Head of Commercial - Vertical Lift in Bristol

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An exciting opportunity has become available to join Boeing Defence United Kingdom (BDUK) as the Head of Commercial for the Vertical Lift business unit. This role is full-time and can be either based at BDUK’s Gosport office or it can be based at BDUK’s Bristol office with a requirement for weekly travel to Gosport. Hybrid working is available with a minimum of three days in office required.

About the role

The Vertical Lift Head of Commercial in BDUK leads and is accountable for management of the BDUK Vertical Lift Commercial Team (circa 12 people), reporting to the BDUK Commercial Director and working alongside the Vertical Lift Director and their leadership team as a business partner. The Vertical Lift Commercial Team is located between Gosport (primary) and Bristol offices and occasionally works at various customer locations including Odiham and Middle Wallop. The Vertical Lift business unit has recently consolidated three contracts into the Rotary Wing Enterprise (RWE) contract: a performance-based logistics, maintenance and support services contract for the UK fleet of Chinook and Apache helicopters. The focus for the business unit is to excel in execution of this contract and grow the business unit with opportunities for both domestic and foreign customers.

Your priorities will be to lead & manage your Commercial leadership team who will manage, with their teams, the day-to-day execution of the RWE single source contract; act as an effective escalation path and advisor to your team; develop & maintain a trusting relationship with your MoD customer counterpart(s); be proactive and influential in shaping, developing the strategy and implementing the approach for contracting the follow-on period for RWE; operate as a business leader for the Vertical Lift business unit for both current and future contract concerns, including future growth. The Vertical Lift business unit also works with colleagues across The Boeing Company in harnessing solutions to deliver to our UK MoD customer as well as in providing support to international contracts and proposals.

Position responsibilities

• Responsibility to set and manage performance of the Commercial objectives of the Vertical Lift Commercial Team and to lead / facilitate effective individual development plans.
• Fully understand BDUK Commercial policies/procedures and ensure compliance with Corporate Policies/Procedures and all legislation, regulations and standards applicable to your contracts / proposals.
• Submit offers and contractually commit the company within permitted delegated authority.
• Review Statements of Work, terms and conditions, cost estimates and the determination of profit or earnings objectives. Ability to guide team on and, where required, draft terms and conditions and other contractual language.
• Provide leadership, guidance and help needed to your team as required to support their individual development and in meeting business needs for resolution of actions.
• Act as escalation point to resolve issues and deliver creative commercial solutions to complex problems to meet business objectives.
• Able to act decisively in group environments, determine recommendations from analysis / evaluations and be an effective decision-maker.
• Commercial support to emerging programmes/campaigns.
• Review and approve proposals.
• Review and approve agreements with outside parties.
• Perform and approve contractual risk assessments to balance risk and opportunities.
• Both participating on and leading bid/no-bid and make/buy boards, as well as establishing processes internally with the Commercial Team as well as other programmes or functions.
• Coach and mentor employees and Team Leads, as well as providing development opportunities and support to expand the capabilities of the team, maximise resources in your team and create career progression pathways.
• Acts as a business leader, deploying commercial strategies that do not solely rely on contractual positions.
• Collective leadership responsibility within the BDUK Vertical Lift Leadership Team.
• As part of the BDUK Commercial Leadership Team proactively participate in all topics that concern the broader Commercial Function, including compliance, improvement projects, communications and reporting needs.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills / Experience)

• Excellent customer relationship management.
• Leadership experience - complex projects and/or teams.
• Knowledge and skilled in defence contracting and terms & conditions – drafting, interpretation and negotiating.
• Strong understanding of Single Source Contract Regulations and understanding / experience of competitive procurement.
• Strong, effective negotiation skills.
• First-time quality, attention to detail.
• Fast and effective responsiveness in a multifaceted, complex environment.
• Demonstrable experience working in a matrix organisation.
• Ability to handle a diverse, fast-paced, high workload.
• Able to work under supervision and independently.
• Experience in identifying and implementing improvement initiatives.
• Effective at identifying opportunities & risks and to manage them to create enhanced value for the organization.
• A positive work attitude and inclusive team building approach, with a focus on people development.
• Adaptable, able to cope with changing requirements and multiple priorities and can remain effective in difficult times.
• Analytical and proficient in working with complex data to evaluate and make decisions / recommendations with a problem-solving mindset.
• 10+ years of direct Commercial work history.
• Candidates must have at least one year of experience in a leadership role (team leader, temp manager, large scale cross functional project/program management, or formal manager experience) OR have completed the Boeing internal course “Exploring Leadership”.

Preferred Qualifications (Desired Skills/Experience)

• Working experience 10+ years within multinational global company environment and UK defence expertise.
• Professional accreditation: World Commerce & Contracting (WCC) Advanced Practitioner accreditation highly desirable.

The Boeing benefits package goes above and beyond, focusing on your physical, emotional, financial and social well-being. Here’s a snapshot of what we offer:

• Competitive salary and annual incentive plans.
• Continuous learning - you’ll develop the approach and skills to navigate whatever comes next.
• Success as defined by you - we’ll provide the tools and flexibility, so you can make a meaningful impact, your way.
• An inclusive culture - you’ll be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs.
• Excellent Adoption and Parental leave options.
• 23 days plus UK public holidays and a Winter Break between Christmas and New Year.
• Pension Plan with up to 10% employer contribution.
• Company paid BUPA Medical Plan.
• Short Term Sickness: 100% pay for the first 26 weeks.
• Long Term Sickness: 66.67% of annual salary from 27th week.
• 6x annual salary life insurance.
• Learning Together Programme to support your ongoing personal and career development.
• Access to Boeing’s Well Being Programs, tools and incentives.

Applications for this position will be accepted until May 19, 2026.

This is not an Export Control position.

This position offers relocation based on candidate eligibility.

This position requires the ability to obtain United Kingdom Security Check.

Employer willing to sponsor applicants for employment visa status.

Not a Shift Worker (United Kingdom).

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not accept unlawful discrimination in our recruitment or employment practices on any grounds including but not limited to; race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military and veteran status, or other characteristics covered by applicable law.

We have teams in more than 65 countries, and each person plays a role in helping us become one of the world’s most innovative, diverse and inclusive companies. We are a Disability Confident Committed employer and welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. Applicants are encouraged to share with our recruitment team any accommodations required during the recruitment process. Accommodations may include but are not limited to: conducting interviews in accessible locations that accommodate mobility needs, encouraging candidates to bring and use any existing assistive technology such as screen readers and offering flexible interview formats such as virtual or phone interviews.