Strategic Growth Director

• We are supporting a globally recognised brand as it enters the defence market. We are looking for a seasoned leadership profile with an extensive network across the German speaking defence ecosystem to facilitate its entry.

Responsibilities

• Act as the key link between the organisation and the Ministry of Defence and wider government defence ecosystem across DACH, with an initial focus on Germany.
• Serve as the business’s ambassador within the German defence ecosystem, building visibility, credibility and relationships with key government and military stakeholders.
• Leverage an established network within the Bundeswehr, BAAINBw, the Ministry of Defence and the wider political and government ecosystem to open doors and secure access to decision makers.
• Position the business within the most important German defence and governmental organisations, with the initial priority being relationship development, institutional access and industry recognition.
• Identify and qualify new opportunities, understand government and military priorities, and advise the Sales team on which opportunities to pursue and how best to approach them.
• Support early stage customer engagement and introductions, handing opportunities over to the Sales team around the RFI and RFQ stage.
• Drive business development with a primary focus on direct B2G sales, alongside B2B opportunities and support to the Sales team.
• Advise on commercial strategy and business direction as the business establishes its market presence in defence.
• Collaborate closely with the Public Affairs function in Berlin, representing the business at relevant government, military and defence industry events.
• Mentor and develop more junior colleagues and support the existing sales team.
• Operate with significant autonomy as the internal expert on the German defence ecosystem, providing strategic guidance to senior leadership.

Skills and Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience within the German defence ecosystem, with an excellent industry reputation.
• Strong, established relationships across the Bundeswehr, BAAINBw, the Ministry of Defence and wider government and military organisations.
• Proven ability to leverage a senior network to open doors, build trust and create new business opportunities.
• Strong understanding of German defence procurement processes, programme cycles and customer priorities.
• Sufficient commercial experience to support a Sales team independently when required.
• Ability to advise on commercial strategy and mentor more junior team members.
• Excellent communication, relationship management and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Calm, structured and resilient, with the patience to navigate lengthy defence procurement cycles and a measured approach that does not expect immediate results.
• Sound judgement and the ability to operate independently with high levels of autonomy.