Reference: 4799660Job ID: 5395335Posted: 2026-10-21Closing date: 2027-01-18Location: LincolnshireSalary: c.70,000 + bonus + car allowance (per annum)Job type: PermanentWorking pattern: Full timeIndustry: Engineering / Engineering SalesCompany: HaysConsultant: Will TaylorHays office: Sheffield — Floor 2, Fountain Precinct, Balm GreenPhone: 01522313300Email: william.taylor@hays.comDefence Sales ManagerLincoln | c.70,000 + 20% bonus + car allowanceThis is a rare opportunity to join a specialist defence manufacturer at a point of significant growth and have a genuine influence over what comes next.
The business has doubled turnover to 9m in the last 12 months and is forecasting double-digit annual growth over the next five years. They now need an experienced Defence Sales Manager who can build on strong existing customer relationships, develop new opportunities and, ultimately, build the sales function around them.
Reporting directly to the Managing Director, you'll take commercial ownership across the UK and international defence markets, working with the UK MOD, police forces and customers across Europe and the rest of the world. There are established relationships with significant potential for further growth, alongside a clear appetite to develop new customers and markets.
This is a varied, hands-on commercial role. You'll manage key accounts, develop new business, respond to inbound opportunities, identify tenders through procurement portals and frameworks, attend and exhibit at major defence exhibitions and manage agents across international territories.
You won't be selling a simple commodity. You'll be representing specialist manufactured products to knowledgeable customers, so credibility and technical aptitude are important. You don't necessarily need to be an engineer, but you will need to be comfortable understanding technical products, asking the right questions and translating customer requirements into commercial opportunities.
We are looking for someone who already understands selling into the wider defence sector. You'll know how defence customers buy, understand longer and more complex sales cycles and be comfortable developing relationships while also navigating formal tender and procurement processes.
What really sets this opportunity apart is where it could lead. As sales continue to grow, you'll have the opportunity to recruit and build a team beneath you, shape how the commercial function operates and develop into a broader Head of role.
For someone already successful in defence sales who wants greater autonomy, progression and the chance to build something of their own, this is a genuinely exciting opportunity.
Apply now or contact Will Taylor at Hays in Lincoln to find out more.#LI-DNI #4799660 - Will Taylor
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Business Development Manager in Lincoln, Lincolnshire employer: Hays
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