Introduction
Saab UK is part of Scandinavia’s largest defence company, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation. Saab offers world-leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space, and civil security to keep people and society safe. Our UK presence has been growing at pace, meaning we can offer a wide range of opportunities for personal fulfilment and career growth. We currently employ over 500 people across eight sites in the UK, and our specialisations include software engineering, underwater robotics, radars, AI, and armed forces training
As part of the global entity Saab AB, Saab UK combines the innovative spirit of a start-up with the resources and expertise of a larger corporation. Globally, Saab employs over 22,000 people, with operations on every continent. Our partnerships with UK customers and industry mean we are able to deliver innovative solutions to complex challenges, anticipating the threats of tomorrow. We invest 23% of our annual revenue into research and development, collaborating with a range of partners including industry and academia
Saab is a company that offers our employees plenty of opportunities for growth and advancement. We embrace diversity and are committed to providing a workplace where individuals can thrive professionally, paving the way for future progression. We also recognise the need for a healthy work-life balance to ensure our staff have the chance to live a fulfilling life beyond the workplace
The Role
The Head of Marketing & Sales leads on Customer engagement in their market sector and is responsible for creating, identifying, validating and pursuing business leads and opportunities within the United Kingdom Operational Country (OpC)
The responsibility covers various elements of Saab’s Surveillance portfolio, as assigned by the Director of Marketing and Sales. With particular focus but not exclusively on Weapon Locating Radar. The Head of Marketing & Sales position within an OpC acts as the Customer Sales Responsible (CSR) for their prospects. Working closely with the Head of Marketing and Sales for GBAD, responsibilities include the establishment and maintenance of the customer relationships and responsibility for the relevant parts of the Winning Business (WB) process for their assigned prospects. The CSR leads the business realisation in accordance with the WB process from Market Appraisal up to and including Deliver and Follow Up Tender, and for the customer relationships throughout and beyond the WB process
This is a key role within the Business Development (BD) and Sales team and will represent Saab’s continued relationship building with the British Army and wider MOD therefore, the individual will be required to have an intricate understanding of Land operations and be capable of establishing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, creating a narrative and having the capability to identify opportunities for the business across campaigns and sales
The ideal individual will have come from a British Army (preferably Royal Artillery) background of OF3 or above, with a demonstrable understanding of how the Army delivers capability. Working with DE&S as well as some wider commercial, business development or sales experience would also be a prerequisite
Stakeholder engagement at all levels within the MOD is essential to this role. Therefore, applicants will need to have had prior involvement in running large campaigns and stakeholder management
The Head of Marketing & Sales is responsible for acquiring and maintaining relevant product knowledge, developing a close working relationship with respective Saab Business Units and to work closely with designated Product Sales Responsible (PSR) for each prospect
The Head of Marketing & Sales is also responsible for creating the winning strategy and determining the market price working closely with the PSR. To support this and to build Saab’s position within the UK market, the Head of Marketing & Sales conducts business intelligence, as part of the Competitive and Market Intelligence (CMI) process, and BD work in relation to set responsibilities to provide input to commercial proposals and to participate in contract negotiations, acting as the critical bridge between the capability requirements of the end user, and the engineering realities of Production
The Head of Marketing & Sales, working with respective PSR’s, is responsible for managing all their cases in the Customer Relationships Management (CRM) Tool, and is responsible for preparing relevant documents for the WB process
Principal Responsibilities
Deliver order intake and gross margin in accordance with set budget
Establish and maintain customer relationships
Lead on marketing and sales prospects for part of Saab’s Surveillance product portfolio
Act as a customer-facing Saab ambassador
Deliver on KPIs in accordance with annual goals set during the IPM process
Identify, prioritise and qualify new business opportunities and leads
Update all qualified cases in the CRM tool
Create business-winning strategies for each opportunity
Conduct market, customer and competitor analysis in order to develop business
Develop and maintain relevant product knowledge
Establish and maintain relevant Business Unit networks
Collaborate with the PSR for respective projects
Maintain, evaluate and develop relations with other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) for Business-to-Business opportunities
Participate at exhibitions and other customer-facing events
Other tasks within the Country Unit as deemed relevant from time to time
Required Skills and Experience
Essential
Experience and understanding of the UK Defence, acquisition process and budgets
Experience of working with sensors and networks
Experience of working at or with DE&S
Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English
Developed social skills and a positive attitude
Documented experience of marketing and sales or other relevant sectors
Desirable
Knowledge/experience of Weapon Locating Radars
Knowledge of business and planning processes
Have sufficient product knowledge in terms of technical base specifications and commercial aspects in order to be able to assume the CSR role