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Leidos

Builds technology for defense and civil agencies

Business Development Manager - Defence

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/24/2026
£75.8k - £99.8k
Expert
Whiteley, UK+1 moreMore locations: Farnborough, UK
HybridBased in Farnborough or Whiteley; home working is flexible depending on business demands, and travel is required.
Sales & Account ManagementBusiness Development & Partnerships

About the job

Requirements
  • Substantial experience successfully selling into the UK Defence market.
  • Existing client relationships in the UK Ministry of Defence.
  • A track record of driving business growth year on year and meeting targets.
  • Demonstrable success leading and winning contracts valued at more than £25 million.
  • Extensive knowledge of government business development, contract awards, current procurement trends, and customer buying behaviours.
  • Experience winning work on frameworks and scaling follow-on awards in those areas.
  • Proven experience collaboratively creating compelling bids with partners.
  • Experience negotiating and delivering presentations.
  • Ability to maintain momentum across multiple concurrent pursuits.
  • A track record of client and industry stakeholder engagement and relationship development.
  • Experience motivating and mentoring agile teams to grow and change the business.
  • Experienced business developer, senior account manager, or capture leader with a proven track record prosecuting and winning business in the UK Ministry of Defence.
  • Experience and understanding of the Defence Intelligence community.
  • Experience forming partnerships or consortia to win opportunities.
  • Security clearance to start: SC; clearance required for the role: DV.
Responsibilities
  • Plan and lead business development activities contributing to annual award targets in a strategic and fast-growing area of the UK business.
  • Develop and manage a pipeline of opportunities supporting the next two to five years of business growth, aligned to UK strategy.
  • Develop and maintain senior relationships with Defence clients, positioning Leidos as a potential strategic supplier.
  • Guide bid teams in pursuing and shaping business development campaigns to propose differentiated client propositions.
  • Identify and qualify opportunities that best match Leidos strengths and provide optimal outcomes for the client and the company.
  • Lead and execute significant new business campaigns in the UK Defence market.
  • Operate effectively within a multifunctional team as a leader and communicator.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience and understanding of the Research and Development/Science and Technology community and working with DSTL.
  • Experience and understanding of Information Advantage concepts, technologies, and customers.
  • Experience formulating use cases for multidomain and digital transformation concept demonstrators.
  • In-depth understanding of the Ministry of Defence’s digital transformation programmes.
  • Understanding of autonomous systems, IT service management, and applying artificial intelligence or machine learning technology to solve problems.

About the company

Leidos develops technology and runs services for defense, intelligence and civilian agencies, as well as healthcare and commercial customers. It combines software and engineering work with systems integration, building secure networks and equipment used in demanding operations. Its portfolio includes medical services, energy infrastructure design and technology that supports military missions, linking specialist businesses under one parent. Customers pay through contracts for delivered systems and services, with payment tied to labor, costs or agreed project milestones. Leidos traces its roots to a company founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Reston, Virginia

Founded

1969

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Recognized sales are growing: Leidos reported fiscal Q2 revenue of $4.56 billion, up 7%, in August 2026.
  • Technical study gets support: Leidos lists 4,092 certification prep courses and tuition assistance for full time employees.
  • Future work includes funded contracts: Leidos reported $10.2 billion of funded backlog in August 2026.

What critics are saying

  • Federal budgets dominate demand: Leidos' February 2026 filing attributed 87% of fiscal 2025 revenue to U.S. government work.
  • Cleared cyber roles restrict access: Leidos' live Fort Meade analyst posting requires active Top Secret clearance with a polygraph.
  • Cost overruns threaten margins: firm fixed price work accounted for 43% of Leidos' fiscal 2025 revenue.

What makes Leidos unique

  • Runway capacity improves through software: Leidos and UK navigation provider NATS optimize landing spacing with Intelligent Approach.
  • Leidos reaches patients directly: its QTC medical exam business connects over 15,000 providers with more than 90 clinics.
  • Leidos builds battlefield hardware: it is the Army's prime contractor for Enduring Shield, a mobile air-defense launcher.

