Head of Commercial Programs

Destinus; Den Haag; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Destinus is seeking a Head of Commercial Programs to serve as senior chief of staff to the Commercial leadership, aligning strategy with execution across major pursuits, partnerships and commercial initiatives. Reporting to the CCO, you will orchestrate cadence, governance, and cross-functional coordination to keep programs on track.

You will partner with Business Development, Commercial Operations, Programme Management, Legal, and Finance, translating leadership priorities into disciplined

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (MBA, engineering, or programme management).
• 8–12 years of professional experience in programme management, chief-of-staff, or senior business-management roles, preferably in defense/aerospace.
• Fluent in English; strong judgement and discretion with sensitive information.
• Eligibility to obtain or hold a security clearance in an EU member state.

Responsibilities

• Act as trusted right hand to the CCO, managing priorities and decision tracking across the commercial leadership agenda.
• Own the leadership rhythm: prepare board/executive materials, run reviews, ensure decisions are documented and closed.
• Lead end-to-end programme management of major commercial pursuits and cross-functional initiatives.
• Establish and maintain governance connecting programmes to reporting, budgets, and compliance.
• Coordinate cross-functionally across Business Development, Programme Management, Legal, Finance, and Manufacturing.

Skills

Programme management

Cross-functional coordination

English fluency

Strategic thinking

Education

Master’s degree in Business Administration or related field

Tools

RAID logs

Stage-gate governance

KPI/dashboard reporting

Job description

About the Role

As Head of Commercial Programs, you will act as senior chief of staff to the Commercial leadership, driving the programmatic backbone that connects strategy to execution across Destinus’s commercial organisation. Reporting to the CCO, you will orchestrate the cadence, governance, and cross-functional coordination that keep major pursuits, partnerships, and commercial initiatives on track — partnering closely with Business Development, Commercial Operations, Programme Management, Legal, and Finance. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role with C-level exposure, for a structured operator who can translate leadership priorities into disciplined programme plans, hold workstreams accountable to milestones, and bring order and momentum to a fast-moving, high-stakes commercial environment.

At Destinus, we are revolutionizing the defense industry with cutting-edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Our innovative technologies are designed to meet the unique demands of modern defense operations, delivering unparalleled speed, precision, and cost effectiveness. Destinus partners with government agencies and defense organizations worldwide to provide advanced solutions for mission-critical operations, enabling a new era of efficiency and technological superiority. Join us in shaping the future of defense with groundbreaking aerospace innovations

What You’ll Do

Chief of Staff to Commercial Leadership

• Act as a trusted right hand to the CCO, managing priorities, follow-through, and decision tracking across the commercial leadership agenda
• Own the leadership rhythm: prepare board and executive materials, run leadership reviews, and ensure decisions are documented, assigned, and closed out
• Filter signal from noise across the commercial organisation, surfacing the issues that need leadership attention before they become critical and push the correct prioritisation

Commercial Programme Management

• Own the end-to-end programme management of major commercial pursuits and cross-functional initiatives, from kickoff through milestone tracking to closeout

Governance & Process

• Establish and maintain the governance framework that connects commercial programmes to corporate reporting, budget cycles, and defense-sector compliance requirements
• Design and enforce escalation paths so risks and blockers reach the right decision-maker at the right time
• Partner with Commercial Strategy on process design and continuous improvement, ensuring programme management practices scale with the business

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Serve as the central coordination point across Business Development, Programme Management, Legal, Finance, and Manufacturing, aligning timelines and dependencies for major pursuits and strategic partnerships
• Represent Commercial in cross-functional steering committees, ensuring commercial priorities and constraints are properly reflected in wider programme decisions

Reporting & Communication

• Produce concise, decision-ready reporting for executive and board audiences, translating programme detail into clear strategic narrative

What You’ll Need

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Programme/Project Management, Engineering, or a related discipline
• 8-12 years of professional experience spanning programme management, chief-of-staff or business-management roles, and commercial or business development functions; experience in the defense or aerospace industry is an advantage
• Proven track record running complex, multi-stakeholder programmes end to end,
• Demonstrated experience operating as a chief of staff or senior business-management partner to executive leadership
• Strong command of programme management tools and methods (RAID logs, stage-gate governance, KPI/dashboard reporting)
• Excellent judgement and discretion in handling sensitive, leadership-level information
• Fluent in English
• Eligibility to obtain or hold a security clearance in an EU member state

Who You Are

You are a structured, high-judgement operator who is equally comfortable running a leadership agenda and driving a complex programme plan. You bring calm, rigorous execution to ambiguous, fast-moving situations, and you know how to turn strategic intent into a disciplined plan with clear owners and dates. You are trusted with sensitive information and know when to escape and when to resolve things yourself. You are diplomatic enough to align senior stakeholders across functions, yet direct enough to hold people accountable to commitments. Above all, you are motivated by enabling Destinus’s commercial leadership to move fast without losing control — ensuring the organisation can compete and win in the global defense market.