Business Development Manager - Defence in Hampshire

Job Title: Business Development Manager - Defence

Salary: Up to £70,000.00 OTE

Company: UK Connect Ltd

Department: Defence Operations

Employment: Full Time, Permanent

Security: Capable of obtaining and maintaining appropriate UK Security Clearance

Location: UK Connect HQ (with regular UK travel and occasional European travel)

Reports To: Business Unit Lead

Role Summary

UK Connect Defence (UKCD) is looking for a Business Development Manager to generate and develop new opportunities across Defence. You will work directly with Defence users to understand operational challenges, develop opportunities and take them through trials, working with our technical and engineering teams to shape the right capability and progress it towards contract and revenue.

You do not need to be an engineer. You do need to understand Defence, build trusted relationships, have strong commercial instincts and be comfortable working around technology.

About UK Connect Defence

UKCD helps Defence turn operational requirements into deployable, capability at pace. Our approach is simple:

Discover → Integrate → Prove → Scale

We start with the user’s operational problem, integrate the right technologies, prove the capability through trials, and create a route to wider deployment. Our work spans resilient connectivity, sensing, edge technology and systems integration. Through PRAXYM, our UK manufacturing capability, we also manufacture technology where operational need, sovereignty or supply-chain resilience demands it.

Behind UKCD sits UK Connect Ltd, with more than a decade of experience, a national field-engineering capability, more than 3,000 deployments each year and a UK-based 24/7 Network Operations Centre.

About You

You are ex-UK Armed Forces and understand how Defence works. Your background may be in Signals/CIS, an operational unit, capability development, requirements, experimentation, trials or another relevant Defence environment.

You enjoy meeting users, asking questions and uncovering opportunities. You are commercially minded, proactive and comfortable opening doors. Previous Defence sales experience would be useful, but it is not essential. We would equally consider an experienced Defence BDM or an exceptional service leaver with strong commercial aptitude.

Key Responsibilities

• Business Development: Build relationships across Defence and proactively generate new opportunities.
• Customer Discovery: Work directly with users to understand operational problems, requirements and capability gaps.
• Opportunity Development: Work with UKCD technical, engineering and product teams to shape credible solutions around customer needs.
• Trials & Demonstrations: Lead the customer and commercial side of demonstrations, evaluations and field trials, ensuring successful activity progresses towards a commercial outcome.
• Pipeline Management: Build and maintain a qualified Defence pipeline, accurate forecasts and clear next actions.
• Capture & Bids: Support and lead capture activity, proposals, tenders and bids alongside internal teams and specialist bid partners.
• Growth: Turn successful trials and customer relationships into orders, programmes and opportunities for wider deployment across UK Defence and selected allied markets.
  

Experience

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Previous service in the UK Armed Forces.
• Strong understanding of the UK Defence environment.
• Credibility with military users and the ability to build trusted relationships.
• Commercial instinct and the confidence to create new opportunities.
• Strong communication, organisation and follow-through.
• The ability to operate independently in a fast-moving environment.
• An interest in technology without needing to be an engineer.

Experience in communications, CIS, SATCOM/LEO, 5G, sensing, C4ISR, systems integration, MOD procurement or Defence trials would be advantageous but is not essential.

Company Culture and Values

We have been a certified Great Place to Work for six years running and care about the communities we impact. We give a percentage of our profits each year to our charity, the Farr Foundation, which supports children in getting into STEM subjects. Last year, we supported over 15,000 children.

What's In It for You?

You can make a real difference to our business, knowing you are supported by a team of 60 across two offices. We are not like other businesses with shareholders to impress, or unrealistic objectives. At UK Connect, we take a long-term view of things, meaning our focus is on fully funded personal and professional development, helping you work to the best of your abilities.

Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave as standard, with options to increase up to 35 days annual leave.
• • Unique benefits points scheme giving access to lucrative offerings (cash vouchers, Merlin passes, National Trust passes, and more).
  • Company-wide bonus scheme.

• Enhanced Pension.

• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave.

• Death in Service (4x salary).

• Unique benefits points scheme giving access to lucrative offerings.

• Opportunity to work in a company recognised for its efforts to become the best workplace (Great Place to Work).

• Work within a company whose Executive Chairman has been recognised as ‘One to Watch’ in The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders Programme.

• Modern and progressive office space.

• Free Parking.

• Café, Gym and Restaurant on-site.

• Opportunity to work with a dynamic and innovative team.

• Chance to make a significant impact on the growth of a successful company.
  

How to Apply:

STEP 1: Click the 'Apply for this job' button at the top of this page, which connects to our ATS at ukconnect.com/careers.