Sales and Customer Manager in Northumberland

We're looking for a Sales and Customer Manager who will take ownership of growing OpenWorks' global customer base and become the trusted link between our cutting-edge technology and the end-user community. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of counter-UAS adoption worldwide, working directly with military and specialist law-enforcement operators while representing some of the most advanced autonomous optical systems on the market. You will be the person who turns interest into impact by identifying new customers, guiding them through our technology, and supporting them throughout the life of their systems.

OpenWorks is a rapidly growing business operating globally with a passion for exceptional engineering and building on a legacy of defence innovation in the North East of England. Our products provide ultra-high-performance, real-time detection, tracking, identification and targeting of dynamic aerial threats. They have been deployed internationally to protect high-profile military and civilian assets, and contribute towards the defeat of nuisance, misguided and maliciously deployed drones during operations. We are very proud to have supported a wide range of law-enforcement and military operators, protecting many of the most high-profile sites and individuals around the world. The amazing things we do are only possible because of a dedicated and passionate team.

Why You'll Love Working With Us

• Join a high-energy, collaborative team based in the beautiful Northumberland countryside — where great ideas thrive, challenges are embraced, and people genuinely love what they do.
• Competitive remuneration package, with performance-related bonuses and clear progression opportunities.
• 25 days' holiday + public holidays, with long-service rewards and the option to buy up to 5 additional days.
• Free breakfast and freshly cooked lunches every day, courtesy of Chef Mark and his team.
• Private healthcare through Aviva, keeping you feeling your best.
• Life assurance for peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
• Salary sacrifice schemes - including EV car and Cycle to Work options for easy, sustainable travel.
• Paid team socials - from quiz nights and football to board games and more; we love to have fun together.
• Pension plan with employer-matched contributions to help you plan for the future.
• A culture that empowers - we enable change, encourage challenge, and celebrate personal growth.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading the identification and development of new international customers (end users).
• Taking ownership of sales opportunities from concept through to profitability.
• Providing quotations and ensuring the scope of supply meets customer needs.
• Supporting system delivery, integration activities and customer onboarding.
• Developing leads into opportunities through close engagement with the end-user community.
• Supporting existing customers throughout the product lifecycle.
• Working collaboratively with global strategic partners and distributors.
• Representing OpenWorks in presentations, demonstrations, exhibitions and one-to-one meetings.
• Travelling globally to engage with diverse stakeholders — from senior military leaders to scientists and engineers.

What We're Looking For

• Ability to work autonomously across all areas of sales and customer support.
• Experience in the defence or security sector, with understanding of multi-domain defence applications.
• Creativity and drive to identify, evaluate and pursue new business opportunities.
• Commitment to continuously improving sales processes and techniques.
• Excellent communication skills, able to clearly articulate complex technical capabilities to non-technical audiences.
• Willingness to travel globally and work directly with customers on system integration.
• Confident briefing style suitable for industry, government and military audiences.
• Strong internal relationship-building skills to ensure customer needs are understood and met.
• Full driving licence.
• Ability to obtain (or already hold) security clearance.

Desirable

• Additional languages.
• Experience with optical systems.
• Existing relationships with leading authorities and systems integrators.

What You'll Get

• The chance to become the global face of OpenWorks technology — directly influencing how our systems are adopted and deployed worldwide.
• A role with genuine autonomy, responsibility and visibility across the business.
• The opportunity to work closely with elite end-user communities and see the real-world impact of your work.
• A position at the heart of a fast-growing company where your contribution will shape our future direction.
• As a small, fast-growing company (now over 100 people and continually expanding), we offer the opportunity for a professional to have autonomy and responsibility. You'll directly see the impact of your efforts.

More About Us

• Vision: Help protect the territory and airspace of NATO countries and their allies.
• Mission: Be a world-leading provider of autonomous technology for Surveillance applications and Defence.
• Values: Be a Good Egg: Earn respect, have mutual trust and be honest. Do cool stuff: We develop cool tech with an awesome team, and we get stuff done. Be empowered: We are autonomous, reliable and take personal responsibility. We are one team: Look out for each other and the team. Things go wrong: Fail fast, learn and move on. Have fun: We're doing amazing things with passionate people.