UK, ME & Africa Air Manager

TEKEVER - Business Development Lead - Air Domain (UK, Middle East & Africa)

TEKEVER is a European leader in unmanned technology, combining AI, systems engineering, data science and aerospace to address global security challenges.

Mission

Lead TEKEVER's business development, customer engagement and campaign execution across the Air domain for the UK, Middle East and Africa region. Act as the primary BD relationship owner for the UK Royal Air Force and support the Director of UK, ME & Africa in regional strategy execution. Translate RAF experience and operational understanding into credible customer engagement, campaign shaping, requirements development and opportunity conversion.

Key Responsibilities

• UK RAF Relationship Management:
  • Own and develop TEKEVER's BD relationship with the Royal Air Force, including senior users, capability teams, programme staff and relevant innovation organisations.
  • Build trusted access across RAF stakeholder groups, ensuring engagement is coherent, prioritised and aligned to UK strategy.
  • Identify, shape and progress RAF opportunities from early engagement through to tender, bid, contract and delivery handover.
  • Maintain awareness of RAF priorities, capability gaps, experimentation activity and procurement routes relevant to autonomous systems, ISR, EW and air enabled effects.
• Regional Air Domain Advice - UK, Middle East & Africa:
  • Act as the air domain advisor to market leads across the UK, Middle East and Africa region.
  • Provide credible advice on RAF doctrine, operational employment, air command and control, airspace integration, airworthiness considerations and operational user expectations.
  • Support customer problem definition, use case development and value proposition design for air customers and air enabled opportunities.
  • Assist regional teams in understanding customer force structures, decision making routes, procurement behaviours and likely adoption pathways.
• Campaign Planning & Opportunity Execution:
  • Develop and execute campaign plans for priority air domain opportunities, nested within the UK, ME & Africa regional strategy.
  • Produce stakeholder maps, engagement plans and opportunity roadmaps to support progression from shaping to contract award.
  • Track and report progress against campaign objectives, opportunity milestones, MOPs, MOEs and pipeline value.
  • Support bid development including win themes, discriminators, customer insight, operational narratives and air domain credibility.
• Internal Collaboration:
  • Work with product, engineering, operations, legal, finance and delivery teams to align TEKEVER solutions to air customer requirements.
  • Contribute to ROMs, proposals, demonstrations, trials, pricing strategies and delivery models for air domain opportunities.
  • Coordinate with communications and engagement teams to ensure messaging is credible for RAF and international air audiences.
  • Support work outside core responsibilities where business priorities require specialist air domain input.
• Develop and maintain the UK RAF engagement plan to a level of detail that enables targeted engagement strategies, opportunity shaping and conversion into revenue earning programmes.
• Synchronise air domain engagement across TEKEVER's UK, ME & Africa teams to ensure coherent, integrated and mutually reinforcing customer campaigns.
• Identify opportunities to enhance TEKEVER's reputation and increase sales of TEKEVER platforms, sensors, services and mission systems within RAF and regional air markets.
• Be prepared to project manage bids and elements of the end to end customer relationship for specific air domain opportunities, including planning, coordination, reporting and delivery oversight.
• Coordinate media, communications and event activity with TEKEVER's engagement teams to strengthen credibility with RAF and wider air domain stakeholders.
• Be prepared to conduct customer engagement and support activity with air forces, MOD organisations, procurement bodies, regulatory authorities and partner organisations.
• Be prepared to undertake additional tasks aligned with broader company priorities where capacity is constrained or where the business requires specialist support.

Qualifications

• Former Royal Air Force service or equivalent air domain experience with demonstrable understanding of RAF operations, capability development and stakeholder structures.
• Service in the RAF with credible operational, capability, requirements, programme or staff experience.
• Proven BD, stakeholder engagement or customer relationship experience in defence, aerospace or national security markets.
• Ability to engage credibly with senior military, MOD, government and industry stakeholders.
• Experience shaping opportunities, requirements, demonstrations, trials, bids or capability proposals.
• Understanding of air domain operations, UAS employment, ISR, electronic warfare, airspace integration and capability development within RAF or NATO contexts.

Desirable

• An undergraduate degree in a STEM, defence, security, aerospace or related subject. Project management qualification or relevant staff course experience.
• Experience working with Middle East or African air forces, defence ministries or security organisations.
• Experience with RAF innovation, autonomy, ISR, EW, experimentation or rapid capability organisations.
• Leadership of cross functional teams including technical, commercial and operational personnel.
• Familiarity with UAS/airspace industry, including airframes, sensors, mission systems, autonomy, C2 and payload integration.
• Understanding of multi domain ISR, emerging air threats, survivability and contested electromagnetic environments.

Benefits

• An excellent work environment and an opportunity to make a difference.
• Salary commensurate with level of experience.
• Company pension contribution matched up to 10%.
• 25 days annual holiday + 8 Bank holidays.
• Medical Insurance.
• Dental Insurance.
• Salary sacrifice initiatives (EV Scheme, Cycle 2 Work, Tech Scheme).
• Discretionary annual company bonus.

Tekever is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. All offers are conditional on successful pre employment screening, including UK security clearance where required.

To learn more about TEKEVER, visit