Commercial Lead, Foundation Partners

Manchester

Salary not provided

Performance-related commission tied to qualified pipeline conversion and signed contract value + equity

Senior and Expert level

Manchester

More information about location

1-2 days a week in office

People strategy & operations consulting

Open for applications

People strategy & operations consulting

1-20 employees

B2BHRConsulting

Open for applications

Salary not provided

Performance-related commission tied to qualified pipeline conversion and signed contract value + equity

Senior and Expert level

Manchester

More information about location

1-2 days a week in office

1-20 employees

B2BHRConsulting

Company mission

To align clients' people strategy with their business strategy to help them achieve their mission.

Job

Company

Role

Who you are

We are looking for a senior business development leader with genuine credibility in space and/or defence, the discipline to operate in long-cycle, IP-sensitive markets, and a clear startup mindset
Senior BD / commercial track record selling complex, high-value systems into space, defence or adjacent regulated markets
Demonstrable network among UK and Western European primes, defence customers and programme offices
Comfort with long sales cycles, formal tenders, complex procurement and multi-stakeholder governance

What the job involves

The Commercial Lead is accountable for converting Optera’s technical advantage into a credible, defensible commercial position across its active business lines
You will own the go-to-market: positioning, target account strategy, partnerships with primes, and entry onto strategic programmes — starting in Western Europe and the UK, then expanding into the United States
The CEO will continue to lead the closure of in-flight opportunities through 2026; this role builds the forward pipeline and the commercial machinery that allows Optera to scale into 2027 and beyond
It is a senior, strategic seat shaping how the business enters a complex, IP-sensitive, regulated market — not a transactional sales role
You'll see and shape every part of the business — commercial, technical, financial and cultural — at the moment it scales. There is a genuine path to broader operational leadership over time, and the equity case that goes with it

Our take

Foundation Partners offers consulting to help businesses build strong people, culture and HR operations. It offers three service packages ranging from advice and guidance to the embedding of a fractional people team.

With a view that thriving people build thriving businesses, Foundation Partners provides companies with the experience and support to empower their people towards creating business success. It does so both on a strategic level as well as the day-to-day, making sure that companies can build for the future while ensuring their teams have what they need today.

With a wealth of experience within the company, Foundation Partners is a stand-out potential partner for any business that wants to build a better people function. Some of the clients the company has worked with include Vinted, Monzo, JustGiving, Accenture and Checkout.com.

Steph

Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle

Company

Company benefits

25 day's holiday

Company HQ

Fitzrovia, London, UK

Leadership

Anouk Agussol

(Managing Partner)

Director at the Amplified People Group and JBM, as well as Founder / CEO at Unleashed.Company. They are also a Fellow at Foundervine and have extensive experience in People Strategy and Culture.

Andy Meikle

(Managing Partner)

Director at the Amplified People Group, JBM and Unleashed. Is an Investor / Advisor for The Octopus Club and has extensive experience in People and Operations.

Andrew Richardson

(Managing Partner)

Director at the Amplified People Group, JBM and Unleashed. Is an Advisor at Abingdon Software Group and Antler and has extensive experience in People and Operations.

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