Sales Manager -Defense

About the role

The Sales Manager – Defense is an individual contributor role responsible for driving UEA’s sales activities across the U.S. and allied defense, military, and aerospace markets. Full ownership of all Defense accounts, programs, and revenue is required.

Responsibilities

• Drive sales activities across U.S. and allied defense, military, and aerospace markets.
• Full ownership of all Defense accounts, programs, and revenue.
• Cultivate existing accounts and develop new business opportunities.
• Establish capture plans and program-level sales goals.
• Execute customer-focused sales strategies.
• Meet Sales, Revenue, and Margin objectives for the Defense segment.
• Communicate business opportunities and collaborate with a cross-functional team.
• Lead execution of UEA’s Defense growth playbook.
• Build named-account coverage at Tier-1 U.S. primes.
• Build coverage of program offices and acquisition stakeholders for radar / SATCOM / EO/IR / ground vehicle / RWS / naval / airborne / space / unmanned platforms.
• Lead the combination-unit (slip ring + FORJ + RF + media) value proposition and design-in strategy.
• Own program-level support as opportunities convert from design-in to qualification to LRIP to full-rate production.
• Ensure UEA’s technical, commercial, and compliance posture is positioned for ITAR, FAR/DFARS, CMMC, DPAS, TAA, and end-user due diligence requirements.
• Play a program manager role as opportunities convert into qualified programs requiring program-level support through commercialization.
• Vet, shape, and qualify new design concepts at the requirements stage.
• Work closely with the Innovation team to translate emerging defense application needs into differentiated UEA solutions.
• Gather market intelligence on programs of record, modernization initiatives, competitive activity, and DoD acquisition trends.
• Develop leads and qualify opportunities.
• Provide technical leadership in vetting new designs and concepts brought forward by customers, primes, and the UEA Innovation team.
• Assess feasibility, identify technical risks, scope design-in pathways, and translate customer requirements into producible, qualifiable UEA solutions.
• Work in parallel with the Sales Representatives, Sale Managers, and the National Sales Director, sharing market knowledge, account intelligence, and best practices to collectively achieve UEA Sales, Revenue, and Margin objectives.
• Provide input into department budget development and Defense account-level forecasts.
• Recommend prioritization of sales resources across Defense customers, programs, and geographies in alignment with strategic priorities.
• Other tasks, projects, and duties as assigned by the Head of Sales.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, or equivalent electrical/electronics engineering coursework and practical technical background, is required.
• Demonstrated fluency with FAR/DFARS and CMMC requirements is required.
• Strongly preferred experience includes selling slip rings, fiber optic rotary joints (FORJs), RF/media rotary joints, hybrid combination units, or other complex electromechanical/rotary interface solutions into defense applications.
• Selling into Tier-1 U.S. defense primes, defense innovation companies, and DoD program offices.
• Capturing and growing programs through requirements shaping, design-in, qualification, LRIP, and full-rate production.
• Working knowledge of ITAR, EAR/ECCN, DPAS, TAA, DSP-5, and end-user due diligence.
• Working with Engineering and Innovation teams to vet new designs and translate customer requirements into qualifiable solutions.
• Program manager or program lead exposure through commercialization.
• Familiarity with long-term agreements (LTAs), IDIQ contracts, sole-source justifications, and government contracting flowdowns.
• Exceptional listening, written, oral communication and professional selling skills are essential.
• Electrical engineering fluency or applied technical background sufficient to understand signal integrity, EMI/EMC, power transmission, fiber optics, RF, materials selection, and environmental qualification considerations.
• Strong commercial acumen, including the ability to interpret FAR/DFARS contract flowdowns and understand CMMC implications in the sales/capture process.
• Technology proficient with electronic communication, MS Office Suite, and CRM/ERP software (HubSpot/Syteline or equivalent) along with the ability to operate general office equipment (printer, computer, etc.).
• Must be a goal-oriented, self-starter with the ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical details, process and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
• Adaptable with a strategic and tactical mindset is crucial to effectively prioritize and manage multiple concurrent assignments across customers, programs, and geographies, in addition to meeting time and budgetary constraints.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently while collaborating effectively with peers is required.
• U.S. Person status may be required where access to ITAR-controlled technical data is necessary.

Skills

• Exceptional listening, written, oral communication and professional selling skills.
• Electrical engineering fluency or applied technical background sufficient to understand signal integrity, EMI/EMC, power transmission, fiber optics, RF, materials selection, and environmental qualification considerations.
• Strong commercial acumen, including the ability to interpret FAR/DFARS contract flowdowns and understand CMMC implications in the sales/capture process.
• Strongly preferred skills include the ability to construct, negotiate and close blanket POs, supplier agreements, IDIQ vehicles, and long-term agreements (LTAs); read program-of-record data, DoD budget cycles, OPN/RDT&E/Procurement line items, and competitor positioning; and translate those inputs into account-level capture plans.
• Technology proficient with electronic communication, MS Office Suite, and CRM/ERP software (HubSpot/Syteline or equivalent) along with the ability to operate general office equipment (printer, computer, etc.).

Benefits

Not specified.

Pay

Not specified.

Schedule

Regular travel (40–50%) for tradeshows (e.g., SOF Week, AUSA, & other similar events), exhibits, customer visits to defense primes, program offices, government installations, depots, and other necessary events, both domestic and select international (NATO/allied markets).