Data Intelligence Senior Sales Manager

Headquartered in the UK, QinetiQ Group Plc (“QinetiQ”) is a world-leading research and technology business, providing expert advice, services and innovative products. The company deploys its scientific and technological knowledge, proven research capabilities and unique, purpose-built facilities to advance the mission of its global customer base across defence, security and critical national infrastructure markets. QinetiQ is listed in the UK, employs more than 6,000 people around the world and has total revenues approaching £1.5bn. 

Naimuri is a leading-edge technology business, providing innovative, specialist services to the UK intelligence, defence, security and law enforcement communities. Naimuri brings state-of-the-art capabilities in Software Development, Application & Infrastructure Management, Cloud and Data Engineering, underpinned by specialist skills in DevSecOps, Agile Ways of Working, Data Science and AI. Naimuri was founded in 2014 and operates from a List X facility in Manchester. The company has grown rapidly and built a prestigious customer base including the UK Home Office, UKIC, Department for Transport, and Homeland Security agencies, also forging partnerships with leading providers such as AWS, Microsoft and Elastic.

With the growth of the QinetiQ Data Intelligence division and Naimuri since acquisition we are now seeking additional business development capacity to drive the next phase of growth.

Role Purpose:

• Accountable for developing and closing business to deliver growth in the Data Intelligence / Naimuri divisions. Working across the defence and security sector to drive generation of qualified pipeline opportunities, lead the development of proposals and subsequent conversion to executed contracts.
• Collaborate and leverage QinetiQ and Naimuri delivery and account teams to grow business and deliver sustained growth in line with strategic plan.
• It will be essential to work closely with the account aligned Qinetiq BD team to develop Data Intelligence led opportunities and opportunities where Data Intelligence is part of a larger and Qinetiq wide proposal.
• “Hands on” engagement to drive qualified opportunities to successful closure.
• Contribution to capture of large opportunities.
• Contribution to development of growth plans for Data Intelligence with the Data Intelligence BD lead and with account aligned BD leads in the defence sector

Key Accountabilities:

1. Strategy: Develop the Data Intelligence sector strategy and deliver against challenging objectives. Develop plans to expand existing accounts and expand into adjacent departments.
2. BD Leadership: Build and lead virtual teams to support bid activity for new and existing clients.
3. BD Execution: Develop and Identify qualified strategic opportunities to expand the Data Intelligence business growth plan and ambition. Construct, manage and lead bids in both direct pursuits & collaborative / partnering engagements. Drive and successfully close complex deals to access new customers and markets to support the Data Intelligence strategic vision and goals.
4. Strategic Relationships: Build and retain strong relationships with new customers and partners at executive and senior management levels to support the growth agenda.
5. In Year Accountabilities: Deliver the Data Intelligence in-year orders and a growing order intake pipeline across the three sectors (typically £20m-£50m) in accordance with agreed expectations.
6. Proposition Development: Work with the Data Intelligence capability team and sector lead to shape new propositions that will resonate with customers and enable us to grow our market position.

Key Capabilities/Knowledge:

1. Broad Thinking - Thinks broadly and creatively about the industry and customer landscape, effectively considering wider factors and identifying longer-term opportunities that fit with QinetiQ’s core capabilities

• Considers wider implications such as reputational consequences when evaluating an opportunity
• Identifies market shaping opportunities by thinking in terms of positioning and brand rather than just capability and price
• Enables others to identify and look at opportunities more broadly – beyond technology and price
• Finds new and creative possibilities in adjacent markets that benefit the longer term

2. Relationship Building - Actively seeks to build and maintains trusting relationships with a wide network of relevant people in the industry, customer and QinetiQ, leveraging these relationships appropriately

• Develops QinetiQ’s profile in a locality or market
• Develops broad network with industries, government, and relevant agencies
• Encourages and supports others in developing a strong network
• Leverages relationships effectively to increase business opportunities
• Uses wider network effectively to achieve competitive advantage
• Champions authenticity, transparency and trust

3. Customer Focus - Ensures they understand the customer’s perspective and needs - both professionally and personally - focusing on what will deliver value to them.

