Head of Customer – Defence

Overview

In this role you lead Vertical Aerospace’s defence sales, developing a strategic plan to win government support and funding for our hybrid aircraft roadmap. You’ll build compelling defence value propositions and manage senior relationships with ministries, NATO and allied bodies to shape our defence offering. You will translate market needs into credible external propositions and collaborate cross-functionally to progress bids and funded opportunities. This role offers high-impact work at pace, helping accelerate our defence growth and advance air mobility at scale.

Pay / Benefits

• 26 days holiday
• 5 extra days per year to buy or sell
• 5 extra days holiday on marriage or civil partnership
• 4% of salary to spend on extra benefits
• Help@Hand digital health and wellbeing
• Company performance-based bonus

Responsibilities

• Lead defence sales activity and execute a UK/Europe/NATO-focused commercial strategy
• Secure government support and funding for defence-related initiatives
• Develop defence value propositions and campaign plans aligned with mission needs
• Cultivate senior relationships across defence ministries, agencies and partners
• Identify opportunities to participate in defence programmes, demonstrations and future systems
• Build and grow a defence ecosystem including primes, mission system and propulsion collaborators
• Translate market/operator needs into commercial input for internal teams and product direction
• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, procurement, programme, strategy and leadership on bids and funded opportunities
• Provide market insights on priorities, competitors and route-to-market for defence growth
• Explore adjacent opportunities for powertrain and related technologies with defence relevance
• Represent Vertical in external defence forums and customer engagements
• Lay the foundations of a self-directed defence commercial capability in a lean, fast-moving environment

Key requirements

• Strong leadership in defence sales, BD, or strategic partnerships with a track record of winning complex opportunities
• Proven experience selling to UK MOD, European defence bodies, NATO-aligned customers, or allied governments
• Established network and credibility to open doors with senior defence stakeholders
• Experience developing pitches, bids, or funding cases for defence programmes and demonstrations
• Understanding of positioning air platforms and related aerospace capabilities for defence use cases
• Ability to work independently and prioritise opportunities in a lean team
• Experience building partnerships across a complex ecosystem including defence primes and technology providers
• Commercial acumen with the ability to translate market needs into product and business recommendations
• Confident cross-functional collaboration with technical teams to shape external propositions
• Strong communication, negotiation and stakeholder management in evolving environments
• International outlook with experience in non-US defence markets, especially UK/Europe
• Degree-level study or equivalent industry experience in commercial/engineering/aerospace/defence

• leadership
• relationship-building
• strategic thinking
• defence market knowledge
• experience with defence funding programmes and bids
• knowledge of air platforms/UAVs/helicopters

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