Callen-Lenz
Business Development Manager

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Business Development Manager
Vacancy Reference: CLA- 436
Position: Full-time
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK
Salary: £60,000 - £75,000
At Callen-Lenz, we are expanding the limits of what is possible. We specialise in crewed and uncrewed aircraft operations and technology and having recently received investment into the business we are going through a period of rapid growth and development and are looking for key roles to assist with these changes. Callen-Lenz offers innovative and customer-focused UAS solutions through our 4 key business strands: technical services, products, platforms and operational services. We are looking for individuals to help drive forward our expansion, placing you at forefront of UAS development in the UK.
Our Values
- Innovation
- Integrity
- Collaboration
- Excellence
Why Work for Us
Based in the heart of rural Wiltshire, close to the Historic city of Salisbury you will join our rapidly growing, friendly and multi-disciplined team, working on a range of diverse and interesting projects, leading the way in this exciting field and witnessing the full lifecycle of our products. The Callen-Lenz team are passionate about what we do, and we are searching for individuals to grow with us as we expand into the aerospace industry.
Our benefits include:
- 25 days annual leave per year (plus bank holidays)
- Buy/Sell holiday policy up to 5 days either way
- Pension Scheme via Royal London
- Company contributed Share Incentive Plan.
- Green Car Scheme
- Life assurance scheme (6x basic salary)
- Income protection policy (75% of basic salary)
- Private Health Insurance via Bupa
- Private Dental insurance via Bupa
- Enhanced Maternity and paternity
- 1 Professional membership reimbursed per year
- 1 paid volunteering day per year
- Access to an independent financial advisor year round
- Training & development opportunities
About the role
As the Business Development Manager, you will be responsible for creating the appropriate business winning environment for a market/markets through market understanding, market planning and positioning, developing opportunities and pursuing captures/campaigns.
Responsibilities
Business Development:
- Throughout Business Winning lifecycle:
- Work with stakeholders, develop and implement strategy/marketing plans e.g. country plans.
- Act upon market analysis and intelligence data to influence and plan P&T investment.
- Play an active role in leading understanding and influencing/shaping of the customer requirement, defining opportunity timeline and acting as customer advocate during solution development.
- Develop and communicate a clear understanding of the customer procurement process, including the Critical Success Factors and key decision drivers ("hot buttons") that underpin the win strategy.
- Manage, develop and maintain a strong relationship with the customers, key influencers, governments, local consultants (where used) and internal stakeholders.
- Understand customer organisations, culture, processes, constraints and working practices and be able to relate these back into business.
- Collaborate with Capture and Project teams to deliver consistent key messages, support customer engagement activities, and maintain insight into current customer challenges, concerns, and priorities.
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As leader of BD activity:
- Identify, create & develop new business opportunities and generate appropriate business case(s) to support Phase review pursue/stop decisions until Capture Team formation.
- Generate opportunities that align with Corporate and Business IBP objectives and support a balanced portfolio of opportunities, products, and markets.
- Provide support to pan-Company opportunities and ensure alignment of Business IBP to strategic opportunities.
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As a Capture Team member:
- Provide customer views and expectations on price as part of defining the Price to Win derivation.
- Act as a key contributor to the communications plan and lead the customer and stakeholder identification and engagement elements of the Capture Plan.
- Lead customer and market intelligence gathering activities, acting as the primary conduit for customer requirements intelligence and ensuring the Capture and Bid teams remain informed of relevant developments and insights.
- Drive the development of the Executive Summary for the Capture.
- Have a significant role in achieving deal closure, working closely with the Capture Leader and Commercial team.
Capture:
- Manage all aspects of strategically important capture opportunities, securing orders that meet specified commercial terms and margin targets.
- Direct development and implementation of the Capture Plan encompassing Win Strategy, Price to Win etc.
- Develop the Business Case for continuing to pursue and bidding the Opportunity including Capture budget.
- Oversee all aspects of the capture process, leading a high-performing team to develop compelling solutions and submit high-quality proposals that maximise the likelihood of success.
- Plan/use all relevant LCM reviews and approvals.
- Determine Capture team resource requirements, appoint team members, and ensure alignment between campaign objectives and individual PDR commitments.
- Lead the strategy for influencing customer requirements, interpreting customer needs, and developing solution options, including make/buy decisions and partnering or teaming approaches.
- Lead stakeholder management at all appropriate levels across multiple organisations and keeps the Business Leadership Team informed and engaged, including timely escalation of issues needing resolution.
- Define and lead customer relationship management strategy and engage senior Company executives in contact activity. Utilise customer review data to truly understand customer perceptions and support capture activity.
- Develop and own the Price to Win, driving the solution to meet it, and ensure stakeholders believe in it.
- Ensure smooth hand-over to Project Manager for delivery phase.
- Lead Black Hat & Blue Team Reviews.
- Engage internal stakeholders and secure support, buy-in and bid approvals for the solution(s).
- Support the development and deployment of functional learning and development.
- Perform other related duties as required.


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Health & Safety
- Demonstrate in daily activities a commitment to health and safety in the workplace by always ensuring tasks are performed in the safest possible manner.
- Report all hazards and incidents that the individual is party to, or observes, in the correct manner.
- When required or directed, participate in any health and safety training.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field. A background in engineering or aerospace is a plus.
Skills and Experience
Essential:
- Experience in a similar role Business Development role.
- Strong experience in developing and reviewing technical documentation,
- Strong ability to confidently ensure the business acts upon customer opportunities, thinking, knowledge, concerns etc.
- Ability to manage multiple bids at once, with strong organisational and time-management skills.
- Strong attention to detail, ensuring high standards of accuracy and compliance in every submission.
- Ability to build effective working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders across different departments.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of Uncrewed Air Systems, Autonomous Systems, or wider aerospace and defence technologies.
- Familiarity with public and private sector tendering procedures, often including frameworks similar to OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union).
Personal Attributes
- Must be a British Citizen or have an existing right to work in the UK.
- Ability to commit to occasional national and international travel.
- A full valid UK driving license.
- Ability to hold Security Clearance – 5 years residence in the UK.
Callen-Lenz is an equal opportunities employer, committed to building an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age. It is essential that the successful candidate must, by the start of their employment have permission to work in the UK. Proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK will be required prior to commencement of employment.
Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.
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