Head of Business Development- Defence

Positiv+ Cohort

Farnborough, England, United Kingdom Hybrid permanent

Posted: March 18, 2026

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced and highly connected Director of Business Development to drive growth within the UK defence sector. The successful candidate will leverage existing relationships and market knowledge to position our engineering services and technical expertise with major defence primes and key supply chain partners.

This role is focused on securing strategic accounts and developing long-term relationships across defence programmes. Typical account values are expected to range between £300,000 and £5 million.

The role requires a self-starting, commercially driven individual who understands how the defence procurement ecosystem works and has a proven track record of winning new business within the sector.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and develop opportunities with major UK defence primes and Tier‑1 contractors

• Establish and grow strategic accounts with values ranging from £300k to £5m

• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across engineering, procurement and programme leadership teams

• Position the company as a trusted engineering and technical services partner

• Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of opportunities across defence programmes

• Lead early engagement with customers ahead of formal procurement cycles

• Work with internal engineering and delivery teams to shape compelling technical proposals

• Support and lead bid strategy and capture management activities

• Monitor MOD priorities, procurement trends and upcoming programmes

• Develop partnerships with complementary suppliers and SMEs within the defence ecosystem

Key Performance Indicators

• Creation of a £5m–£10m new business pipeline

• 2–4 new strategic accounts established annually

• £1m–£5m annual contract awards

• Long-term customer relationships across major defence primes

Candidate Profile

Essential Experience

• 10+ years experience within the UK defence sector

• Proven track record generating new business with defence primes or Tier‑1 contractors

• Strong existing relationships within organisations such as BAE Systems, Leonardo, QinetiQ, Thales, MBDA, Rolls‑Royce Defence or similar

• Deep understanding of UK defence procurement processes

• Experience selling engineering services, technical consultancy or specialist capability

Desirable Experience

• Background in engineering, systems engineering or technical consultancy

• Experience working within a defence consultancy or engineering services organisation

• Familiarity with MOD procurement structures and major defence programmes

• Eligible for UK security clearance (SC or higher)

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