At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive business growth in the Middle East by identifying and securing new opportunities.
- Company: Join CHAOS Industries, a cutting-edge defence tech company redefining modern warfare.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salaries, health benefits, and generous stock options.
- Other info: Exciting travel opportunities across the Gulf region and beyond.
- Why this job: Be a key player in a rapidly growing team making a real impact in defence technology.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in defence business development with strong regional connections.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 € per year.
CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.
Role Overview: As Business Development Lead - Middle East, you will build on CHAOS’ current operational presence in the Gulf region and broader Middle East and play a pivotal role in identifying, pursuing and securing new business across the region through effective opportunity identification, strategic planning, customer engagement, and capture management. You will collaborate with BD leadership, engineering, and mission execution to identify regional opportunities, understand customer needs, engage users, buyers, decision-makers and influencers, and formulate winning proposals that bring new opportunities and revenue home.
The ideal candidate is focused, resourceful and relentless in pursuit of information; equally at home in a procurement agency office, on the exhibition floor at major regional defense trade shows, or sharing a coffee with an operator at a regional exercise. This is an exciting opportunity to be among the first members of CHAOS’ rapidly growing Middle East team, dedicated to delivering highly impactful technologies to the defense, national security and critical industrial sectors of the Gulf region and broader Middle East.
Responsibilities:- Expand CHAOS’ Middle East pipeline by identifying business opportunities and trends across regional armed forces, ministries of defence, procurement and offset authorities, and local industry– with particular focus on the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region.
- Provide insights into market dynamics and the regional competitor landscape, which contributes to opportunity qualification, teaming determination and narrative development.
- Qualify business opportunities and evaluate attractiveness and probability of win.
- Partner with BD and capture leadership to develop comprehensive capture plans at the strategic (pipeline-wide) and tactical (opportunity-specific) levels that align with business priorities and growth targets.
- Partner with CHAOS government affairs and legal function to ensure that compliance with US government export procedures and licensing are facilitated and adhered to.
- Attend customer meetings, industry days, conferences, exercises and trade shows across the Middle East (e.g., IDEX, World Defense Show, Dubai Airshow, SOFEX), and act as CHAOS’ ambassador to the customer and the customer’s ambassador back to CHAOS.
Ideally based in the UAE, with other Middle East locations (including Jordan, leveraging CHAOS’ existing operational nodes) considered. Heavy travel (typically 50%, with flexibility for higher travel periods) to customer sites across the Gulf states, Jordan and the wider region, plus periodic trips to our Los Angeles HQ, DC and London office.
Minimum Requirements:- Hunger and initiative. Fight for information, follow weak signals and relish the chase.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., International Relations, War Studies, Engineering, Business, Political Science) or equivalent work experience.
- Defense BD experience: 5+ years working directly with Middle East armed forces, ministries of defence, procurement / offset authorities through either industry or government employment.
- Procurement fluency: Strong understanding of Middle East defence procurement, regional offset and localization frameworks and of the full capture lifecycle.
- Proposal track record: Significant experience supporting and writing defense proposals, market research and white papers, with demonstrated success capturing multi-million-dollar awards.
- Communication and judgment: Exceptional written and verbal communication and attention to detail, with discerning strategic thinking and strong risk assessment skills.
- Domain experience: Radar, RF, sensors, weapons systems, defence technology or communications.
- Regional network: Established relationships across the wider Gulf region, across ministries of defence, armed forces, procurement or offset authorities and local industry.
- Arabic language fluency is a significant plus.
- Business acumen: Understanding of how to develop business cases and their fit into the overall CHAOS growth strategy, including offset and localization considerations specific to the region.
- Defense industry knowledge: Understanding of the Middle East defense industrial landscape and opportunities for effective partnering to enable sales, offsets and market entry.
- Health Benefits: private medical, dental and vision benefits (for employees & dependents) will be 100% paid for by the company.
- Additional benefits: 5% pension match.
- Compensation Components: competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance + annual bonuses.
- Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices.
Business Development Lead - Middle East in London employer: CHAOS Industries
CHAOS Industries is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that fosters innovation and collaboration in the rapidly evolving defense sector. With comprehensive health benefits, competitive salaries, and generous pre-IPO stock options, employees are well-supported as they contribute to impactful technologies in the Middle East. The company's commitment to employee growth and its strategic presence in the Gulf region provide unique opportunities for professional development and meaningful engagement with key stakeholders in national security.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Business Development Lead - Middle East in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the defence industry. Attend trade shows, conferences, and local events to meet potential employers and learn about opportunities before they hit the job boards.
✨Tip Number 2
Be proactive! Don’t just wait for job openings to appear. Reach out to companies you admire, like CHAOS Industries, and express your interest in working with them. A well-timed email can open doors!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your expertise! Create a strong online presence on platforms like LinkedIn. Share insights about the Middle East defence market, engage with industry content, and position yourself as a knowledgeable candidate.
✨Tip Number 4
Utilise our website! Apply directly through StudySmarter’s platform for the best chance of getting noticed. Tailor your application to highlight how your skills align with the role of Business Development Lead at CHAOS.
We think you need these skills to ace Business Development Lead - Middle East in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Business Development Lead role. Highlight your experience with Middle East defence procurement and any relevant relationships you've built in the region. We want to see how you can bring value to CHAOS!
Showcase Your Achievements:Don’t just list your responsibilities; showcase your achievements! Use specific examples of successful proposals or business opportunities you've secured in the past. This will help us understand your impact and potential.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, clarity is key. Use straightforward language and avoid jargon where possible. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the point—this reflects your communication skills!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows your initiative—something we really value at CHAOS!
How to prepare for a job interview at CHAOS Industries
✨Know Your Market
Before stepping into the interview, make sure you’ve done your homework on the Middle East defence landscape. Understand the key players, recent trends, and specific challenges faced by regional armed forces. This knowledge will not only impress your interviewers but also help you articulate how you can contribute to CHAOS Industries' growth in the region.
✨Showcase Your Network
Highlight any existing relationships you have within the Gulf region’s defence sector. Whether it’s connections with ministries of defence or local industry leaders, demonstrating your established network can set you apart. Be ready to discuss how these relationships can be leveraged to identify and secure new business opportunities for CHAOS.
✨Prepare for Cultural Nuances
Cultural fluency is crucial in this role. Brush up on the cultural norms and business etiquette of the Middle East. During the interview, share examples of how you’ve successfully navigated cultural differences in past roles. This will show that you’re not just a fit for the job, but also for the region.
✨Demonstrate Your Proposal Skills
Since the role involves significant proposal development, come prepared with examples of successful proposals you've worked on. Discuss your approach to market research and how you’ve translated customer needs into winning proposals. This will illustrate your capability to contribute effectively to CHAOS’ objectives right from the start.