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Commercial Lead

NewOrbit Space· Business
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Hybrid (Reading, UK)Full-timePosted 1mo ago

About the role

Experienced Commercial Lead to build and lead a high-performing commercial function driving strategic customer relationships and securing high-value contracts with government customers and large enterprises (primarily satellite primes and OEMs). Entails shaping opportunities pre-tender, leading competitive proposals, and securing multi-year contracts while partnering with engineering and business teams.

Responsibilities

  • Dual-market ownership (Gov & Enterprise): Build and execute account strategies for agencies and large companies; map stakeholders, budgets, and decision paths; shape requirements before tenders open.
  • Tender intelligence & capture: 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.
  • Proposal leadership: Orchestrate compliant submissions; coordinate clarifications, BAFO, and oral presentations.
  • Complex deal negotiation: Close supply, licensing, and co-development agreements; negotiate IP, warranties/liability, service levels, and milestone payments aligned to TRL gates.
  • Partnerships & consortia: Structure teaming with primes, SMEs, universities, and test partners to strengthen bids and delivery confidence.
  • Forecasting & governance: Maintain a transparent pipeline with stage gating, ACV/TCV, probability, and cycle metrics; report risks/mitigations and drive executive decision forums.
  • Voice of customer: Feed market and procurement insights into roadmaps, qualification timelines, pricing, and make/buy decisions.
  • Compliance & controls: Work with Legal/Compliance on export control (UK/EU/US regimes), information security, and public-sector procurement rules.
  • Market presence & pitching: Represent NewOrbit at industry events, tender briefings, space conferences, and executive reviews; deliver compelling pitches and presentations.
  • Team leadership: Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing commercial team, fostering persistence, creativity, and a results-driven culture.

Qualifications

  • Space industry experience (required): 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 customer knowledge across government, primes, and OEMs.
  • Full sales cycle ownership across pre-tender shaping, capture planning, proposal/bid leadership, negotiation, and contract close.
  • Tender mastery in competitive bids with long multi-stakeholder cycles.
  • Strong negotiation track record on MSAs/SOWs, licensing, co-development, and milestone-based contracts; fluent in IP and risk allocation.
  • Domain fluency to translate complex engineering into customer value and business cases.
  • Leadership & mentoring: proven ability to recruit, develop, and manage high-performing commercial or sales teams.
  • Process & tools: disciplined CRM usage, forecasting, and KPI ownership (win rate, cycle time, stage conversion, ACV/TCV).
  • Governance & compliance: Familiarity with public-sector procurement practices and export-control considerations; knows when to engage specialists.
  • Marketing savvy: ability to shape and deliver impactful presentations, narratives, and proposals.
  • Soft skills: executive presence, exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, stakeholder influence, resilience in long negotiations.
  • Ways of working: high ownership in a fast-moving, cross-functional environment; willingness to travel for customer meetings, briefings, and negotiations.

Skills

Required:Space industry salesFull sales cycle ownership

Benefits

  • 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.
Last updated Oct 8, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
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About NewOrbit Space

Unlocking the vast opportunities of Earth's lowest orbit

NewOrbit is opening Ultra-Low Earth Orbit to the world—unlocking unmatched resolution, real-time global connectivity, and a truly sustainable approach to space.

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