Director – International Defence & National Security Markets

This is a senior commercial leadership role within a growing defence and national security group. The business has significant ambition to scale, supported by the broader group credibility, infrastructure and financial strength of a much larger group operation.

The Director will lead the international defence and security business, with a mandate to professionalise commercial activity, diversify revenue, access major government frameworks and move from opportunistic growth to structured, strategic expansion.

This is a high-performing, values-led and senior environment. The team is composed of highly experienced defence, security and government practitioners. It is supportive, direct, ambitious and execution-focused.

The right person will be commercially sharp, self-starting, low-ego, resilient and comfortable bringing structure without requiring a corporate machine around them.

The Role

You will be responsible for shaping and executing the commercial strategy across UK and selected international defence and national security markets. The business has deep practitioner expertise across areas such as strategic communications, counter-disinformation, capability development, specialist training, mentoring and advisory work, but requires stronger commercial leadership to scale effectively.

You will work closely with senior leadership, group operations, finance and delivery specialists to turn existing credibility into larger, more sustainable revenue streams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead commercial strategy and growth across international markets
• Build a focused pipeline of major opportunities.
• Access and compete through government frameworks, primes, partnerships and direct client relationships
• Develop routes to market across defence, national security and adjacent commercial sectors
• Shape opportunities before formal procurement begins
• Move the business towards prime contractor status where appropriate
• Own pipeline discipline, forecasting, opportunity qualification and commercial prioritisation
• Work with delivery leaders to ensure growth is achievable, credible and deliverable
• Build senior relationships across government, defence primes, agencies and partner ecosystems
• Contribute to the senior management team and wider group growth strategy

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will bring strong commercial judgement, credibility in defence or national security markets, and the ability to operate without heavy hand-holding.

They do not need to be a deep thematic expert, but they must understand the sector, its clients, buying behaviours and procurement routes.

Essential Experience

• Commercial leadership experience in defence, national security, government services or adjacent markets
• Understanding of UK government procurement, frameworks and competitive tendering
• Experience developing new markets, routes to market or strategic partnerships
• Ability to build focused networks in new geographies or sectors
• Strong commercial acumen, including revenue growth, margin, pipeline and bid prioritisation
• Credibility with senior government, defence, commercial and operational stakeholders
• Comfortable operating in a high-performance, entrepreneurial and relatively unstructured environment

Desirable Experience

• Background in a defence prime, specialist consultancy, government services business or advisory firm
• Experience with MOD, FCDO, Home Office, DSTL, Crown Commercial Service, ISF/CSSF-style frameworks or Five Eyes markets
• Prior experience scaling a small business unit or moving a specialist services business into larger contracts