Business Development Manager - Defence & Space Consulting

RINA Piraeus Team; Chippenham; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A global engineering consulting firm is seeking a Business Development Manager to join their Defence & Space Consulting team. This role involves driving growth through targeted business development within the UK Defence sector. Candidates must have sales experience, a strong understanding of procurement processes, and be able to create winning business proposals. The position offers competitive salary and benefits, along with a flexible working environment.

Benefits

Competitive basic salary

Bonus

25 days leave

Health Insurance

Smart Working policy

Professional development support

Competitive recruitment referral bonus

Qualifications

• Experience of working for a service provider is essential.
• In-depth knowledge and current network in the Defence sector.
• Strong understanding of UK Defence procurement processes.
• Track record driving business growth in Defence and/or Space sector.
• Significant experience in writing complex business proposals.

Responsibilities

• Create and manage a pipeline of profitable new business.
• Act as the Key Account Manager for key clients.
• Contribute to the generation of business-winning Tender responses.
• Support customer satisfaction and new market development.
• Prepare and submit timely monthly reports.

Skills

Business development

Sales strategy

Customer relationship management

Negotiation skills

Job description

Business Development Manager - Defence & Space Consulting

Location: Chippenham, GB, SN15 1BN

Contract Type: Permanent

Level of experience: Intermediate

RINA is looking to recruit a talented and sales driven Business Development Manager as part of our Consulting BD Team. You will join our Aerospace and Defence (ASD) Business Unit (BU) and be responsible for targeting and winning growth opportunities with existing and new clients within the UK. The role will be instrumental in driving the business to achieve ambitious and challenging growth targets.

RINA is a ‘smart working’ adopter: providing you are happy to travel occasionally, your UK location is not a concern, though our main UK offices are located in Chippenham, Leatherhead and Lincoln.

The Role

You will work as part of the ASD BD Team and collaborate with the Consulting leads to identify and win new and repeat business in the UK across our portfolio of consultancy services. The portfolio of engineering services RINA ASD provides include: Safety Engineering, Compliance Advisory, Human Factors Integration (HFI), Integrated Logistics Support (ILS/IPS), Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Training & Learning Solutions.

Your responsibilities

• Create and manage a pipeline of profitable new and repeat business through the identification of business opportunities, both with the MOD, UK Space or prime contractors.
• Campaign planning, contributing ideas and opportunities aligned to the wider business strategy;
• Act as the Key Account Manager for nominated key clients and prospects;
• Contribute to the generation of business‑winning Tender and Proposal quotation responses, acting as Capture Manager;
• Support RINA’s focus on customer satisfaction, repeat business and developing new markets (i.e. Space);
• Identify opportunities for strategic alliances and partnerships to enhance Client Value Propositions;
• Work across the wider RINA Group to develop Business Unit ‘cross selling’ and collaboration;
• Track competitor activity and provide timely updates on competitor news and intelligence to the team;
• Plan for and attend events, expos and conferences; collaborate with Marketing;
• Prepare and submit timely and accurate monthly reports of business development activities.

Qualifications & experience

• Experience of working for a service provider is essential; understanding of consulting or engineering services is advantageous, but not pre‑requisite;
• In‑depth knowledge and a current network in the Defence sector, across one or more of air, land, sea, space or autonomous domains;
• Have a strong understanding of UK Defence procurement processes;
• A strong track record driving business growth within the Defence and/or Space sector;
• Previous roles will have been business development, sales or commercially focussed e.g.: Client Relationship Manager, Account Executive and/or Sales Executive;
• Significant experience in writing compelling and persuasive business‑winning responses to Tender Opportunities and Requests for Proposals / Quotations;
• Due to the security clearance requirements of the role, candidates should be SC cleared at the point of employment, or be a British citizen, willing to undergo vetting.

The Person

You will be highly motivated, a self‑starter, goal‑focused and tenacious. Your communication and listening skills teamed with your proactive sales approach will enable you to immediately establish fruitful working relationships with customers and colleagues. You are able to present ideas successfully and come armed with strong negotiation skills. You will have a flexible approach, happy to adapt to changing business needs and be able to manage the pressure of a fast‑moving growth environment.

The Company

RINA is a 6,000 strong, global engineering corporation providing testing, certification and consulting services across the Defence, Power, Energy, Marine, Transport & Infrastructure and Industrial sectors. We have been at the forefront of providing innovative and technical solutions for more than 150 years, working closely with clients, assisting them in the most effective, safe and sustainable way. Working with us means turning our clients’ ideas into success. You will transform challenges into opportunities and brilliant ideas into excellent solutions. #LI-JB1

Benefits

• As part of our growing global team you’ll find yourself working with world‑class professionals and clients in a variety of market sectors. As well as that you will be rewarded with:
• Competitive basic salary
• Bonus
• 25 days leave (plus bank holidays)
• Life Assurance
• Health Insurance (Family can be added at an additional cost)
• Option to buy more holiday
• Smart Working policy
• Professional development, support with qualifications (i.e. Chartership)
• Pay for professional membership
• Support of Military Reservists – 10 additional paid days
• Competitive recruitment referral bonus
• 4 half days paid leave for STEM Ambassadors

At RINA, we endeavour to create a work environment where every single person is valued and encouraged to develop new ideas. We provide equal employment opportunities and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected and safe from discrimination or harassment of any kind.