Defence Market Strategy Lead

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Date: 16 Apr 2026

Location: Birmingham, GB

Company: GKN Aerospace Careers

Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.

 

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 33 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.35 bn.in 2023. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled and proactive Marketing Stategy Lead to lead the go‑to‑market (GTM) strategy for a new defence product within our European Defence portfolio.

 

The successful candidate will work closely with an integrated product development team comprised of: Project management, Product management, Business Development, Engineering, and leadership teams to ensure a cohesive and compelling market launch that differentiates our offering in a complex, highly competitive, and security‑sensitive environment.

 

This is an initial 6-month Fixed Term Contract.

 

Based in the UK on a remote first contract, you will be expected to conduct regular travel to sites; the majority of your travel will be to our Luton, UK and Bristol, UK sites.

What You'll Be Doing

Go-To-Market Leadership

Develop the end‑to‑end GTM strategy in support of Business Development for the new defence product.

Conduct thorough market, competitor, and customer analysis.

Define clear value propositions and USPs grounded in customer needs.

 

Marketing Strategy & Content Development

Create engaging, accurate, and compliant marketing literature.

Develop compelling digital content.

Produce sales enablement materials.

 

Demonstration & Engagement Support

Design and deliver demonstration aids.

Support BD with live demonstrations, exhibitions, trade shows, and customer events.

Ensure all materials reflect security, export control, and brand guidelines.

 

Cross Functional Collaboration

Work closely with engineering and product management to translate technical features into clear operational benefits.

Partner with Business Development to align messaging with customer engagement strategies.

Coordinate with external agencies, design teams, and stakeholders.

 

Market Insight & Reporting

Monitor market trends, competitor activities, and customer requirements.

Provide regular updates to leadership on GTM progress, campaign performance, and market intelligence.

Recommend adjustments to strategy based on insight, feedback, and ongoing evaluation.  

What You'll Bring

Essential

  • Proven experience in B2G or defence/dual use product marketing.
  • Strong capability in developing GTM strategies for technical or mission critical defence products.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Demonstrated experience creating high quality marketing collateral.
  • Confidence leading cross functional teams.
  • Proficiency with standard marketing tools.
  • UK Security Check (SC) essential.

 

Desirable

  • Understanding of defence procurement cycles, MOD/European defence agency requirements, and secure communications.
  • Experience supporting live demonstrations or trade show activity.
  • Knowledge of export control and classified material handling frameworks.
  • Background in engineering, defence technology, or adjacent domains.
  • UK Developed Vetting (DV) advantageous.

 

Personal Attributes

  • Strategic thinker with strong analytical ability.
  • Detail oriented with excellent organisational skills.
  • Creative, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast paced environment.
  • Able to operate with discretion and integrity in a sensitive sector.

What We'll Offer

We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further.  And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?

 

A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working

 

Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN.  We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute.  It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’.  By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.

We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.

We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology. ​
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