Capture Manager -Europe

Founded in 2000 by three former Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-18 fighter pilots who identified an opportunity to improve military readiness training, Top Aces has since established itself as the world leader in contracted adversary air (ADAIR) services and joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) training. We pride ourselves on our unblemished safety record, having flown an industry leading 130,000+ hours of operational training without accident in support of customers worldwide, including Canada, the U.S., Germany, and multiple other NATO allies and international partner nations. Our vision is to be the most trusted provider of innovative defense training solutions, continuously elevating standards in an industry where "Experience Matters." This commitment to innovation and technology ensures we remain adaptable, training allied militaries to succeed against evolving threats. Top Aces’ dynamic team contributes to delivering on our purpose of training the next generation of combat leaders by living our values of Service, Integrity, Excellence, and Together every day!

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• As a key member of the Top Aces International Business Development organization, the Capture Manager – Europe leads and supports capture activities across European and NATO-aligned markets to drive growth and secure new business.
• This role is responsible for shaping opportunities, developing winning strategies, and coordinating cross-functional teams through the full capture lifecycle.
• Core responsibilities span Lead Investigation, Capture Management, Competitive Intelligence, Customer Engagement, and Proposal Support.
• Lead capture efforts for European and NATO opportunities, including shaping requirements, developing capture strategies, and guiding pursuits through the internal gated process.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, finance, and senior leadership to build compelling, executable, and competitive capture plans tailored to airborne training and defense contracting environments.
• Drive opportunity management, including pipeline development, qualification, and maintenance of capture data within enterprise systems.
• Conduct and coordinate competitive intelligence activities, including Opportunity-Specific Assessments, market assessments, and competitor analysis across NATO and European defense markets.
• Develop win strategies, value propositions, and discriminators aligned with customer priorities, procurement frameworks, and operational requirements.
• Participate in bid and proposal activities, ensuring capture strategy, pricing rationale, and customer insights are fully integrated into proposal submissions.
• Plan and execute customer engagement strategies, including meeting preparation, briefings, and follow-up actions with European Ministries of Defence, NATO agencies, and industry partners.
• Manage Top Aces’ presence at European and NATO relevant trade shows and industry events, including budget management, cross-functional coordination, and customer engagement planning.
• Contribute to internal and external communications, including marketing content, social media coordination, and brand promotion across European markets.
• Maintain and enhance the BD SharePoint environment, ensuring accurate tracking of opportunities and timely completion of deliverables by team members.
• Promote the Top Aces brand and capabilities at key European and international defence forums.
• Support continuous improvement of business development and capture processes, identifying opportunities to strengthen competitiveness and efficiency.
• Travel within Europe and internationally, potentially exceeding six weeks per year.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Vice President, Business Development – International.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, International Relations, Defense Studies, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in business development, capture management, or defense contracting, preferably within European or NATO markets.
• Demonstrated experience leading capture efforts for government or defense procurements, including RFI/RFP responses.
• Strong understanding of regional procurement processes, including NATO agencies such as NATO Support and Procurement Agency and NATO Communications and Information Agency, as well as national MOD acquisition frameworks.
• Proven ability to develop capture strategies, win themes, and competitive positioning.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams (engineering, operations, finance, legal).
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to travel extensively within Europe.
• Fluency in English.
• Experience in airborne training, adversary air, aviation services, or defense aviation.
• Direct engagement with European MODs, including but not limited to: Germany (BAAINBw), United Kingdom (DE&S), France (DGA), Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Italy, or other NATO-aligned nations.
• Prior involvement in NSPA or European Defense Agency tenders.
• Familiarity with military flight operations, airworthiness frameworks, or contractor-operated aircraft programs.
• Experience managing or contributing to complex, multi-year defense service contracts.
• Additional European languages (German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, or Nordic languages).
• Experience with CRM or pipeline management tools (Salesforce, SharePoint, or equivalent).
• Background in competitive intelligence, market analysis, or strategy development.
• Ability to perform all work in support of our Corporate Values of Excellence, Service, Integrity … Together.

Working Conditions:

• Travel may be required for the position.

Occupational Health and Safety: Employees are responsible for:

• Working in compliance with Occupational Health and Safety acts and regulations.
• Following safe work practices and procedures and using safeguards and personal protective equipment.
• Reporting hazards (such as unsafe situations and activities) to their supervisor immediately.

Security Clearance Requirements/ CGP / ITAR: Position requires Level II clearance with the Canadian Government and the ability to gain access to the Canadian Controlled Goods Program.

By joining Top Aces, you will find:

• A work environment in which service, integrity, excellence and teamwork are highly valued;
• Opportunities for development and growth;
• Multidisciplinary and multicultural collaboration at a local and global level;
• A flexible schedule;
• Attractive benefit plan.

Come share your passion with us! Here, you’ll be encouraged, empowered, and challenged to be your best self.

Equal Employment Opportunity: At Top Aces, all employees are welcome regardless of race, nationality, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability or age. The masculine form may be used in this job description solely for ease of reading but refers to men, women and gender diversity.