Director, Business Development

This role is Hybrid Ottawa

Director Business Development

Position Summary

Thales Canada is seeking an experienced business development and sales leader to drive growth in the naval maritime and digital domains. The Director will be responsible for shaping and executing sales strategies that position Thales as a partner of choice to domestic customers including but not limited to the Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Coast Guard and the Department of National Defence. This role combines strong executive presence customer engagement and strategic sales execution to advance Thales naval maritime and digital defense portfolio into its next phase of growth.

The ideal candidate demonstrates the following qualities:

• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to unify technical expertise and commercial instincts.
• Collaborative leadership style that promotes innovation accountability and results.
• Deep respect for stakeholder relationships and a passion for advancing Canadas defence capabilities.
• Ability to work effectively within a global matrixed organization and influence cross-functionally.

The BD Director works in close collaboration with the extended capture Growth team industrial partners and the supporting business line(s) to maximize the success of the Thales offer. This Business Development Director role is also responsible to develop non-domain Business Line (BL) opportunities to grow the defence account.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Responsible for business development activities for naval and digital portfolios.
• Establish and maintain senior relationships with Government of Canada and Canadian Armed Forces stakeholders and customers prime contractors and key industry partners.
• Responsible for capture planning from opportunity identification through to hand off to the Capture Leader including teaming solution shaping and value proposition development.
• Oversee the development of competitive intelligence market assessments and long-range sales forecasts to support strategic decision-making working with the relevant internal stakeholders to support this activity.
• Collaborate with engineering product and capture teams to align solution roadmaps with customer priorities and emerging technologies.
• Lead mentor and collaborate with a team of business development and capture professionals to achieve revenue order intake and profitability objectives.
• Represent Thales Canada at industry forums customer and government engagement events to strengthen brand visibility and strategic influence.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelors degree or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years experience in government sales in the defence industry with a proven track record of sales and business development success or a combination of equivalent government and business development experience
• Strong understanding of Canadian and allied defense procurement processes with preference for experience in Canadian naval programs and services.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies (i.e. AI Cybersecurity)
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain trusted customer and stakeholder relationships
• Motivated open-minded and innovative team player who can effectively work within a multi-disciplinary team to secure new business.
• Strategic thinker with demonstrated skills in capture management competitive positioning and stakeholder engagement.
• Exceptional leadership and team management capabilities
• Financial and business acumen and ability to qualify business opportunities and execute within a matrixed environment
• Outstanding negotiation communication and presentation skills suitable for executive and government audiences.

Special Position Requirements

• Travel requirements are approximately 1 week per month to meet customers attend conferences or tradeshows
• Customer Location Based or Site Visits: this position will require regular travel to and from one or more customer sites to perform the essential functions of the position.
• Requirement to use personal vehicle.

Why Join Us

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( reference Total Target Compensation(TTC) market range for this position inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target is between

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents including the following:

Company paid Extended Health Dental HSA Life AD&D Short-term Disability Cancer Care Program travel insurance Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.

Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP DCPP TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP with no vesting period.

Company paid holidays vacation days and paid sick leave.

Voluntary Life AD&D Critical Illness Long-Term Disability.

Employee Discounts on home auto and gym membership.

Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.