Head of Sales – Europe

Great ideas come from different minds. That’s why we bring together engineers, scientists, analysts, and creatives from every background — and give them the trust, tools, and freedom to make a difference. What connects us is the mission: solving meaningful problems and building capability that protects what matters most.

And as the challenges evolve, so do we — working on the technologies that will shape tomorrow, not just today.

Roke

Built over a 70-year heritage, Roke offers specialist knowledge in sensors, communications, cyber, and AI and ML. We change the way organisations think and act – through dynamic insights from the analysis of multiple layers of data. We take care of the innovative, technical capabilities that keeps everyone safe – that’s our mission, passion, and motivation.

Joining a team united by purpose and ambition, you’ll be at the heart of an exciting growth journey, at Roke, every individual counts. We push technical boundaries, together. We re-invest in product innovation, and we empower our people to make a difference.

Job Purpose

We are seeking a highly motivated, commercially driven self-starter to join our International Revenue & Growth team as a Business Development & Sales Manager – Europe, reporting to the Head of Business Development & Sales – Europe.

This is a client-facing, sales-led role with full ownership of the sales lifecycle, accountable for generating, developing, and converting high-quality pipeline into revenue. The role requires building credible, trusted relationships within complex organisations, leveraging these to shape, influence, and win opportunities, while maintaining a strong focus on sales progression, pipeline momentum, and deal closure.

You will bring a broad understanding of sensing, communications, cyber, and intelligence capabilities, enabling you to engage confidently at both technical and commercial levels and position Roke’s offerings effectively across existing and new customers. Acting as the voice of the customer internally, you will ensure Roke’s solutions are aligned to market needs, while clearly articulating the value and differentiation of our products and services.

Working as part of the International Sales team, you will be responsible for the identification, shaping, and successful conversion of opportunities across your assigned markets. With support from the Head of BD & Sales – Europe, you will engage early in opportunity lifecycles to influence requirements, positioning Roke effectively in advance of formal procurement, and driving opportunities through to successful contract award in collaboration with bid and business winning teams.

You will work closely with the Sales Manager – Global Partnerships to align regional activity with global prime engagement, leveraging centrally established relationships and strategic partnerships to strengthen market access, positioning, and opportunity conversion within Europe.

You will also work closely with Campaign Leads, fellow Sales Managers, and Field Operations teams to identify and support trials and demonstration activities, ensuring clear success criteria are defined and that the product and service portfolio is strategically positioned to maximise impact and win probability.

 
Key Responsibilities

• Market Access & Entry – Identify and execute effective routes to market, establishing access within complex or restricted environments through direct engagement and selective partnerships, building enduring and trusted relationships that enable revenue growth
• Opportunity Shaping – Engage early with customers, influencers, and partners to shape requirements, position the portfolio, and create competitive advantage
• Pipeline Generation & Management – Proactively identify, qualify, and progress opportunities, building and maintaining a robust, high-quality pipeline aligned to regional growth targets
• Sales Execution & Forecasting – Own and deliver accurate pipeline forecasting, including long-term outlook, account plans, and regular opportunity updates to senior leadership
• Cross-Functional Sales Leadership – Lead and coordinate stakeholders across bid, engineering, commercial, and delivery functions to develop compelling, compliant, and winning solutions
• Market & Competitive Intelligence – Monitor regional trends, budgets, programmes, and competitor activity to anticipate customer needs, position ahead of requirements, and inform regional and wider strategy
• Partner Leverage for Growth – Establish and leverage relationships with in-country partners and integrators to strengthen market access, enhance positioning, and support opportunity conversion
• Brand Representation – Act as an ambassador for Roke, representing the organisation at exhibitions, trade missions, and customer engagements to strengthen presence and credibility

Candidate Profile

• Domain Expertise – Strong experience within Defence, National Security, or adjacent sectors, with a clear understanding of European customer needs, competitive landscape, and procurement approaches across multiple countries
• Market Access & Commercial Hunter Mindset – Proven ability to generate new business and establish access within complex European markets, navigating cultural, structural, and market barriers to engage effectively across multi-country, multi-entity organisations
• Pipeline Discipline & Momentum – Demonstrates a relentless approach to managing and progressing opportunities, ensuring consistent follow-up, prioritisation, and advancement through the sales lifecycle across multiple stakeholders and geographies
• End-to-End Sales Delivery – Demonstrable success owning and executing the full sales cycle, from opportunity identification and shaping through to negotiation and contract award, within complex, pan-European environments
• Commercial & Strategic Acumen – Strong commercial awareness with the ability to shape opportunities early, influence customer requirements, and position solutions effectively within centralised and distributed decision-making structures

Key Skills & Experience

• European Market Knowledge – Strong understanding of defence budgets, procurement approaches, and geopolitical drivers across Europe, with the ability to navigate variation between countries and market structures
• Complex Solution Selling – Ability to articulate technical capabilities, operational benefits, and value propositions to senior military, government, and commercial stakeholders across diverse, multi-country environments
• Revenue Delivery – Demonstrable experience of delivering £10m+ annual revenue through effective pipeline creation, opportunity shaping, and successful deal conversion
• Sales Discipline & Forecasting – Proven experience in CRM utilisation, structured pipeline management, forecasting accuracy, and rigorous opportunity qualification
• Bid & Capture Sales Leadership – Experience working closely with bid and capture functions to provide clear sales direction, including competitor analysis, win themes, commercial positioning, and price-to-win strategies
• Cultural & Regional Fluency – Experience adapting communication and engagement styles across European markets, effectively operating in multilingual and culturally diverse environments
• Collaboration in Matrix Environments – Proven ability to work within and lead across cross-functional, multi-country teams, aligning stakeholders and delivering complex sales outcomes at pace

Personal Attributes

• Self-Starter Mindset – Highly proactive, driven, and able to build momentum and generate opportunities independently within complex, multi-country environments
• Integrity & Professionalism – Operates with a high level of professionalism, discretion, and compliance when working within sensitive and regulated sectors
• Resilience & Persistence – Thrives in long, complex sales cycles, maintaining focus and momentum in competitive and often ambiguous environments
• Commercial Acumen – Demonstrates strong instinct for identifying value, assessing risk, and positioning effectively against competitors
• Relationship-Oriented Influencer – Builds trust and credibility quickly across customers, partners, and internal stakeholders, using relationships to influence decisions and drive outcomes
• Adaptability in Diverse Environments – Comfortable navigating cultural differences, organisational complexity, and shifting priorities across European markets

Why You Should Join Us

We offer a competitive salary and access to a number of additional flexible benefits, which will cover Health and Wellbeing, Savings and Protection & Life, Leisure and Entertainment. 

Roke has a great community of groups with shared interests. These enable people to share ideas and be passionate about tools, technologies & techniques, which interest them.

We are committed to a policy of Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Inclusion. Our working environment is friendly, creative and inclusive and support a diverse work-force and those with additional needs.

Security Information

Due to the nature of this position, we require you to be eligible to achieve DV clearance. As a result, you should be a British Citizen and have resided in the UK for the last 10 years.

The Next Step

Click apply, submitting an up-to-date CV. We look forward to hearing from you.

Take a look around the company https://www.roke.co.uk/