Director, Business Development & Capture

Job Title: Director, Business Development & Capture

John Cockerill, a Catalyst for Opportunities

Driven since 1817 by the entrepreneurial spirit and thirst for innovation of its founder, the John Cockerill Group
develops large-scale technological solutions to address the needs of our time: facilitating access to
low-carbon energy, enabling sustainable industrial production, preserving natural resources, contributing to
greener mobility, enhancing security, and establishing essential infrastructure.

The Group’s offering to companies, states, and local authorities encompasses services and
associated equipment across the energy, defense, industry, environment, transport, and infrastructure sectors.
With a workforce of over 8,000 employees, John Cockerill generated a turnover of 1.417 billion euros in 2024,
operating in 28 countries across 5 continents

John Cockerill Defense SA, Weapon Systems Division is looking for a :

Director, Business Development & Capture (M/F)

1. Role Purpose

The Director, Business Development & Capture is a senior commercial leader responsible for developing business and leading strategic captures across assigned markets and customers.

The role combines direct business ownership with demonstrated Capture capability. The Director develops customer and partner relationships, shapes opportunities early, establishes credible win strategies and personally leads selected strategic campaigns.

The Director also contributes to commercial prioritisation and develops the capability and effectiveness of assigned Business Development Managers.

The role balances near-term order intake with early positioning for medium and long-term opportunities

2. Business Development & Capture

This is the core responsibility of the role.

• Own business development and commercial performance within the assigned perimeter.
• Develop and shape strategic business opportunities, from early market positioning through Capture.
• Identify new customers, programmes, markets and routes to market.
• Build strong relationships with customers, Armed Forces, government stakeholders, acquisition authorities, OEMs and industrial partners.
• Understand customer priorities, budgets, procurement routes and decision processes.
• Develop relevant partnerships, localisation and industrial cooperation approaches.
• Contribute to a credible 3–5 year business pipeline by identifying future programmes and strategic positions worth developing.
• Personally lead selected strategic captures and support other priority campaigns.
• Develop capture strategies covering:
• customer needs and decision criteria;
• decision-makers, users and influencers;
• customer access and stakeholder positions;
• competition and alternative solutions;
• differentiation and win strategy;
• partner and industrial strategy;
• commercial and affordability considerations.
• Translate capture strategies into clear actions, owners and milestones.
• Challenge assumptions, identify gaps and lead reviews of priority captures.
• Mobilise the appropriate internal expertise around strategic pursuits.
• Translate customer and market intelligence into relevant input for Product and Proposal teams.

The Director must be able to distinguish between following opportunities and actively shaping them.

3. Focus & Prioritisation

The Director is expected to help focus commercial resources where they can create the greatest value.

• Qualify opportunities based on customer need, programme credibility, strategic fit, access, competitive position, probability of success, potential value and required investment.
• Distinguish between:
• near-term business opportunities;
• long-term strategic positions;
• opportunities requiring further qualification;
• pursuits that should not consume significant resources.
• Recommend whether opportunities should be Pursued, Pursued with Conditions, Held or Stopped.
• Ensure significant resources are committed to sufficiently qualified and strategically relevant pursuits.
• Lead or contribute to Business and Capture Reviews.
• Support GO / No-Go preparation.
• Ensure reviews result in clear decisions, priorities and actions.
• Escalate matters requiring strategic arbitration or senior management intervention to the CCO.

Opportunity & Pipeline Discipline

The Director is expected to maintain disciplined opportunity and pipeline management, supported by effective use of CRM.

This includes:

• Ensuring opportunity information is current and reflects commercial reality.
• Maintaining visibility of the short, medium and long-term pipeline.
• Using CRM information effectively in Business and Capture Reviews.
• Supporting reliable forecasting and opportunity management.
• Ensuring Business Development Managers take ownership of their customer and opportunity information.
• CRM is an expected management tool within the role.

4. People & Execution

The Director will lead and develop assigned Business Development Managers, with a focus on business performance, autonomy and execution.

• Set clear priorities, responsibilities and expectations.
• Coach the team through real opportunities, captures and customer situations.
• Challenge account strategies, capture approaches and next moves.
• Support preparation for important customer and partner engagements.
• Join selected engagements where seniority, experience or customer access adds value.
• Debrief key engagements and translate outcomes into actions.
• Transfer Business Development and Capture know-how.
• Develop commercial judgement and autonomy within the assigned team.
• Hold the team accountable for agreed actions and commitments.
• Ensure that capture actions have clear owners, milestones and follow-through.

5. Candidate Profile

We are looking for a senior international commercial professional with 12+ years of relevant experience in Business Development and/or Capture Management, with a proven track record in complex, multi-year B2G business.

The successful candidate must be credible as a frontline Business Development leader and able to demonstrate personal involvement in shaping and leading strategic captures.

Aerospace & Defence experience is strongly preferred, particularly direct exposure to military and government customers, acquisition authorities, OEMs and international industrial partners.

Exceptional candidates from adjacent complex B2G sectors may be considered where they demonstrate strong personal Business Development and Capture experience and the ability to establish credibility rapidly in the Aerospace & Defence environment.

Practical Information

• Location: TBD
• Working model: Hybrid, with international mobility
• Employment: Full-time
• Travel: Significant international travel expected
• Languages: Fluent English and French required; additional relevant languages are an advantage
• Reports to: Chief Commercial Officer

John Cockerill offers career and development opportunities across its various sectors, within a friendly working environment.

Are you looking to grow within an innovative company that will allow you to tackle technical challenges on a daily basis?

We look forward to receiving your application and to meeting you.

The Recruitment Process

Ready to take on this exciting challenge and contribute to global security?

What are the next steps?

• Initial interview with Julien Reijmen
• On-site or virtual meeting with Antonio Rega and Virginie Dawir
• Final interview with management

Are you ready to join John Cockerill? Let's start this journey together!

Would you like to learn more about the exciting projects at John Cockerill Defense?
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh-Rn2zFMBY

Not the opportunity you're looking for?

You can also join our Talent Community and be contacted for future opportunities:
👉 http://www.johncockerill.com/jobs