Job Title – Business Development Manager

Purpose:

The Satellite Applications Catapult aims to drive the commercial growth of the UK Space Sector, through a Mission-oriented innovation approach. In doing so, we seek to: accelerate the uptake of space technology to address human wellbeing, climate, and broader environmental challenges, integrate space into multiple connectivity and autonomy services and expand the UK’s participation in the beyond earth economy.  Key interventions have been identified to deliver our missions and the Catapult has identified the need to invest further in its sales team to support these interventions.

Reporting to the Head of Sales, this post will be a key stakeholder in the Business Development Team, and is responsible for both securing the funding, and the management of partnerships needed to support large, complex, multi-million-pound opportunities. The post will:

• Engage with, manage and develop new and existing relationships in those organisations that are most appropriate to generate co-development of capability within the opportunities.

• Secure investment from both public and commercial organisations for their identified opportunities.

• Engage with industry to understand market and end user needs, providing key insights to all internal teams to ensure the commercial growth of the UK Space Sector.

• Be responsible for complex contract negotiations across several external stakeholders through signature and hand over to the delivery team.

• Own, shape and manage contract structures to drive as much in year revenue as possible.

• Own their order intake pipeline.

• Maintain and improve the content and quality of key business systems including opportunity management.

• Work closely with colleagues across bidding, delivery, finance, impact and evaluation, procurement, and legal teams to deliver high quality interventions.

• Drive performance to meet the company logic model for impact.

• Can determine and lead new large strategic opportunities.

• Be cognizant of and work within the parameters of Public Sector procurement.

• Be commercially minded and able to seek, create and take full advantage of commercialisation opportunities.

Ways of Working: We are a learning organisation where our ways of working are underpinned by coaching and feedback, fostering adult-to-adult conversations. Innovation is at the heart of everything that we do, therefore being highly adaptive and agile with a GROWTH mindset will ensure your success at the Catapult. We expect our people to be Pioneering, Agile, Collaborative and Entrepreneurial, working at PACE.

Skills & Experience required:

 Must have:

•  Well proven experience of working with multi-faceted and complex large organisations as a business development manager, sales executive or a relevant role. (5 years plus)

• Substantial experience of the management of complex and extensive stakeholder relationships across a range of organisations.

• Clear evidence of strategic relationship management, account planning and business creation leading to mutli- million-pound investments and frameworks.

• Ability to demonstrate strong stakeholder management both internally and externally.

• Has a detailed understanding of contracting, and is well versed in contract negotiation, with a successful track record for closing quickly. Intellectual capacity and strong influencing skills able to gain ‘buy in’ to new opportunities and to facilitate changes in behaviour.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including highly developed verbal and written communication skills and the ability to deliver formal presentations to a range of audiences.

• An understanding of project and programme management in a commercial setting.

• Demonstrable experience of effective and successful teamwork.

Good to have:

•  Knowledge/experience of the space sector and the application of satellite technology is beneficial as is the geospatial market.

• Experience of public grant funding landscape.

• Experience with investors.

 Behaviours expected:

• Curiosity

• Commercially minded

• Continuous Improvement

• Decisive Thinking

• Skilled Influencer

• Skilled negotiator

• Collaborative

• Driven to deliver

• Courage to challenge

• Role Model

• Reflector / GROWTH mindset

• Passion for connecting with people and building effective relationships

Success factors: You know you have been successful when…

• You meet and exceed the expectations of the Catapult across both revenue and impact targets (aligned with funding secured for interventions).

• You create long-term models for market growth in partnership with those organisations selected which leads to direct benefit for British industry and supply chains.

• The opportunity for Space to meet national and global challenges is understood and realised by an ever-increasing range of individuals, companies and government bodies.

The purpose of your new team:

What is the overall objective of your team

• To grow the utilisation of satellite and space technology across multiple key markets and industries. In doing so we create the opportunity for UK industry and Academia to develop innovative and viable solutions to meet this increasing need whilst generating the necessary revenues to meet our KPI’s.

About Us

The purpose of the Catapult is to support UK industry by accelerating the growth of satellite applications and to contribute to capturing a 10% share of the global space market predicted by 2030.

We focus on three themes across our targeted market areas:

Energising the Market - We unlock customer demand and open new markets to the space sector.

Empowering the Technology – We help companies bring their product or service to market.

Enabling Business – We connect businesses of all sizes with the resources they need to grow.

 For more on what we do and how we do it, check us out website / YouTube

What we will give you:

 The Catapult fosters an open and collaborative culture that stimulates and develops staff and encourages collaboration and innovation. Our employee value proposition is strong. We have worked hard to create an environment which is dynamic, exciting, challenging, rewarding, flexible and, most importantly, fun.

You will work in an adult environment where focus is on your expertise and delivery of service rather than clocking in and out.

 You will receive regular feedback and touchpoints with your management as well as peers to support personal and professional development

We have an excellent benefits structure that includes, but is not limited to end of financial year bonus scheme; up to 10% employer contribution on our Scottish Widows pension scheme; optional AXA Private Medical cover as benefit in kind; generous holiday scheme with an option to buy and sell holidays: dedicated Mental Health First Aiders as well as an Employee Assistance Program as well as income insurance should things not go to according to plan.

How we work:

We strive to create a high trust environment that enables team members to bring their whole selves to work – this helps to create the foundations of an innovation culture.

Our shared values are critical to this:

• We care - for our people, our partners, and our planet

• We connect - and engage with people and ideas

• We learn - and grow, as people and as an industry

Underpinning this is our belief in great teams, our combined efforts will always deliver outcomes beyond that of any individual providing we are honest through debate, experiment and reflect, and create shared resolutions in support of our purpose. Live these values, work to our principles, take ownership to deliver, and we are certain you will thrive with us.

Important notice for applicants: We use tools to detect plagiarism and the use of AI or chatbots for applicant answers. If plagiarism, AI use (such as ChatGPT) or similar software are found to have been used in your application you will not be considered for this or future roles within the Satellite Applications Catapult.