Business Development Director (Defence)

Start here. Grow here.

AECOM has an excellent track record of delivering programmes of critical national importance in defence, which has positioned the business as one of the leading professional services consultancies for the MOD, prime Defence Manufacturers (OEM’s) and Contractors and with the US DoD across Europe. With the sector of strategic importance to AECOM, representing a quarter of topline revenue for the region (c.$180m) and with a strong outlook for growth in 2025 and beyond, there is an opportunity for a new Business Development Director to further elevate AECOM’s profile as a partner of choice and gain further market penetration and growth for the long-term. 

This is a key Defence leadership role, and as the successful applicant you be a key member of AECOMs Defence Leadership Team, reporting to the Head of Defence UK&I and working in partnership with our defence sector leaders across business lines.

Here’s what you’ll do:

As the Business Development Director this role has been created to spearhead strategic business development, focused on building key strategic relationships with targeted OEMs, pre-positioning AECOM for key strategic major pursuits, leading on capture management with work winning teams and regular stakeholder engagement.  You will act as the Client Account Manager (CAM) and focal-point for day-to-day communications between the Defence Leadership Team and OEM clients’, facilitating the identification of future Defence OEM strategic pursuits. 

Leadership

• Providing the leadership for the Defence OEM’s sub-sector, reporting into the Head of Defence UK&I.
• Ensure effective relationships with internal stakeholders to achieve objectives, including (but not limited to) business units, end markets, other sectors, CAMs, commercial, work winning and strategic marketing and communications.
• Build effective relationships with counterparts across AECOM’s geographies (e.g. US & Australia  input into global Defence equipment programmes).
• Accountable for setting and implementing Defence OEM business strategies, objectives, and financial outcomes.

Sales and Growth

• Participates in developing the regional growth and business development defence strategy to define growth targets and prioritise pursuits, best practice, and sales leadership, in collaboration with the Defence Leadership Team, Operating Unit Leaders and CAMs across all business lines.
• Contributes to the success and growth of the sector within the region and in collaboration with other regions.

• Responsible for business development and winning strategic pursuits, excellence in delivery of professional services, and business compliance, in alignment to the Defence growth strategy, working in collaboration with  Marketing and Capture Managers. 

• Builds, monitors and orchestrates sales pipeline activities across the Defence portfolio to advance, invest in or divest of opportunities.
• Keeps abreast of Europe’s Defence and Security challenges and leverages this knowledge to focus on sales activities.
• Leads the coordination of the forming of teams as part of major pursuits and mobilisation.
• Work with the regional teams to analyse and understand long, medium and short-term Defence OEM opportunities to advise strategic planning and pursuit prioritisation.

• Understand breadth and depth of global AECOM capabilities and bring regional and global expertise to major pursuits. 
• Bring discipline and rigor to the Go/No Go process and capture management planning phase. 
• Work in collaboration with Marketing to develop and execute strategic marketing campaigns that position AECOM around key opportunities. 

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Enjoy the Perks.

At AECOM, you'll enjoy a range of core and personalised benefits designed to support your future and well-being, customised to fit your lifestyle. Take advantage of career development opportunities, our flexible hybrid working model to ensure a work-life balance that suits your lifestyle, technical practice networks, AECOM University, and volunteering days.