Field Sales Manager (Defence and Aerospace)

Field Sales Manager (Defence and Aerospace)

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ENTJ. Work hard, be helpful, care, have fun.

The TÜV SÜD Group is a global leader in testing, inspection, and certification services. With over 70 years of experience in the UK, TÜV SÜD has built a strong reputation for supporting defence, aerospace, rail, automotive and marine clients in validating that their high‑reliability products and systems are fit for purpose in the demanding environments in which they are intended to operate. Our accredited laboratories and secure facilities offer comprehensive testing, including environmental, EMC, and mechanical stress testing, ensuring compliance with international requirements. TÜV SÜD’s collaborative approach and deep technical expertise make them a trusted partner for qualifying mission‑critical systems and components.

We are looking for a dynamic and strategic Field Sales Manager with experience in the Defence & Aerospace sector. This role combines direct customer engagement with strategic market insight to drive growth. The ideal candidate will not only promote and sell our existing services but also gather intelligence on future customer needs to help shape our long‑term business strategy.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with existing and prospective customers across the Defence & Aerospace sectors.
• Promote and sell the company’s current portfolio of services, ensuring alignment with customer needs and procurement cycles.
• Represent the company at industry events, trade shows, and customer meetings to enhance visibility and credibility.
• Strategic Insight & Future Needs Analysis
• Engage customers in strategic conversations to uncover future capability requirements, technology interests, and operational challenges.
• Translate customer insights into actionable intelligence to inform product development, R&D priorities, and investment planning.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align business strategy with anticipated market demand.
• Market & Opportunity Analysis
• Conduct market research to identify trends, competitor activity, and emerging opportunities in the Defence & Aerospace sectors.
• Track and evaluate government tenders, funding programs, and partnership opportunities.
• Maintain a pipeline of qualified opportunities and support the development of capture strategies and proposals.
• Industry Knowledge:
• Strong understanding of the Defence & Aerospace sector, including procurement cycles, regulatory frameworks and testing standards (e.g., DEF STAN, MIL‑STD), and key stakeholders.
• Familiarity with environmental, EMC, and mechanical testing standards and their relevance to Defence & Aerospace applications.
• Technical Acumen:
• Ability to understand and communicate complex technical services such as Def Stan 00‑035 and MIL‑STD‑810, Def Stan 59‑411, MIL‑STD‑461, EMC testing, and climatic/mechanical stress testing.
• Comfortable discussing product qualification, certification processes, and compliance requirements with engineers and programme managers.
• Proven ability to build relationships with major contractors, system integrators, and government agencies.
• Skilled in consultative selling—identifying customer pain points and aligning services to meet future capability needs.
• Strategic Insight:
• Capable of gathering and interpreting customer feedback to identify future testing needs and emerging market trends.
• Able to feed insights back into the business to shape service offerings and innovation priorities.
• Experience managing long sales cycles and complex bids, including responding to RFPs and tenders.
• Strong negotiation skills and understanding of pricing models for technical services.
• Compliance & Security Awareness:
• Knowledge of export control regulations (e.g., ITAR, EAR, EU dual‑use) preferable.
• Eligibility for or possession of security clearance is often a requirement.
• Tools & Process Familiarity:
• Proficiency with CRM systems (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics) ensuring that communication with clients is up to date, familiarity with tender portals and pipeline management tools.
• Experience working with internal teams (engineering, quality, legal) to deliver tailored solutions.

Further Information:

TÜV SÜD in the UK offers a competitive salary and benefits package that includes a minimum of 33 days holiday entitlement (for full‑time employees, including public holidays), a contributory Group Personal Pension Plan and a non‑contributory Group Life Assurance Scheme. We also offer various salary exchange/sacrifice schemes (buying/selling holiday, cycle‑to‑work scheme, pensions), incentive schemes and comprehensive wellbeing support (Employee Assistance Programme, Dental Scheme and Occupational Health services). Depending on the role, employees may also be eligible for hybrid/permanent home‑working, a Company Car/Car Allowance and Private Medical Insurance.

Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level

Employment type: Full‑time

Job function: Sales and Business Development

Industries: Public Safety