Location: Belfast, United Kingdom
Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.
Job title: Sales Director – IAS UK (SC NATO/5 Eyes Only)
Location: Belfast, with frequent UK and International travel
Are you seeking a highly strategic sales leadership role that will spearhead the continued growth of our Integrated Airspace-protection Systems business across UK and key International Export markets?
As the Sales Director Integrated Airspace-protection Systems UK (IAS UK), you will play a pivotal role in developing the 5-year strategic business and multi-year business plans that help to shape customer thinking, keep Thales relevant and fully aligns with the evolving geopolitical and defence landscapes facing the continent of Europe. As the primary interface between the IAS UK Business Line and the Thales Global Business Units, Key Account teams and our Bid and Capture functions your vision and priority-setting will be critical in ensuring Thales growth ambitions and customer operational objectives and effectively delivered. You will also be front and centre of our IAS Sales function, managing performance, ensuring quality sales outcomes and casting the right shadow to engage, develop and enhance the capability of the team.
What does the role offer you?
This is a highly visible role which will provide you with the accountability for creating significant business of strategic importance that aligns squarely with our mission to build a future we can all trust, whilst supporting our customers in defending the UK and its allies. The opportunity for accelerating our growth trajectory and increasing our export market penetration is significant.
Key Dimensions of the Role
Reporting to the IAS UK Managing Director and to the UK Chief Growth Officer this is a multi-dimensional role, offering a broad range of compelling professional challenges and career development opportunities. Key responsibilities and accountabilities are extensive, include but are not limited to:
Deliver significant profitable business growth, including annual order intake ( OI) , Gross Margin ( GMOI), whist optimizing our market penetration in both key domestic and export markets
Build and share vision: context, stakes, challenges, market evolution (including services and digital business), objectives, projects in progress, prospects, …
Prepare and schedule roadmaps: Market share, allocated resources (strategic workforce planning, budget, anticipating risk analysis, alternative scenario, tools
Provide focus and priorities, set up objectives.
Organize the regular team meetings addressing actual & forecast OI, revenue, opportunities,
Contribute to building and executing the account plans (Strategic & Key)
Work closely with Value & Bid and Capture functions to address an opportunity, in order to deliver high level value propositions and winning bids.
Manage performance with established guiding sales organizational principles across sales channels, markets, and countries.
Act as a role model for coaching teams, helping team members find their way.
Mitigate the risks using appropriate lessons learnt from successes and failures.
Encourage digital, disruptive, or innovative offers.
Provide managerial leadership to ensure initiatives and foster relevant practices (Value proposition, Black Hat, Price to Win…)
Engage and develop people through regular feedback, coaching attitude.
About You
To be considered for this role, you must be able to demonstrate the following Minimum Valuable Experience (MVE):
A successful track record of building respect and trust with stakeholders at all levels within complex defence businesses and externally with UK MoD, International Export customers and sovereign governments
Demonstrable experience of strategic results orientated thinking involving the structured coordination of multifunctional teams and resources, delivering tangible results in terms of OI /GMOI/ Revenue and market growth.
Familiarity with navigating complex matrixed organisations, leveraging relationships and power dynamics to achieve optimal results, including partnering with Primes and JVs.
Exceptional team builder with clear evidence of being able to set direction, engage sales teams and build capability in response to accelerated growth
Capable of representing Thales Group holistically to the customer, ensuring alignment and understanding of the broader vision and offerings.
This role is open to individuals who currently hold or are able to attain at least a NATO SC level of security clearance.
Closing date for applications is 15th June 2026.
Provisionally first stage assessments are planned to take place w/c 22 June and w/c 29 June.
At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role. Read more about our benefits here.
We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.
If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities. Join the Talent Community here.
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