Sales Manager - Defence

Do you have the commercial drive to identify new opportunities, build relationships with key defence stakeholders and take complex technical solutions from initial conversation through to contract? They are now looking for a Defence Sales / Business Development Manager to take ownership of growth across their defence portfolio. This is an opportunity for someone who understands the UK defence market and can combine commercial sales expertise with enough technical credibility to engage confidently with engineers, military stakeholders, government organisations, primes and specialist defence SMEs.

Responsibilities:
As a sales manager you will… Own the full sales lifecycle, from identifying and shaping opportunities through to contract award and account growth. Develop targeted sales and account strategies across defence primes, MOD-facing organisations, SMEs and government stakeholders. Identify and qualify new opportunities by understanding customer requirements, capability gaps, procurement routes and funding. Translate complex engineering capabilities into compelling commercial propositions for defence customers.

Lead capture, proposal and negotiation activity, working closely with technical, commercial and senior teams. Build long-term customer relationships, identify follow-on opportunities and represent the business at defence events and industry forums. Requirements:
As a sales manager, you will need… Proven experience in defence, aerospace, security or advanced technology sales/business development. Strong understanding of the UK defence ecosystem, including primes, MOD, government organisations and specialist SMEs. Experience managing the complete B2B sales cycle, from prospecting and opportunity development through to negotiation and close. Technical credibility and the ability to understand complex engineering solutions and communicate their commercial value.

Strong relationship-building, negotiation, presentation, account management and pipeline management skills. A proactive, commercially minded approach, with existing UK defence sector relationships highly advantageous. Benefits:
As a sales manager you will get… Sell complex, high-value solutions rather than commoditised products or services. Work alongside experienced engineers and technical specialists to solve challenging customer requirements. Have genuine ownership of defence sales strategy and business growth . Build relationships across the defence ecosystem and play a key role in securing future projects and partnerships. Benefit from a supportive, collaborative environment with opportunities for career development and progression .

Regular company social events and activities If you're an experienced Sales Manager looking for your next opportunity, we’d love to hear from you. Rutherford Briant is passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion. We seek individuals from the widest talent pool and encourage underrepresented talent to apply to vacancies with us. We are committed to recruitment processes that are fair for all, regardless of background and personal characteristics.