Strategic Partnerships Executive – Defence

Home-based / hybrid, with regular travel

Full-time, permanent

Competitive salaries and excellent benefits including up to one day's paid leave each year to undertake volunteering opportunities

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Make UK Defence is at the heart of the UK’s defence manufacturing community, bringing together organisations across the supply chain to connect, collaborate and grow. We work with companies across the defence sector, from SMEs through to major Prime Contractors and Tier 1 suppliers, helping to strengthen the UK’s industrial capability and create opportunities across the supply chain.

We’re now looking for a Strategic Partnerships Executive to join our team and play an important role in developing and strengthening our relationships with key strategic partners across the defence industry.

This is a relationship-led role with plenty of variety. You’ll work closely with our Strategic Partner Director and regional membership teams, helping us build strong, long-term relationships with Prime Contractors, Tier 1 suppliers and other influential organisations across the defence supply chain. You’ll get to know our strategic partners, understand their priorities and challenges, and help connect them with the wider Make UK Defence network.

There’s also a strong coordination and insight element to the role. You’ll help organise engagement activity, keep relationship and contact information up to date, follow up on actions and use feedback and engagement data to identify opportunities to improve how we work with our partners.

What you’ll be doing

• Build, cultivate, and enhance strong relationships with strategic partners to maximise mutual value and long-term collaboration.
• Work closely with the regional membership team to champion the strengths of the UK defence supply chain and support partners in addressing sourcing and capability challenges.
• Support the Strategic Partner Director in developing and maintaining impactful relationships with strategic partners and other key stakeholders.
• Administrative support tasks including coordinating ‘Meet the Buyer’ activities, maintaining and verifying data and contact records, following up on meeting actions, and preparing and documenting engagement plans.
• Monitor and evaluate the strength and quality of strategic partner relationships, using engagement metrics, feedback, and interaction data to track effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Represent the organisation at industry events, forums, and partner meetings.
• Maintain awareness of defence sector trends, procurement priorities, and supply chain challenges.
• Gather and review market insights and strategic partner feedback helping to shape partner engagement approaches, influence decision-making, and ensure alignment with evolving industry and stakeholder requirements.
• Work collaboratively across Make UK Defence and the wider Make UK organisation to ensure a coordinated, consistent, and effective approach across the organisation.