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Commercial Lead
Contract type
Ongoing
Work mode
Hybrid
Experience
Senior · 5+ years
Job description
Commercial Lead to build and lead a commercial function selling satellites and space hardware to government customers and large enterprises such as satellite primes and OEMs. The role owns the path from pre-tender shaping through competitive proposals to multi-year contracts and account growth.
At a glance
- Work mode
- Hybrid
- Languages
- English
What you'll do
- Build and execute account strategies for agencies and large companies; map stakeholders, budgets, and decision paths; shape requirements before tenders open
- Track pipelines across government portals and enterprise sourcing calendars; run capture plans, win themes, and competitor/price-to-win analyses; lead bid/no-bid decisions
- Orchestrate compliant submissions; coordinate clarifications, BAFO, and oral presentations
- Close supply, licensing, and co-development agreements; negotiate IP, warranties/liability, service levels, and milestone payments aligned to TRL gates
- Structure teaming with primes, SMEs, universities, and test partners to strengthen bids and delivery confidence
- Maintain a transparent pipeline with stage gating, ACV/TCV, probability, and cycle metrics; report risks/mitigations and drive executive decision forums
- Feed market and procurement insights into roadmaps, qualification timelines, pricing, and make/buy decisions
- Work with Legal/Compliance on export control (UK/EU/US regimes), information security, and public-sector procurement rules
- Represent NewOrbit at industry events, tender briefings, space conferences, and executive reviews; deliver compelling pitches and presentations
- Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing commercial team, fostering persistence, creativity, and a results-driven culture
What we're looking for
- Must have direct experience selling satellites or space hardware - payloads, cameras, antennas, subsystems
- Minimum 5 years in business development or key accounts, with wins across government procurement and large-enterprise buying centres
- Up to date on where satellite/space hardware customers are coming from today, across government, primes, and OEMs - not relying on outdated relationships
- Demonstrated experience across all stages - pre-tender shaping, capture planning, proposal/bid leadership, negotiation, and contract close
- Demonstrated success leading competitive bids (capture planning, scoring criteria, compliance, pricing) and handling long, multi-stakeholder cycles
- Strong negotiation track record on MSAs/SOWs, licensing, co-development, and milestone-based contracts; fluent in IP and risk allocation
- Able to translate complex engineering (propulsion, LEO satellite platforms, qualification, test/readiness reviews) into customer value and business cases
- Proven ability to recruit, develop, and manage high-performing commercial or sales teams
- Disciplined CRM usage, forecasting, and KPI ownership (win rate, cycle time, stage conversion, ACV/TCV)
- Familiarity with public-sector procurement practices and export-control considerations; knows when to engage specialists
- Skilled in shaping and delivering impactful presentations, narratives, and proposals that resonate with diverse audiences
- Executive presence, exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, stakeholder influence, and resilience in long negotiations
- High ownership in a fast-moving, cross-functional environment; willing to travel for customer meetings, briefings, and negotiations
Nice to have
- Experience at a small satellite company that scaled into a large business
Benefits
- Equity and competitive salary - company ownership stake
- Private health insurance with dental and optical cover, and annual health check-ups
- Hybrid working - one dedicated remote day per week
- Visa sponsorship and relocation support
Apply
About NewOrbit
Satellites that fly in very low Earth orbit
NewOrbit builds satellites that fly in very low Earth orbit, below 300 km, along with the electric propulsion that keeps them there. Flying closer to Earth means sharper imagery from smaller optics, and an orbit that cleans itself: our satellites de-orbit within a month at end of life, leaving no debris. Our AURA family of RF gridded ion thrusters powers our own NEO-1 satellite, with first flight planned for Q3 2028, and is also offered to other operators.
Key facts
- Space technology
- Satellites fly in very low Earth orbit, below 300 km
- Satellites de-orbit within a month at end of life, leaving no debris
- AURA family of RF gridded ion thrusters powers the NEO-1 satellite
- NEO-1 first flight planned for Q3 2028
- AURA thrusters are also offered to other operators