Senior Business Development Manager - Defence

Senior Business Development Manager – Defence

Location: London or Birmingham, Hybrid
Salary: £110,000 – £130,000 per annum (depending on experience) + bonus & benefits

Overview

A senior opportunity for an experienced defence-sector sales leader to drive growth across UK defence manufacturing and aerospace organisations. This role owns the UK go-to-market strategy for defence, leading the pursuit and closure of complex, high-value opportunities aligned to government procurement and compliance frameworks.

You will work across industry, government, and partner ecosystems to develop pipeline, shape solutions, and convert strategic opportunities into long-term revenue.

Responsibilities

Commercial Growth & Go-to-Market

• Own and execute the UK defence go-to-market strategy, aligned to organisational growth objectives.

• Identify, qualify, and develop opportunities within defence manufacturing and aerospace organisations.

• Lead complex sales engagements from initial opportunity through to contract award and commercial close.

• Deliver against agreed revenue targets and pipeline commitments.

Defence Market Engagement

• Maintain strong awareness of UK defence procurement models, policy developments, and government initiatives.

• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and emerging demand within defence digital and IT-enabled solutions.

• Establish and grow relationships across prime contractors, OEMs, government bodies, and delivery partners.

• Develop and manage strategic partnerships to support market entry and scale.

Bid & Contract Leadership

• Lead responses to government tenders, RFPs, and framework opportunities.

• Shape commercial propositions in collaboration with technical, delivery, and pre-sales teams.

• Support contract negotiation, pricing strategy, and deal governance through to signature.

Internal & Group Alignment

• Act as the UK defence commercial lead, coordinating sales activity across internal stakeholders.

• Provide market insight, pipeline visibility, and GTM updates to senior leadership.

• Ensure all opportunities align with regulatory, compliance, and security requirements.

Required Experience

• Significant experience selling solutions into the UK defence and aerospace sector.

• Demonstrated success managing government procurement processes and long, complex sales cycles.

• Proven ability to close high-value, multi-stakeholder deals within regulated environments.

• Experience engaging defence manufacturers, prime contractors, or government customers.

Reasonable Adjustments:

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.