Business Development Manager

About GKN Aerospace

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener. With over 16,000 employees across 33 manufacturing sites in 12 countries, we serve over 90% of the world's aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.35 bn in 2023.

Job Summary

The Business Development Manager (BDM) will be responsible for driving growth within the defence and aerospace sector, with a strong focus on B2B engagement and UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and wider Government business capture. The role involves identifying and securing new opportunities, shaping bids, and building strategic relationships across industry partners, government stakeholders, and prime contractors.

This role can be worked on a remote first basis however there will be an expectation for regular travel to business meetings across UK sites and corporate customer offices. The large part of your time will be spent travelling for meetings in Luton, Bristol and London. Some European travel will be expected as a part of this role.

What You'll Be Doing

Business Development & Market Growth

• Identify, qualify, and pursue new business opportunities
• Develop and execute strategic business development plans
• Monitor defence budgets, procurement pipelines, and MOD priorities

Opportunity, Capture & Bid Leadership

• Lead capture activities for strategic opportunities
• Work closely with bid teams to support proposal development
• Conduct competitor analysis and positioning strategies
• Maintain robust CRM pipeline management and reporting

Stakeholder & Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with UK MOD stakeholders, prime contractors, and industry partners and subcontractors
• Represent the company at industry events, defence exhibitions (e.g. DSEI), and networking forums
• Manage key accounts and develop long-term customer engagement strategies

Strategic Partnerships & B2B Engagement

• Identify and establish partnerships, joint ventures, and teaming agreements
• Negotiate collaboration agreements
• Enhance company visibility and positioning

Market Intelligence & Positioning

• Analyse market trends, competitor activity, and emerging technologies
• Provide insights into customer needs, procurement trends, and policy changes
• Feed intelligence into product development, strategy, and leadership decision-making

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure all activities align with UK MOD procurement regulations and ethical standards
• Support compliance with export controls, ITAR (if applicable), and security requirements
• Maintain awareness of evolving policies such as the Strategic Defence Review, Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) and the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan

What You'll Bring

Essential

• Proven experience (typically 5–10+ years) in business development, sales, or capture management within defence, aerospace, or government sectors
• Demonstrated success in winning UK MOD or government contracts
• Strong understanding of MOD procurement processes, including frameworks and competitive tendering
• Experience working with or alongside major defence primes and supply chains
• Track record of leading or contributing to successful bids and capture campaigns

Desirable

• Experience within specific capability areas such as aerospace systems and platforms, defence digital / cyber, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance), or engineering services or logistics support
• Experience in international defence markets (NATO, allied nations)
• Familiarity with frameworks such as ITAR, MTCR, UK MOD Procurement and Single Source Regulations

What We'll Offer

• Competitive salary and remuneration package dependent on experience
• 22.5% company bonus based on personal and business performance
• £5,500 annual car allowance
• Industry Leading Pension Scheme = 1.5x employee contributions (max 12%)
• Life Assurance 8 x salary
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Flexible working hours
• Income protection
• Shopping discounts
• Cycle To Work Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Virtual GP Clinic for you and immediate family
• A collaborative, dynamic working environment
• Learning and development opportunities to support your career progression

Our Culture

Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we've created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute.

We are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.