Business Development Director - Test & Training in Farnborough

Global Grade: GG17

Location: UK Selected Sites - Farnborough, Malvern, Boscombe Down, Portsmouth. Three days per week on-site

Role Type: Permanent – Full Time

Role ID: 19690

Role Remit

As a key member of the Test, Evaluation & Training Capabilities leadership team, the successful candidate will grow the domain, with a focus on the UK, Australia, and NATO countries outside the US. We are seeking a strategic, experienced leader with a proven track record of business growth in defence markets, particularly in the test, evaluation and training domains. The ideal candidate will bring a broad industry perspective, established external networks, and the ability to challenge the status quo driving value through innovative approaches to customer engagement, partnerships, and solution development — supporting both UK and international growth objectives.

Role Purpose

• Lead sustainable year-on-year growth in QinetiQ’s Test & Evaluation and Training business by shaping market strategy, winning priority opportunities, and building high-performing business development teams.
• Provide strategic and commercial leadership to grow the business in line with QinetiQ’s priorities.
• Lead and inspire business development and cross-functional teams to deliver strong performance.
• Build and strengthen senior relationships with customers, partners and internal stakeholders.
• Lead growth planning aligned to corporate strategy and planning cycles.
• Advise the QinetiQ Leadership Team on market opportunities, positioning and stakeholder strategy.
• Communicate growth priorities and successes across the leadership community to strengthen collaboration and market impact.

Key Accountabilities

Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer and supporting delivery of the company strategy, the role holder will:

• Develop and agree a growth plan aligned to strategy and built around opportunities across the company.
• Identify and prioritise near-term and long-term opportunities that support delivery of the growth plan and latest ISP.
• Deliver growth across the existing portfolio and future pipeline through business leaders and cross-functional teams.
• Lead strategic captures aligned to company priorities, improving win probability and developing compelling investment cases for executive approval.
• Shape differentiated and commercially strong positions for contracts, frameworks and strategic opportunities.
• Build and manage relationships with customers, partners and key internal stakeholders that support growth in priority areas.
• Ensure the quality of offers, commitments and customer engagement approaches.
• Build team capability and maintain strong succession plans across the function.

Key Capabilities / Knowledge

• Enterprise leadership. Demonstrates the leadership behaviours expected of a senior company leader, including collaboration, performance focus and a global mindset.
• Customer and partner focus. Builds credible, value-adding relationships with customers and partners from executive level to key influencers.
• Business winning. Brings strong understanding of the defence and security market, including customers, competitors, suppliers and regulation, with a proven track record of winning major opportunities valued at £100m+.
• Commercial leadership. Understands how to shape, negotiate and implement innovative commercial approaches that deliver value for defence and security customers.
• Domain knowledge. Brings deep understanding of UK defence and security strategies and how armed forces, security and intelligence organisations deliver capability.
• Influence and collaboration. Works effectively across a multi-national organisation and influences senior customers, partners and internal stakeholders, including securing approval for growth and capture plans.
• Team leadership. Builds, aligns and mobilises business development and sales teams across organisational boundaries to deliver in-year targets and long-term growth.
• Operational discipline. Has experience managing multi-million-pound budgets and improving returns on business development and sales investment.
• People development. Builds high-performing teams, gives clear direction and creates the conditions for individuals and teams to succeed.
• Change leadership. Aligns and energises teams to drive improvement and support business growth.

Experience & Qualifications

• Experience leading successful business development or strategic engagement teams in a multi-national organisation, with a strong record of delivering order intake growth across the defence, aerospace, technology, information or security sectors.
• Significant experience in senior roles within the UK defence or security sector, with strong understanding of customer and partner organisations, published strategies and the stakeholder environment that drives growth.
• Proven ability to influence senior external and internal stakeholders and convert insight into growth outcomes.
• Degree qualified in a relevant discipline, such as science or engineering; advanced business qualifications, such as an MBA, are desirable.

Why Join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges. As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experience enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential.

Our Benefits

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance.
• Competitive holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days.
• Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance.
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more.
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
• Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community.

Our Recruitment Process

We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels valued, heard and supported. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments. Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which mean factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in. Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.