Business Development Lead - Naval

Drive Growth Across the Future of Maritime Defence Technology

Are you a commercially driven Business Development professional with a passion for Naval & Maritime Defence? Do you have the credibility to engage with military end users, defence primes, government stakeholders, shipbuilders and technology partners while translating complex engineering capabilities into winning customer solutions?

Working with cutting-edge engineering teams, you will help deliver innovative solutions spanning communications, sensing, surveillance, radar, electronic warfare, AI-enabled systems, resilient navigation, autonomous platforms and low-SWaP technologies supporting naval operations and maritime security.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a commercially astute sales professional who thrives in complex defence environments and enjoys building long-term relationships across the UK and international maritime defence ecosystem.

The Role

You will take ownership of Naval and Maritime Defence business development activities from early market engagement through to contract award, project mobilisation and long-term account growth.

Key responsibilities include:

Leading end-to-end sales campaigns across naval, maritime security and defence programmes.
Building and executing account strategies across navies, defence procurement organisations, shipbuilders, combat system providers, maritime primes and specialist defence SMEs.
Developing trusted relationships with military, technical, operational, procurement and commercial stakeholders.
Identifying capability gaps and shaping opportunities before formal procurement activities begin.
Translating advanced engineering capabilities into compelling maritime defence solutions.
Leading capture planning activities including stakeholder mapping, win strategies, partner engagement and bid development.
Working closely with engineering teams to develop customer-focused propositions and technical solutions.
Supporting successful programme handovers and maintaining strategic customer engagement throughout delivery.
Representing the business at defence exhibitions, maritime forums, naval conferences and industry events.
Maintaining a disciplined sales pipeline, accurate forecasting and robust CRM management.

Key Responsibilities

Naval & Maritime Market Development

Develop and execute a structured growth strategy across Naval and Maritime Defence markets.
Identify emerging naval capability requirements, defence spending priorities and maritime technology trends.
Build relationships across Royal Navy programmes, maritime commands, defence procurement organisations, shipyards, system integrators and industry partners.
Position the organisation as a trusted technology partner supporting research, concept development, prototyping, system integration and operational deployment.
Develop routes to market through strategic partnerships, framework agreements and collaborative defence programmes.

Opportunity Identification & Capture

Generate qualified opportunities through market engagement, customer networking, industry events and partner ecosystems.
Qualify opportunities against strategic fit, funding availability, operational need and competitive positioning.
Shape customer requirements and influence procurement strategies wherever possible.
Lead capture plans for complex maritime defence opportunities.
Develop winning partnership and delivery models for programmes involving multiple stakeholders and supply chain partners.

Bid Leadership & Commercial Management

Lead commercially focused proposal development activities.
Coordinate contributions from engineering, programme delivery, finance and leadership teams.
Develop compelling value propositions centred on mission outcomes and operational effectiveness.
Support negotiations covering scope, pricing, contracts and commercial terms.
Drive opportunities through to successful contract award.

Account Growth & Relationship Management

Ensure smooth transition from sales to programme delivery.
Maintain executive-level customer relationships throughout project execution.
Identify follow-on opportunities, framework call-offs and adjacent programmes.
Develop long-term account…