• Anticipates and mitigates potential issues that may occur, ensuring they manage customer expectations throughout
• Sets focus on developing solutions that add value for the customer now as well as in the future
• Champions strong customer relationships that lead to long-term business partnerships
• Effectively uses in depth customer knowledge and understanding to develop business solution offerings that lead to competitive advantage
• Helps customer change their thinking, challenging their views/ideas where appropriate
• Builds in regular check-points to ensure transparency and communication flow

4. Commerciality - Evaluates issues and situations in terms of what will optimise growth and profitability for QinetiQ over the medium and long-term, taking into account the wider commercial landscape

• Encourages others to think in terms of ‘Win strategy’ focusing on how to win and what to sell and why we will win with an appropriate team against the competition
• Makes decisions based on long-term implications and knowledge of customers
• Coaches others to take an assertive approach when having to have tough conversations with the buyer and discuss profitability and growth

5. Personal Impact - Adapts their approach to communicate clearly, credibly and positively when engaging different stakeholders, focusing on earning trust and getting buy-in

• Seeks to engage and persuade people into supporting bids and opportunities
• Enthuses their audience as well as delivering a clear message and call to action
• Manages meetings so they are informative and energising and colleagues leave feeling motivated
• Listens well – is not always on transmit; knows when to stop and listen; asks the right questions at the right time
• Adapts their approach to interact effectively in different company and national cultures
• Champions credibility in their different approaches to gain buy in and engage others

6. Resilience - Maintains a positive and ‘can do’ approach in difficult situations and over a long period of time; delivers difficult messages constructively when required

• Is a change agent, taking responsibility for shaping the business for the future
• Leads others through difficult and demanding projects displaying calmness and confidence
• Challenges change fatigue directly; Maintains a positive orientation towards change and new ways of working
• Advises and mentors less experienced colleagues and is unafraid to share successful methods and ideas with them
• Challenges the status quo when required, is unafraid to drive change
• Champions new processes and procedures, encouraging others to challenge tested methods
• Brings conviction to the opportunity, the domain strategy and customer views.

7. Takes Ownership - Takes accountability for organising themselves and others to deliver for the customer and QinetiQ; consistently takes the initiative and ownership to drive outcomes

• Focuses self and others on measures and KPI’s that make a difference
• Takes cabinet responsibility for choices made, promotes them and acts on them despite any personal misgivings
• Provides a balance of challenge and support to people working with them
• Builds a structure that others can work effectively within
• Clarifies roles and responsibilities in a team situation and retains overall responsibility for bid quality and timeliness
• Holds the business to account for a successful bid through cajoling and controlling

8. Collaborates Against Boundaries - Drives and facilitates effective working across organisational boundaries to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes

• Breaks down internal silos to broaden and increase opportunities and ways to exploit them
• Willing to change own priorities for the good of the wider business
• Sets people up for success amongst customers, prospects and internal colleagues
• Creates an environment in which functions and teams work with rather than against each other
• Takes a structured and planned approach in successfully influencing internal and external stakeholders
• Thinks of opportunities as QinetiQ ones rather than personal ones; shares leads outside own function or expertise.

Experience & Qualifications

• Domain Relevance: Relevant experience of shaping digital and data solutions with HMG customers, with experience of Defence or Homeland Security sector essential and Defence, Home Office, Law Enforcement and UKIC desirable.
• Solution Shaping: Experience of shaping data driven solutions in an agile environment including DevSecOps, cloud based solutions and data science.
• Partnering: Experience of building long standing partnering arrangements and/or alliances that enable business growth.
• Execution of Win Strategy: Track record of multi-opportunity win strategy development and the execution of associated capture plans that achieve long-term pipeline growth.
• Capture Success: Has led, developed, negotiated and closed strategically important orders (as a minimum that are greater than £1m).
• Experience of UK Government procurements.
• Holds relevant security clearances, ideally DV.

Why join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

You’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experience enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in an diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture here.  

Joining QinetiQ offers you an opportunity to work on a broad range of interesting defence-based projects with vast career progression across a global organisation in addition to competitive personal and professional benefits.  You’ll receive a highly competitive salary and benefits package: our basic salaries are very attractive as we constantly review what’s happening in the market. The range of benefits that we offer include, adaptive and flexible working, generous holiday entitlements, Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance and much more. 

About QinetiQ

As a company of over 6,000 dedicated professionals, we are a world-centre of excellence in research and development and act as a catalyst for fast-track innovation, offering outstanding experimentation facilities, and technical, engineering and scientific expertise. QinetiQ is made up of dedicated experts in defence, aerospace, security and related markets, all working together to explore new ways of protecting what matters most. Being part of QinetiQ means being central to the safety and security of the world around us. Partnering with our customers, we help to save lives; reduce risks to society; and maintain the global infrastructure on which we all depend. Come and find out how you can play a role.

Please note that many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting. Applicants that already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment, subject to approval. A number of roles are also subject to restrictions on access to information that mean factors such as nationality, previous nationalities held and the country in which you were born may have an effect on the roles that you can be employed in.