Business Line Lead; General Manager - Sensing & Communications

Business Line Lead (General Manager) - Sensing & Communications

Department: Management

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Bristol, UK

Reporting To: Ellie Steers

We’re building the UK's next generation engineering powerhouse, providing critical technology that strengthens national security and resilience.

We specialise in turning advances in sensing, AI, and communications into operational capability for the edge, where connectivity may be degraded or denied. Our work focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology, improving decision-making for frontline teams, and protecting people and critical assets in demanding environments.

Headquartered in Bristol, Rowden employs around 160 people and operates over 20,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities. We have a growing international footprint and are one of Europe’s fastest-growing engineering businesses.

The Role

Rowden is looking for a Business Line Lead to take ownership of our Sensing & Comms business line as it moves from early traction into structured growth.

Sensing & Comms is one of Rowden’s three business lines. It already has a deployed product in market, real users, booked revenue and a growing pipeline. Our first-generation product is being sold and used today; a more powerful second-generation version is in development and nearing release. The opportunity now is to turn that early validation into a scalable, repeatable revenue engine across the UK, Europe, North America and other aligned markets.

This is a broad leadership role. You will own the commercial growth, delivery performance, operating rhythm, financial control and strategic direction of the business line. You will work across sales, product, engineering, manufacturing, legal, commercial, finance and operations to build the systems required to scale.

This role will suit someone who has seen technical products move from early traction into structured growth, and who wants direct ownership of that transition. You will need to be commercially sharp, technically fluent, operationally disciplined and comfortable leading through ambiguity.

While this role offers hybrid working options, it requires a minimum of 3 days per week on-site at our Bristol HQ.

For senior roles, compensation is tailored to the scope of the role and the specific experience a candidate brings. Because that can vary significantly, we do not always publish a fixed salary band. We will, however, discuss compensation openly at the first stage of the process and can share an indicative range before either side invests significant time.

Candidates must be eligible for SC clearance.

More information about security clearance is available here:

Business line growth

• Own the growth plan for Sensing & Comms, including pipeline, routes-to-market, partner strategy and market expansion.
• Move the business line from smaller early orders into larger opportunities and more substantial programmes.
• Build on existing traction across the UK, Europe and Canada, while establishing a credible pipeline and early sales momentum in the US.
• Develop direct and channel routes to market, including partners, resellers and customer relationships.
• Lead from the front on priority deals, from discovery and customer engagement through to demo, pilot, proposal and signed contract.

Commercial and operational leadership

• Run the business line with the discipline of a general manager, balancing revenue growth, delivery, margin, cash exposure and investment decisions.
• Build a robust operating rhythm for forecasting, reporting, decision‑making, risk management and opportunity tracking.
• Work with product, engineering, supply chain, manufacturing and operations teams to make informed decisions on stock, build timing and delivery commitments.
• Ensure commercial commitments are realistic, deliverable and aligned with Rowden’s wider business objectives.

Product and market direction

• Translate customer demand, market insight and live opportunity data into clear input for the product roadmap.
• Shape the future direction of current product line and adjacent Sensing & Comms products.
• Help Rowden prioritise where to…