EVONA
Vice President, Business Development
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Location: Bristol, United Kingdom
Compensation: £120,000 plus OTE £250,000 - £350,000
Environment: SAR payload and satellite manufacturer
Build the next generation of sovereign radar capability
EVONA is working with a company that develops synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads and satellites for customers who need their own Earth observation capability.
We are entering a new phase of commercial growth and are looking for a Vice President, Business Development to turn technical capability into major international programmes.
This is a hands-on leadership role.
You will personally develop relationships, shape opportunities and close complex deals, while building the commercial team needed to support our growth. The company currently has around 50 employees and plans to double in size over the next year expanding both our production and commercial operations.
What You Will Do
- Win business for our SAR payloads and satellite solutions with defence and government customers, commercial Earth observation satellite operators, and geospatial intelligence companies.
- Build senior relationships across the UK Ministry of Defence, European defence ministries, space agencies, satellite operators, primes, and relevant commercial partners.
- Identify programmes early, understand customer mission requirements, and help shape solutions with our engineering and manufacturing teams.
- Lead opportunities from initial engagement and solution shaping through proposals, negotiation, and contract award, including programmes valued at approximately €5 million to €50 million.
- Secure customer commitments during product development and production ramp-up, setting credible technical and delivery expectations.
- Develop partnerships with satellite manufacturers and integrators seeking to incorporate SAR capability into their platforms or programmes.
- Establish a disciplined international pipeline and lead the commercial approach to entering the US and other priority markets.
- Recruit and lead a growing commercial function, including bid management and additional business development capability.
- Work closely with the CEO and technical leadership on market priorities, product direction, pricing, and major pursuits.
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What You Bring
- A demonstrable record of personally winning large, technically complex deals in space, Earth observation, defence, or a closely related market.
- Established customer relationships and proven sales success in at least one of these markets: the UK MoD, European defence ministries, commercial Earth observation satellite operators, or geospatial intelligence companies.
- Experience selling hardware, payloads, satellites, mission systems, or other complex technologies into long-cycle programmes.
- The ability to engage credibly with senior customers, procurement teams, and technical stakeholders, and to turn mission needs into a compelling commercial proposition.
- Experience shaping opportunities before a product or programme is fully mature, while managing customer expectations and delivery risk.
- The drive to originate and close deals personally, together with the judgement to build and lead a high-performing commercial team.
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Direct experience selling SAR payloads or satellites would be particularly valuable. We would also welcome candidates who have sold adjacent technologies, such as optical communications, EO sensors, spacecraft subsystems, or defence ISR systems, into the customers and programmes described above.
We would be open to supporting relocation to the UK for the right candidate from elsewhere in Europe.
In Return
£100,000–£130,000 base salary plus commission, with substantial earning potential. At a 2% commission rate, a £10m order would generate £200,000 in commission, taking total annual earnings to £300,000–£330,000. Commission is uncapped.
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