You work at the interface between Political/Public Affairs and commercial activities: you translate political priorities, programmes and procurement logic in the French defence sector into clear market, account and opportunity strategies – and thereby enable sustainable growth of the defence business in France.
Our client is an international engineering group that transforms industrial automotive excellence into ready-to-use solutions for defence and security.
Currently, around 2,000 specialists are working on scalable, safety-critical technologies – from sensor technology and radar systems to safety-relevant actuators, systems engineering and additive manufacturing.
A defence-grade infrastructure ensures compliance, complete traceability and robust cybersecurity. Global industrialisation and series production expertise enables the efficient transition from development to operational deployment.
To strengthen the European growth team, we are looking for a Sales Manager (m/f/d) Defence for France who will build and sustainably develop sales and business development in the defence environment with sound judgement, substance and a clear understanding of values.
The role is designed for the long term and, with the right qualifications, offers attractive development prospects within the growing organisation and beyond in the group-wide matrix structure.
Ihre Aufgaben
Your responsibilities
Bridge between Political/Public Affairs and Commercial
Work closely with Public/Political Affairs to understand French programmes, budgets, parliamentary and ministerial decision-making and regulatory frameworks – and translate these into concrete commercial options, prioritisation and go‑to‑market approaches.Stakeholder management in the French defence ecosystem
Build and maintain strong, trust‑based relationships with procurement authorities, the armed forces and OEMs/system houses (e.g. Armée française, Direction générale de l’armement (DGA), key industry partners), focusing on long‑term strategic engagement rather than short‑term selling.Politically informed opportunity development
Identify, qualify and develop opportunity pipelines (programmes, tenders, framework agreements) in the defence and security environment, with a particular focus on political feasibility, timing, decision paths and budget cycles.Strategic account and market planning for France
Co‑develop a France‑specific market, stakeholder and account strategy in close collaboration with Business Development, Product Management and Public Affairs; regularly derive clear recommendations for management and specialist teams.Support across tender, bid and award processes
Prepare and support bids, tenders and negotiations – from early requirements clarification and political positioning through to award – ensuring full compliance with legal, regulatory and ethical standards.Monitoring of programmes, budgets and framework conditions
Continuously monitor relevant programmes, budget developments, political decisions and competitive activity in the French defence market; prepare briefings, decision papers and strategic input for internal stakeholders.Representation and dialogue platforms
Represent the company at trade fairs, conferences and defence events in France, as well as in relevant political and governmental fora, to position the company’s solutions and build structured dialogue with key stakeholders.International collaboration
Work closely with international colleagues to identify cross‑country opportunities and share best practices at the interface of Political Affairs, Government Relations and Commercial.
Das Besondere an dieser Aufgabe:
Your profile
Several years of experience in a B2G/B2B environment in the defence, security or a comparable high‑tech sector (e.g. aerospace, Infrastructures Critiques (IC), security solutions), ideally with clear exposure to Political/Public Affairs or Government Relations.
Strong understanding of the key players, decision‑making processes and governance structures in the French defence landscape (e.g. Armée française, DGA, OEMs/system houses).
Proven track record in complex, long‑term projects with government and industry, ideally where political, strategic and commercial dimensions needed to be aligned.
Confident, credible manner when dealing with military and governmental stakeholders as well as senior industrial decision‑makers; high personal integrity and a clear moral compass.
High level of personal responsibility, willingness to travel and a structured way of working, including from a home‑office environment.
Fluent French and English; German is an advantage but not essential; additional languages are a plus.
A security‑related background (e.g. experience in the Armée française) is welcome but not essential – what matters is your ability to connect political context with commercial implementation.
Über unseren Mandanten:
Our client is an internationally active technology company headquartered in Germany that is increasingly positioning its solutions in the security and defence-related environment (defence & dual use).
Based on strong engineering and product expertise, you will work with the support organisation to significantly expand market presence, sales and relevance in the France defence market.
The name of our client will be treated confidentially and disclosed during a personal one-on-one meeting or after signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
If you are interested in our vacancy, we look forward to hearing from you directly!
We are also happy to answer any questions you may have.
Best regards, Your
Team at FOCUS-DEFENCE