Business Development Director

The opportunity

This is a rare chance to build and shape a defence practice from the ground up inside a fast-growing UK digital SME that already has real operational credibility in defence.

The business is 3 years old, founder-led, delivery-focused, and already split between healthcare and defence. It is now making a deliberate, funded push into wider MOD and Defence Digital, off the back of a flagship operational programme that has moved from prototype into full production.

They are looking for someone who can open doors, carry credibility, and operate autonomously in the UK defence ecosystem.

What you'll actually do

This role is about presence, access, and influence, not admin or pipeline theatre.

You will:

• Act as the senior defence-facing figurehead for the business
• Open doors across MOD, Defence Digital, and adjacent defence stakeholders
• Build relationships at the right level where brand recognition doesn't yet exist
• Translate SME capability into trust and relevance with senior defence buyers
• Help shape how the business positions, bids, and grows in defence
• Work directly with the CEO and CCO to define what "good" looks like in defence growth

The kind of person this suits

This role is deliberately title-agnostic. What matters is who you are, not what your last business card said.

You are likely to be:

• A senior BD / capture / defence growth leader
• Currently (or recently) inside a large SI, prime, or upper-mid-tier consultancy
• Increasingly frustrated by bureaucracy, slow pace, or lack of autonomy
• Comfortable being the first or early hire in a new defence practice
• Confident operating without a famous brand behind you

You probably have:

• A credible black book across MOD / Defence Digital / defence programmes
• Experience selling digital, software, or complex transformation, not just bodies
• The judgement to know who matters and who doesn't
• Enough confidence in your own ability to back yourself in an SME environment

What's different here

• This is not a turnaround -the company already delivers in defence
• You'll have direct CEO access and genuine influence
• You can help define the role, not just inherit it
• The culture is adult, pragmatic, and impact-driven
• Long-term upside is real for the right person as the business scales

Package

• Base salary: broadly £80,000 - £150,000 (flexible for the right person)
• Significant autonomy and visibility
• Long-term growth potential as the defence side of the business scales