Commercial Manager – Future Products (Autonomy)

Job Title: Commercial Manager – Future Products (Autonomy)

Location: Portsmouth Broad Oak – Hybrid, 3 days per week

We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements – please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role

Salary: Competitive

Who we are:

Join BAE Systems and you’ll be part of something bigger. As a valued member of our global colleague network, you’ll bring your unique skills and perspectives to help pioneer progress and protect what matters most. You’ll be trusted to play your part in delivering the advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions of tomorrow, shaping a safer future, for all of us.

From the depths of the ocean, to the far reaches of space, there’s no limit to where a career at BAE Systems could take you.

Job Description:

As a member of the Future Products team, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the Senior Commercial Manager in the shaping and securing of the next generation of autonomous and future defence capabilities.

This is not a traditional contracts or post-award commercial role. Instead, this position sits at the front end of innovation, supporting business winning, fast-paced bidding, and early customer engagement across emerging technologies where pace, agility and creativity are critical to success. You will be managing a portfolio of bids and opportunities to a range of domestic and international customers, operating in environments where precedent may not exist, typical processes may not apply, and where confidence, judgement and influence are essential, particularly when engaging with senior leadership and external stakeholders.

If you are a commercial professional who thrives in fast-paced environments, future-focused work and who is comfortable forging new paths rather than following old ones, we’d like to hear from you.

Core duties:

• You will support the shaping of the commercial strategy for Future Products, from concept through to contract award
• You will lead business winning activities, including competitive and rapid-turn bids, demonstrations, prototypes, and early customer engagement
• You will develop innovative commercial approaches, including alternative contracting models, partnerships, and frameworks tailored to agile development and rapid delivery
• You will challenge traditional thinking to enable speed, flexibility and risk-managed innovation in line with customer demand
• You will work closely with project, engineering, strategy, finance and business development teams to align commercial solutions with technical and operational realities
• You will engage confidently with senior leadership, providing clear commercial recommendations even when proposals may challenge established norms or standard processes, this will help to showcase your ability as a trusted advisor

Essential Skills:

• You will have a proven commercial background, with a clear focus on pre-contract activity, bidding and deal shaping, whilst demonstrating ability to subsequently manage contracts that are won
• You will bring experience within complex environments to the role, ideally alongside a business degree
• You will be experienced in non-standard or innovative contracting approaches, which will be showcased in your ability to influence stakeholders to drive desired outcomes
• You will have good awareness of various functions and the role they play as a part of an integrated project/bid team. This will be shown in your confidence of operating in fast-moving and ambiguous environments and excellent communication/presentation skills

The Manufacturing team:

You will be playing a key role in shaping future defence capabilities, rather than maintaining legacy contracts, within the wider products team. This is an opportunity for you to influence how the business wins, structures and delivers cutting-edge programmes.

In a high visibility role, you will make an impact through exposure to senior decision makers. This will be achieved through your leadership skills, which will showcase your creativity, curiosity and commercial courage.

Why BAE Systems?

Here you’ll build a career with purpose and limitless possibilities. With lifelong learning and meaningful work, this is a place where you can grow your career with confidence and be empowered to be your best. You’ll be recognised for your contribution and enjoy rewards tailored to what’s most important to you and your family, support for your financial and personal wellbeing, as well as a balanced lifestyle. In an environment embracing sustainable ways of working and with a strong sense of shared purpose, our supportive culture is a place you can feel you belong and proud of the difference you make.

A place where everyone can thrive:

We’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. We know that a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences strengthens our teams and is vital to the work we do.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 15th May 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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