Head of Sales - CDS UK

Location: Reading, United Kingdom

Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billons of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

Job Title: Head of Sales – CDS UK

Base location: Any Thales site with frequent travel to other Thales sites and customer meeting.

Primary Purpose of the role:

• The Digital Identity and Security Global Business Unit of Thales works across every continent and provides world leading capability across multiple market sectors including government, critical national infrastructure and defence.  Our world leading consulting, capability integration and managed security services demand strategic thinking, dynamic and ambitious sales professionals.

• This role sets out to develop the strategic relationships required to grow the Cyber Digital Solutions (CDS) business, capture new opportunities and meet our order intake targets. Understanding the market and customer needs to help develop and shape our service, consulting and integration offerings into successful projects and ultimately create a healthy pipeline of orders. 

• Lead the Sales Team who are responsible for growing the business, by developing client relationships, cross-selling all the CDS Business Line and wider Digital Identity & Security Global Business Unit (DIS GBU) capabilities and creating value propositions for customers. Working with the Business Delivery Leads and the Operations and Resourcing Team to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction during delivery and to identify business development opportunities for the wider Thales business.

Key tasks and responsibilities:

The key tasks and responsibilities required from this role are:

• Setting the strategic business development objectives for the sector and agreeing them with VP CDS BL Sales and the MD CDS UK.

• Responsible for leading, developing and organising a team of individual sales contributors, Sales Managers, Capture Leaders, Business Development Managers and Sales Operations to achieve the strategic and operational objectives.

• Leads, appropriately delegates activities, coordinates and motivates the team for performance, efficiency and timeliness.

• Responsible for the day to day relationship and management of all the key stakeholders both externally and internally for the sector.

• Client Satisfaction measurement & improvement and ensuring client expectations are met and issues are resolved speedily and effectively.

• Developing the order intake pipeline in order to meet or exceed assigned OI growth target, whilst maintaining target levels of profitability (GMOI).

• Provide accurate and timely Order Intake Forecasts.

• Produce and manage campaign plans.

• Developing the Go to Market strategies.

• Preparation of Demo’s, Presentations, Client day’s, Roadshows etc.

• Preparation and delivery of winning bids.

• B&P forecasts.

• Business cases to support investment decisions.

• Drive new customer relationship management and develop and enhance long term relationships with senior level executives across the client business.

• Develop and enhance long term relationships with other key industry partners, as means to broaden the opportunity pipeline, through the development of partnering arrangements.

• Combine capabilities into consulting, product and managed service solutions to meet domain and specific client requirements – working closely with the Consulting Partners. 

• Work with other parts of Thales (e.g. Key Account Managers & sales team