounts by managing order intake, margin, and pipeline performance, ensuring sales targets are achieved in line with agreed commercial and contractual frameworks.
• Lead the identification, qualification and progression of opportunities, ensuring quotations are accurate, technically validated, competitively positioned and actively progressed through to order.
• Work closely with the Industry Sector, customers and internal delivery teams to coordinate resources, identify new or additional services, manage customer expectations, resolve issues and ensure projects are delivered successfully, on time, and to agreed quality standards.
• Lead annual strategic account reviews with key customers, in collaboration with the Industry Sector and Commercial Director, to evaluate performance, review contractual and pricing arrangements and agree plans and objectives.
• Act as the primary escalation point for assigned key accounts, proactively managing risks, issues and customer concerns to ensure timely resolution and sustained customer satisfaction.
• Develop and maintain detailed account plans, including stakeholder mapping, opportunity identification and a rolling 12‑month pipeline aligned to customer programmes and internal capacity planning.
• Identify and drive opportunities to expand our technical service provision and deliver innovative solutions based on customer and market needs.
• Coordinate and chair regular account review meetings, progress calls and governance sessions with customers to monitor active and upcoming projects, KPIs and service performance.
• Identify opportunities for cross‑selling and up‑selling across TÜV SÜD service lines by working collaboratively with Business Line Managers and technical specialists.
• Monitor project delivery performance at account level and initiate corrective actions to improve workflow efficiency, service quality and on‑time delivery.
• Support the negotiation and renewal of contracts, framework agreements and long‑term service arrangements in conjunction with senior commercial leadership.
• Support TÜV SÜD’s global working groups for Aerospace and Defence sectors.

Essential Criteria – you will have or be able to demonstrate

• Experience managing and growing large, complex customer accounts, ideally within Defence, Aerospace, Environmental or other highly regulated or technical industries.
• The ability to manage complex, consultative sales cycles, engaging multiple stakeholders across technical, commercial and procurement functions.
• Strong capability in opportunity qualification, deal structuring and progressing opportunities from initial engagement through to order closure.
• Experience in account‑based selling, with the ability to develop long‑term account strategies rather than transactional sales approaches.
• Competence in negotiation and influence, achieving commercially sound outcomes while maintaining strong customer relationships.
• Familiarity with Environmental, Climatic, Vibration, Packaging and EMC testing services and their commercial nuances.
• Market and industry knowledge within the TIC (Testing, Inspection, Certification) industry including an understanding of MIL‑STD, DEF‑STD, NATO STANAGs, ED‑80 / DO‑254, AECTP and other global compliance frameworks.
• Proven commercial and technical understanding of testing, certification, compliance and assurance services delivered within the Aerospace and Defence sector.
• Highly organised and detail‑focused, with the ability to plan, prioritise and manage workload effectively; maintain robust reporting and forecasting and ensure a high level of accuracy when utilising business systems, following internal processes and ensuring compliance.
• A full UK driving licence.
• The ability to communicate effectively in English, both written and verbal, to carry out the duties of the role.
• Demonstrable IT skills commensurate with the role, including the effective use of CRM systems, Microsoft Outlook and tools used for prospecting (such as LinkedIn).

Further Information

TÜV SÜD in the UK offers a competitive salary and benefits package that includes a minimum of 33 days holiday entitlement (for full‑time employees, including public holidays), a contributory Group Personal Pension Plan and a non‑contributory Group Life Assurance Scheme. We also offer various Salary Exchange/Sacrifice schemes (buying/selling holiday, cycle to work scheme, pensions), incentive schemes and comprehensive wellbeing support (Employee Assistance Programme, Dental Scheme and Occupational Health services). Dependent on the role, employees may also be eligible for hybrid/permanent home‑working, a Company Car/Car Allowance and Private Medical Insurance.

At TÜV SÜD Group, we have employees from more than 100 different countries collaborating together. People of different backgrounds, skills and pursuing different life goals. Our strength comes from these countless and varied perspectives.

We are committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace by welcoming people of all backgrounds. We want Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) to be a foundation of our company and create an environment where all our employees can trust they will be treated with respect, regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic background, faith, beliefs, disabilities, age, sexual orientation or identity. As such, our employees are expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with TÜV SÜD Group Code of Ethics and Company values.