Permanent
Job Description
SALES MANAGER
Permanent
Airbus Helicopters, Oxford is seeking a dynamic Sales Manager at the UK’s civil helicopter hub in Oxford.
Ready to crush quotas and drive revenue? You’ll sell our entire portfolio – aircraft, support and contracts – to the Military, Parapublic and Private sectors. If you have a proven track record in aerospace sales and expertise with SalesForce, we want to hear from you!
Apply now!
About Our Team
Airbus Helicopters is the world’s largest helicopter manufacturer and the company’s site at Oxford Airport is Britain’s civil helicopter hub.
AHUK offers considerable experience in helicopter sales, bespoke completions, maintenance and spares support. Its in‑house engineering capabilities include design, customisation, installation, flight‑testing and certification, as well as technical support, maintenance, training and the supply of spares for civil and military applications.
AHUK is the MoD’s chosen provider of helicopters and maintenance for its Defence Helicopter Flying School (MFTS) located in RAF Shawbury (Shropshire) and RAF Valley (Anglesey).
Description / Overall Purpose of the Job
The Sales Manager will be a dynamic and results‑driven individual accountable for selling all AHUK offerings – aircraft, UAS, support and service contracts (including By‑the‑Hour (*bH) contracts), training services, products, equipment and spares – into the Private Business Aviation (PBA), parapublic (HEMS and police) and military sectors.
This role requires strong sales capabilities, including interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence, commercial awareness and the ability to align customer needs with the Airbus portfolio of solutions and products.
The Sales Manager will generate a clear pipeline of qualified opportunities and be accountable for generating revenues and margin to ensure AHUK sales targets are met and exceeded. The role carries quotas for revenue, margin, helicopter types and products across all AHUK market segments.
The Sales Manager will be involved across the entire sales cycle from lead generation to delivery of solutions and products, liaising with Customer Support Managers to realize ongoing sales opportunities after aircraft delivery.
The successful candidate will work as an individual while playing a role in the overall sales and customer management process and will liaise closely with Commercial colleagues to ensure targets are met and exceeded where possible.
The Sales Manager reports directly to AHUK’s Head of Sales and Commercial and will liaise accordingly with relevant internal and external stakeholders.
Main Responsibilities
Business Development and Sales
* Achieve and exceed, where possible, annual and quarterly sales targets and other KPIs defined by the Head of Sales and Commercial for the PBA, parapublic and military markets in the UK and Ireland.
* Actively identify, pursue and close new business opportunities, including fleet modernisation, customisation, new aircraft sales and all other AHUK offerings.
* Carry out Business Development and Sales activities across all relevant AHUK business sectors, as defined and assigned by the Head of Sales and Commercial.
* Achieve and exceed the minimum assigned aircraft volumes and types on both a quarterly and annual basis, ensuring margin protection.
* Under supervision of the Head of Sales and Commercial, collaborate with the Commercial team to support market analysis to identify gaps and new business opportunities.
* Initiate, nurture and maintain strong relationships with key customers, stakeholders and industry partners, leading to customer retention through satisfaction.
* Represent the Voice of the Customer within the AHUK Sales team in a timely fashion, ensuring that the Head of Sales and Commercial is fully aware of customer concerns and issues as they arise.
Pipeline Management
* Develop and manage a robust pipeline ensuring opportunities move through the funnel from prospecting to closing, ensuring a healthy flow of bookings and deliveries on a quarterly and annual basis.
* Ensure that relevant AHUK stakeholders are involved at the appropriate time during the sales process to meet customer needs and align with AHUK resource availability.
* Monitor and drive sales against individual sales plans and targets, providing regular, accurate forecasts and reporting to the Head of Sales and Commercial.
* Conduct regular meetings, ideally in person, with leads and customers to ensure timely sales progression.
Leadership and Development
* Support the Head of Sales and Commercial and Senior Commercial Operations Manager with coaching for Sales and Commercial team colleagues to develop a culture of accountability, learning and collaboration.
