Major Programmes Sales Lead

Description

We’re building the UK's next generation engineering powerhouse, providing critical technology that strengthens national security and resilience.

N.b. This role may also suit candidates with titles such as: Capture Manager, Business Development Director, Bid Director, or Sales Director (Defence).

We specialise in turning advances in sensing, AI, and communications into operational capability for the edge, where connectivity may be degraded or denied. Our work focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology, improving decision-making for frontline teams, and protecting people and critical assets in demanding environments.

Headquartered in Bristol, Rowden employs around 200 people and operates over 20,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities. We have a growing international footprint and are one of Europe’s fastest-growing engineering businesses.

About the role

As Business Development / Sales Manager, you'll be responsible for leading and delivering complex captures in regulated procurement environments. This is a senior role with dual focus: leading from the front on major government sales (across defence, national security, CNI and emergency response), whilst amplifying the impact of the wider sales team.

This role will suit a professional with strong first-principles analytical ability and genuine creativity – someone who can deconstruct complex problems, generate original approaches and shape competitive strategy from the ground up, rather than simply replicating processes learned elsewhere. This is an ideal role for someone who has experience leading high value (£10m+) complex captures looking for their next challenge as part of a dynamic, high growth business.

For senior roles, compensation is tailored to the scope of the role and the specific experience a candidate brings. Because that can vary significantly, we do not always publish a fixed salary band. We will, however, discuss compensation openly at the first stage of the process and can share an indicative range before either side invests significant time.

Candidates must be eligible for SC clearance.

More information about security clearance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Key areas of responsibility

First and foremost, this role is about converting qualified sales opportunities into contracted work in our order book. You will work across sales, engineering and delivery to make that happen, but you will be expected to do the substantive work yourself – shaping bids, structuring arguments and driving submissions. This is not a managerial post; it is a hands-on capture role with direct accountability for outcomes.

Sales Strategy & Execution

• Lead enterprise-scale sales opportunities (typically £10M+) from origination to closure, ensuring momentum across qualification, capture, bid, negotiation, and contracting.
• Develop clear win strategies, including competitor analysis, differentiation, and risk mitigation.
• Identify, evaluate, and secure strategic industry partners to form bid winning teams.

Reporting & Sales Operations

• Work closely with revenue operations and executive leadership to ensure robust sales discipline and accountability.

Leadership

While this is not a line management role, we would expect you to use your experience to raise the standard of capture across the business – coaching colleagues, sharing judgement and helping others think more clearly about how we pursue and win work:

• Role model the behaviours and habits of a high-performing sales organisation - energising the team, reinforcing customer-centricity, and fostering accountability and ownership.
• Guide and coach the wider team to develop capture strategies across key verticals: defence, national security, emergency response, and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).
• Serve as a coach and mentor: encouraging creative thinking and helping team members overcome technical, commercial, or political blockers.

Key skills, experience and behaviours

You do not need to meet every criterion in this section – we are more interested in capability and potential than a perfect checklist – but a consistent track record of converting opportunities into won work is essential.

• Strong track record of closing complex enterprise sales (ideally £10M+ deals) within the public sector.
• Deep knowledge of UK public sector procurement regulations, routes to market, and multi-year contracting.
• Proven ability to guide opportunity strategy - incorporating capture planning, stakeholder mapping, bid development, and win themes.
• Experience engaging both technical and non-technical stakeholders, with the ability to bridge engineering depth and executive-level messaging.

About you

• Mission-focused: You care deeply about the end-user and the impact of your work on public safety and national security.
• Creative and tenacious: You bring original thinking to how we win business and aren't deterred by complex or ambiguous routes to market.
• Technically fluent: While not necessarily an engineer, you're able to grasp technical concepts and translate them into compelling customer narratives.
• Hands-on leader: You get stuck in with proposals, negotiations, and strategic discussions.
• Trusted advisor: You can build trust and influence at C-suite level across customers and partners.

Working at Rowden

We are committed to building a flexible, inclusive, and enabling company. Our aim is to create a diverse team of talented people with unique skills, experience, and backgrounds, so please apply and come as you are!

We also recognise the importance of flexible working and support this wherever we can. We typically operate a flexible, hybrid-working model, with an average 3 days in the office each week (dependent on the role). We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility, part-time working requirements and/or workplace adjustments with all our applicants.

Rowden is a Disability Confident Committed company, and we actively encourage people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for our roles. Please let us know your requirements early on so that we can make sure you have everything you need up front to help make the recruitment process and experience as easy as possible.

Finally, if you feel that you don’t meet all the criteria included above but have transferable skills and relevant experience, we’d still love to hear from you!

What matters to us?

• Our focus is on the end user. We exist to deliver the best possible outcomes for the users of our systems.
• Pace matters. The problems we solve are urgent.
• Our diverse skills and backgrounds make us better. Our team prides itself on being inclusive and multidisciplinary.
• We are radically honest. Saying what we mean, even when it isn’t easy.
• We are pragmatists. We provide realistic, focused solutions that get to the point.
• We improve continuously. We are relentless in our drive to make things better.