Sales Manager, RF & Communications Solutions

About the Organisation

Our client is an established, high-technology engineering business headquartered in Oxfordshire, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of a major UK defence and security group. Founded in 1994, the business designs and manufactures a range of fibre-optic, RF and microwave technologies, including RF-over-fibre systems, antennas, software-defined radios and associated electronic subsystems.

Its products are deployed across satellite ground stations, broadcast infrastructure, data centres, test and measurement environments, secure communications networks and defence applications worldwide, with notable applications spanning Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Communications Intelligence (COMINT), electronic warfare and force protection.

As part of one of the world’s leading defence and security organisations, the business combines the agility and technical depth of a specialist engineering company with the backing, investment and market access of a major global group. The company holds Gold Investors in People accreditation and is certified to ISO 9001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.

Role Overview

Our client is entering an important phase of commercial evolution. Historically operating as a highly bespoke engineering organisation, the business has now developed and proven a set of core solutions and is focused on putting them in front of the right customers. To support this, the business is adopting a tiered commercial model comprising bespoke projects, configurable solution variants and fully established product offerings.

This newly created Sales Manager role, reporting to the Director of the Systems division, reflects the company’s ambition to build a dedicated Systems sales capability focused on finding and winning new customers. The successful candidate will identify and qualify new opportunities across target markets including satcom ground segments, network operations centres, communications and cellular test environments, and maritime communications infrastructure. The role is flexible (office or partly home based, South of England), with regular UK travel and some international travel.

Sales within this division are consultative and solution-focused rather than product-led or transactional. The Sales Manager will work alongside a Business Development Lead, who manages longer-term strategic pursuits, and a dedicated Customer Solutions Engineer who provides technical support and tailors solutions to customer requirements. Sales collateral, demonstration capability and an established representative network are already in place. The role is to use them to create momentum and convert new opportunities into revenue.

This role suits an enthusiastic, commercially minded individual early in their sales career who is motivated by finding new customers, building relationships and getting in front of people. Energy, curiosity and the ability to create momentum are likely to be more important than deep product knowledge on day one.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively identify and qualify new customers and opportunities across target markets including satcom, maritime and test environments
• Engage with customers consultatively to understand and capture their requirements, enabling the Customer Solutions Engineer to tailor the solution offering
• Manage opportunities through to order using Salesforce CRM, including producing quotations and liaising with internal engineering and production teams
• Prepare customer-facing sales documentation such as sales pitches and slide packs, and support the development of proposals
• Build strong and lasting customer relationships, prioritising face-to-face meetings and phone conversations over email
• Work as part of a small team, handing more complex, longer-term opportunities to the Business Development Lead and taking on shorter-term opportunities in return
• Leverage the existing representative network to extend reach and market penetration
• Attend trade shows and conferences, and feed back market intelligence, competitor activity and sales forecasts to the Director to inform the division’s growth strategy

Essential Skills and Experience

• Experience in, or a strong appetite for, consultative technical or solution sales within a technology, engineering, communications or defence-related environment
• Sufficient technical grounding to understand system-level solutions, prepare customer-facing documentation and understand customer needs
• Examples of using initiative to find and follow through opportunities to a successful outcome
• Experience dealing with customers and building lasting relationships
• Confident, personable communicator, comfortable engaging with customers across both technical and commercial discussions

Desirable Skills

• Exposure to markets such as satellite communications, RF systems, telecommunications, defence, maritime, aerospace or test and measurement
• Experience working alongside representative networks or channel partners
• Familiarity with selling complete systems or solutions, as opposed to individual components or catalogue products
• Experience using Salesforce or similar CRM systems
• Background in or knowledge of RF, fibre optic, microwave or software-defined radio technologies

Qualifications

• Technical qualification such as a degree, HND or NVQ in a relevant engineering or technical subject, or equivalent hands-on user or operator experience, including military signals or communications backgrounds
• Experience in a technical, applications, field engineering or sales role, ideally with some exposure to consultative selling
• Experience in the defence and government sectors is beneficial but not required

Person Specification

Commercial drive is essential; however, our client places equal emphasis on mindset and interpersonal effectiveness. The successful candidate will bring enthusiasm, curiosity and the confidence to try different approaches, ask questions and attend new shows and conferences. They will be naturally inquisitive about why a customer needs a particular solution, and will take a disciplined approach to pipeline management.

Candidates who are motivated by ownership, variety and pace within a collaborative, close-knit engineering environment are particularly encouraged to apply. The business is open to a range of industry backgrounds. The ideal candidate need not come from a traditional sales background, and this is an excellent opportunity for an early-career technical or sales professional to grow within a business backed by a major global group.

Eligibility Requirements

Due to the nature of our client’s products and customer base, candidates will be exposed to ITAR and UK export controls. Candidates must be eligible to work within those constraints. Sole UK National status is preferred.