Overview
Saab UK is part of Scandinavia's largest defence company, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation. Saab offers world-leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space, and civil security to keep people and society safe. Our UK presence has been growing and we offer opportunities for personal fulfilment and career growth. We currently employ over 600 people across eight sites in the UK, with specialisations including software engineering, underwater robotics, radars, AI, and armed forces training.
As part of the global Saab group, Saab UK combines the innovative spirit of a start-up with the resources and expertise of a larger corporation. Globally, Saab employs over 24,000 people, with operations on every continent. Our partnerships with UK customers and industry allow us to deliver innovative solutions to complex challenges, anticipating tomorrow's threats. We invest 23% of our annual revenue into research and development, collaborating with industry and academia.
The Role
The role covers elements of Saab's portfolio with particular focus on Training and Simulation, as assigned by the Director of BD and Sales. Responsibilities include the establishment and maintenance of customer relationships and responsibility for the relevant parts of the Winning Business (WB) process for assigned prospects. The Head of BD & Sales leads the business realisation in accordance with the WB process from Market Appraisal through to Deliver and Follow Up Tender, and for customer relationships throughout and beyond the WB process.
This is a key role within the sales team and will represent Saab's ongoing relationship building with the British Army. The individual will need an intricate understanding of Land operations and be capable of establishing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, creating a narrative, and identifying opportunities for the business across campaigns and sales.
Stakeholder engagement at all levels within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is essential. Applicants should have prior involvement in running large campaigns and stakeholder management.
The Head of BD & Sales is responsible for acquiring and maintaining relevant product knowledge, developing close working relationships with Saab Business Units and working closely with the designated Product Sales Responsible (PSR) for each prospect.
The ideal candidate will come from a British Army background of OF3 or above, with an understanding of how the Army delivers Collective Training. Experience with Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) and wider commercial, business development, or sales experience would be advantageous.
To support Saab's position in the UK market, the Head of BD & Sales conducts business intelligence as part of the Competitive and Market Intelligence (CMI) process and undertakes business development work to input into commercial proposals and participate in contract negotiations, acting as the bridge between end-user capability requirements and production realities.
Principal Responsibilities
* Deliver order intake and gross margin in accordance with set budget.
* Establish and maintain customer relationships.
* Lead on marketing and sales prospects for the Saab Training and Simulation product portfolio.
* Act as a customer-facing Saab ambassador.
* Lead for the WB process from WB MA to WB1 and make decisions in accordance with delegated authority.
* Deliver on KPIs in accordance with annual goals set during the IPM process.
* Identify, prioritise and qualify new business opportunities and leads.
* Update all qualified cases in the CRM tool.
* Create business-winning strategies for each opportunity.
* Conduct market, customer and competitor analysis to develop business.
* Develop and maintain relevant product knowledge.
* Collaborate with the PSR for respective projects.
* Participate and support contract and commercial negotiations.
* Maintain, evaluate and manage market networks and consultants.
* Maintain, evaluate and develop relations with other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) for Business-to-Business opportunities.
* Synchronize with other Saab stakeholders in relevant cases.
* Participate at exhibitions and other customer-facing events.
* Work in alignment with Saab's policies and directives.
* Participate in and support other Operational Countries or Country Units as required.
* Other tasks within the Country Unit as deemed relevant from time to time.
Qualifications
Essential
* Experience and understanding of the UK Defence, acquisition process and budgets.
* Knowledge of British Army Collective Training and the Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP).
* Experience of working at or with DE&S.
* Leadership and teamwork skills.
* Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
* Developed social skills and a positive attitude.
* Service oriented approach.
* Flexibility and Adaptability.
* Documented experience of marketing and sales or other relevant sectors.
Desirable
* Knowledge of business and planning processes.
* Have sufficient product knowledge in terms of technical base specifications and commercial aspects in order to be able to assume the CSR role.
* Negotiations experience.
Seniority level
* Director
Employment type
* Full-time
Job function
* Business Development and Sales
Industries
* Technology, Information and Internet
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