Business Development Manager - Maritime & Defence

About Us

We are a leading UK-based engineering and service solutions firm headquartered in Portland, Dorset. We operate in the UK & internationally, providing a broad range of deployable infrastructure, construction, facilities, and support services to government, defence, and commercial clients. The company is privately held and is part of the Intrepid Global Solutions group of companies, emphasising partnership-driven project delivery and operational excellence.

About the Role

To lead, develop and expand G3 Systems’ Deployable Infrastructure business portfolio across UK maritime and defence sectors, including but not limited to the Royal Navy, NavyPODS, AtlanticNET, and wider modular infrastructure programmes.

The postholder is accountable for identifying, qualifying and progressing opportunities that align with G3’s strategic capabilities, and for driving structured Business Development (BD) activity from market scanning through to handover for detailed capture and proposal development.

The role serves as a visible ambassador for G3 Systems, strengthening client relationships, enhancing market presence, and ensuring that the new business pipeline is accurate, actionable and aligned to business growth objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Market Development

• Build and maintain deep understanding of the maritime defence market, including customer priorities, funding cycles, capability gaps and competitor activity.
• Identify and evaluate market segments, prospective clients and contracting routes that align with G3’s technical and operational capabilities.
• Shape early client engagement to position G3 favourably ahead of formal procurement phases.

Client Engagement & Representation

• Represent G3 Systems to existing and prospective customers, presenting company capability, innovation initiatives and value propositions.
• Deliver high-quality presentations, briefings and technical/operational overviews tailored to the audience.
• Undertake structured networking, attendance at industry events, and targeted relationship-building with decision-makers, influencers and partners.

Opportunity Identification & Qualification

• Identify, assess and prioritise profitable new business opportunities, including early- stage intelligence gathering, procurement scheduling insight, competitor mapping and alignment to internal capability.

Capture Preparation & Handover

• Lead, coordinate and de-risk upstream BD activity required to take opportunities from concept into formal capture, ensuring the business is well positioned before committing resources.
• Develop outline bid strategies, win themes, solution approaches and partnership models ahead of handover.
• As required, lead capture activity and support proposal development

Partnership & Supply Chain Development

• Identify, assess and cultivate relationships with potential teaming partners, specialist suppliers and subcontractors aligned to specific opportunities or strategic capability gaps.
• Support the creation of teaming agreements, NDAs and collaborative delivery models.

Marketing, Brand & External Positioning

• Support the development of marketing collateral, capability brochures, case studies and thought-leadership content.
• Identify PR, events and marketing channels that enhance G3 Systems' reputation and visibility within the defence and infrastructure sectors.

Governance, Processes & Cross-Functional Working

• Ensure all BD activities are aligned with internal governance requirements, including Gate Reviews for new opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with EP&P, Operations, Finance, ICT, Security and other business support teams to ensure opportunities are accurately costed, risk-assessed and viable.
• Comply with all Company Business Operating Procedures and contribute to the development or refinement of processes that support sustainable growth.

Records Management & Information Governance

• Maintain accurate, compliant and audit-ready records relating to BD and marketing activities in line with G3 Systems’ Records Retention Business Process.
• Ensure appropriate information security handling, including classification and storage requirements for official-sensitive material

Qualifications Required

Essential

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a business development, capture, client engagement or strategic programme role within defence, engineering, maritime or complex infrastructure sectors.

1. Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification (MBA, Marketing, Defence Studies or similar).
• Formal capture management or bid-management training (APMP, Shipley, etc.)

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Strong leadership and stakeholder-management capability, with confidence operating at and liasing with senior levels.
• Proven ability to develop, manage and forecast new business pipelines with accuracy and discipline.
• Financial literacy, including budgeting, business case awareness and commercial sensitivity.
• High-quality presentation, communication and influencing skills.
• Experience in project/programme planning and structured BD methodologies.
• Proactive, self-starting and organised, with strong time-management, prioritisation and multitasking capability.
• Ability to handle sensitive information appropriately and operate within a regulated defence and security environment.

Desirable

• Bid writing or proposal development experience.
• Marketing, branding or PR experience (traditional or digital).
• Experience undertaking risk assessments or contributing to opportunity risk registers.
• Engineering background or understanding of modular/deployable infrastructure systems
• Development of the G3 Systems Business Development function and to improve our ability to identify, target and capture further work in the Royal Navy / Maritime sector

Benefits

• Competitive salary starting from £60,000 per annum
• 25 days annual leave
• 37.5 hours working week
• Performance Related Bonus programme
• Private Medical Insurance Cover (BUPA)
• Life Cover (3.5x salary)
• Pension Plan
• Plus various salary sacrifice schemes (eBike, electric car purchase) and other life wellbeing platforms