* Adhere to a rigorous sales process, utilising best practices for lead qualification, opportunity management and deal progression using SalesForce and other relevant reporting mechanisms.
* Conduct weekly pipeline reviews with the Head of Sales and Commercial to assess deal health, identify potential blockers and request support where required.
* Take part in sales and marketing training programmes to enhance capabilities and product knowledge.
Commercial Operations Liaison
* Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that commercial proposals align with customer expectations and company profitability goals.
* Leverage commercial operations expertise to deliver an outstanding customer experience from the initial sale through to contract execution and after‑sales support.
* Ensure Export, Compliance and taxation information is collated and shared with relevant colleagues to protect AHUK from reputational and financial exposure.
CRM and Reporting
* Ensure all sales activities, forecasts and customer data are accurately recorded and maintained in SalesForce in a timely manner.
* Adopt best practices for pipeline management and CRM usage to improve efficiency and deal velocity.
* Ensure the integrity of all data within SalesForce, using it to generate insightful reports and drive strategic decisions.
* Generate regular, accurate forecasts and reports for the Head of Sales and Commercial and other relevant stakeholders within AHUK.
Knowledge, Experience And Skills
Essential
* Proven experience in sales, business development and customer service within the aerospace, defence or aviation industry.
* Proven track record of consistently meeting or exceeding revenue and margin targets.
* Demonstrable experience in managing and growing a sales pipeline, including forecasting and pipeline analysis within SalesForce or a similar CRM.
* Strong leadership and interpersonal skills developed within the sales environment.
* Excellent communication, presentation and negotiation abilities.
* Capable of acting as part of a team while maintaining the ability to work in isolation.
* Fluent in English; other languages such as French or German are an advantage.
Desirable
* Working knowledge of one or more segments: Private & Business Aviation, Parapublic or Military.
* Working knowledge of Airbus Helicopters and our products.
* Direct experience with customer support management is highly desirable.
* Strategic thinking with a proactive, results‑oriented approach.
Education, Qualifications or Training
Essential
* Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Aviation Operations or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
* IT literacy: proficient in SalesForce, SAP Concur, Google applications (Gmail, Google Meet, Google Sheets) and Microsoft Office.
Desirable
* Open to training with any new IT tool necessary for this function.
Personal Attributes
* A proactive sales person with strong ownership and accountability, passionate about sales and committed to customer satisfaction.
* Highly resilient, excellent organisational skills, and able to thrive under pressure in a dynamic, fast‑paced and competitive environment.
* Displays integrity, ethical behaviour and commitment to Airbus values.
* A collaborative team player who can build and maintain strong internal and external relationships.
* Self‑starter who proactively seeks sales opportunities, spending time with customers to understand their needs and priorities.
Additional Requirements
* Due to the nature of this position, you will require DBS Security Clearance and be eligible for SC clearance.
* Applicants must meet all Export Compliance Regulations.
* Role is field‑based with a working office at Oxford Airport, UK, with frequent travel across UK and Ireland and European travel as required.
The Reward
In joining the Airbus family, you will play a key role in a stimulating and challenging environment at the heart of the UK’s aviation industry, with opportunities for career growth within a truly global company. You’ll help deliver the most efficient helicopters for our customers, who serve, protect, save lives and transport passengers in demanding environments. You will have a competitive base salary.
This role requires an awareness of potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, forming the foundation for the company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.
Company
Airbus Helicopters UK Ltd
Employment Type
Permanent
Experience Level
Professional
Job Family
Sales, Marketing & Commercial Contracts
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Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.
Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all. No monetary exchange will be requested for any recruitment process. Any impersonation should be reported to emsom@airbus.com.
At Airbus, we support you to work, connect and collaborate more easily and flexibly. Wherever possible, we foster flexible working arrangements to stimulate innovative thinking.
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