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Benefits

  • Medical, dental, & vision insurance
  • Health Savings account
  • Income protection
  • PTO
  • Paid parental leave
  • Jury duty pay
  • Bereavement leave
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan
  • Family Benefits

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

8%

1 year growth

8%

2 year growth

8%
PR Newswire
Oct 22nd, 2026
Leidos wins $95M Defence Logistics Agency deal to bring AI to Pentagon asset system

Leidos will use artificial intelligence (AI) automation to speed up the Pentagon's asset management system, under a new $95 million, five-year contract from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The Enterprise Logistics Management System (ELMS) is used by more than 50 agencies to manage over 80 million items of government property valued at more than $140 billion. Leidos has supported ELMS and its predecessor for more than 21 years. The company will apply AI-driven automation, cloud, and modern software development practices to speed up software delivery, streamline processes, and keep operations secure and reliable. The contract runs through August 2031, including a base year and four option years. "Logistics wins wars and accurate, reliable asset visibility is a cornerstone of military readiness," said Jason McCarthy, senior vice president at Leidos.

PR Newswire
Oct 21st, 2026
Leidos wins $160M US Cyber Command award for full-spectrum cyber operations

Leidos has won a five-year, $160 million award to support US Cyber Command in planning and conducting full-spectrum military cyber operations. The work will help the command respond to evolving threats and coordinate operations across the Department of War. The company will integrate and coordinate offensive and defensive operations, including support to secure, operate, and defend the Department of War Information Network. It will also provide cyber defense, operational planning, emerging threat analysis, and help develop tactics, techniques, and procedures. Jason O'Connor, president of Leidos Intelligence, said the team includes the recently acquired Kudu Dynamics. The award advances Leidos' NorthStar 2030 strategy, with cyber as a key growth driver.

PR Newswire
Oct 14th, 2026
Leidos wins one-year MOD logistics extension to 2029, building on $508M in benefits

Leidos has won a one-year extension to its Logistics Commodities and Services Transformation (LCST) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The deal continues logistics support to the UK Armed Forces through June 2029. Leidos has been prime contractor since 2015. It manages more than 70,000 commodity NATO Stock Numbers, supports distribution to more than 600 locations worldwide, and runs the £83 million Defence Fulfilment Centre at MOD Donnington. The company estimates it has delivered £400 million in benefits to the MOD. During the extension, Leidos will work on supply chain resilience, inventory visibility, and digital capability. The programme supported the MOD through the COVID-19 pandemic and urgent needs related to Ukraine.

INSURASALES
Oct 13th, 2026
Blackstone leads $1B financing for Analogic merger with three Leidos units

Blackstone Credit & Insurance (BXCI) is leading a $1 billion financing package for the merger of Analogic Corporation with three Leidos units: Security Enterprise Solutions, Ports & Borders, and Industrial Automation. The combined business will make imaging and detection technology for sectors such as aviation security and healthcare. BXCI is lead lender and joint lead arranger, alongside HPS, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. Brad Colman, BXCI's head of healthcare investing, called the deal proof of its strength in building large credit strategies with flexible solutions. Analogic is based in Salem, New Hampshire. Leidos employs 50,000 people and earned $17.2 billion in fiscal 2026. BXCI managed $443 billion in assets at the end of 2025. Roughly 75% of Blackstone's credit assets are backed by institutional and insurance clients.

GFM Limited
Oct 13th, 2026
Blackstone leads $1bn private credit financing for Leidos-Analogic security merger

Blackstone is leading a $1bn private credit financing to support the combination of the security enterprise solutions businesses of Leidos Holdings and Analogic Corporation, Bloomberg reported. Blackstone Credit & Insurance is reportedly lead lender and joint lead arranger, alongside HPS Investment Partners, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. Leidos, a listed engineering and technology services company based in Virginia, serves government and commercial clients. It generated $17.2bn in revenue in 2025. Analogic develops imaging, detection, artificial intelligence, and automation technologies. Private equity firm Altaris acquired it in a $1.1bn take-private deal in 2018. Blackstone was reportedly also among the lenders in a recent financing for Waymo, which was increased to $5bn.