Business Engagement Manager

Company Description

Every minute of every day, Smiths Detection’s threat detection and security screening technology helps to protect people and infrastructure, making the world a safer place. 

Smiths Detection is a global leader in the development, manufacture and management of security and detection solutions designed to make the world a safer place. Our technology provides threat detection and screening solutions for customers in our key markets: aviation, ports and borders, defense, and urban security.

Our expertise spans 21 global offices, seven manufacturing sites and five R&D centers, with a global network of 3,500 dedicated colleagues contributing towards over 40 years at the frontline of advances in safety and security.  

This results in careers built on variety and the opportunity to work on a range of state-of-the-art solutions, where you can develop your knowledge and experience every day.

Job Description

The Business Engagement Manager acts as the strategic interface between IT and the business. The role ensures technology investments, digital initiatives, and operational services directly support organizational goals. This leader builds trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, shapes demand, translates business strategy into technology roadmaps, and ensures IT delivers measurable value. The position blends strategic advisory, relationship management, and delivery oversight. It requires a deep understanding of business priorities, processes, and pain points, combined with the ability to translate these into actionable technology roadmaps and initiatives. The IT Business Partner champions the voice of the business within IT, ensuring that demand is understood, prioritized, and delivered effectively. At the same time, they represent IT to the business, communicating strategy, capabilities, constraints, and opportunities in a clear and compelling way

SPECIFIC DUTIES, ACTIVITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• Strategic Partnership & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary IT point of contact for designated business units.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with senior leaders, understanding their goals, challenges, and priorities.
• Translate business strategies into technology opportunities, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture, cyber and the IT strategy.
• Facilitate strategic planning sessions, shaping multi‑year roadmaps.

• Demand Management & Portfolio Shaping

• Capture, assess, and prioritise business demand for technology solutions.
• Evaluate business cases, ensuring clear value, ROI, and alignment with strategic objectives.
• Manage the intake process for new initiatives, ensuring clarity of scope, benefits, and dependencies.
• Work with PMO and delivery teams to maintain an accurate view of the IT portfolio.

• Service Excellence & Operational Alignment

• Ensure business units receive high‑quality IT services, acting as escalation point for service issues.
• Review service performance, SLAs, and customer feedback, driving improvements where needed.

Work closely with IT operations to ensure stability, resilience, and proactive service management.

Qualifications

Education/Training: Bachelors or equivalent experience in Information Technology Systems or Business Administration

Experience: Minimum 5 years’ experience

Knowledge/Skills:

 Knowledge

• Proven experience in IT Business Partnering, IT Engagement, or senior Business Analysis/Consulting roles.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship‑building skills at senior leadership level.
• Ability to translate business strategy into actionable technology plans.
• Solid understanding of IT delivery models (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid).
• Understanding of PMO processes, governance frameworks, and stage‑gate controls.

Skills

• Experience managing portfolios, roadmaps, or complex multi‑team initiatives.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving capability.
• Sector‑specific experience
• Ability to shape business cases, define scope, and evaluate ROI and benefits.
• Ability to oversee multiple initiatives, manage dependencies, and support prioritization.
• Ability to translate business needs into functional and non‑fu