Drone Services Commercial Lead

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the full commercial lifecycle from lead generation through proposal development, commercial negotiation, contract award, and operational handover
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of opportunities across:
• logistics and express freight
• healthcare and medical logistics
• maritime and offshore operations
• government and public sector programmes
• infrastructure inspection and monitoring
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities aligned with LODD's Aviation Services strategy
• Develop account growth plans for strategic customers
• Represent LODD at customer workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions, and industry events

• Serve as the primary commercial point of contact for assigned customers
• Build trusted relationships with customer stakeholders and decision-makers
• Manage customer communications, commercial discussions, contract renewals, and account growth opportunities
• Maintain regular engagement with customers to identify expansion opportunities
• Support conversion of pilot projects into recurring commercial contracts
• Ensure high levels of customer satisfaction and retention

• Develop high-quality proposals, business cases, and customer presentations
• Build pricing models and commercial analyses for drone services opportunities
• Support preparation of strategic presentations for leadership and customers
• Work closely with Finance and Operations teams to ensure commercial viability and profitability
• Track opportunity progression and commercial performance through CRM systems and reporting tools

• Lead responses to:
• Requests for Information (RFIs)
• Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
• Requests for Quotations (RFQs)
• Government and enterprise procurement opportunities
• Coordinate inputs from:
• Flight Operations
• Engineering
• Safety
• Regulatory
• Finance
• Ensure timely submission of high-quality commercial responses

• Develop a strong understanding of customer operational requirements and use cases
• Support initial planning and design of drone operations alongside Flight Operations and Technical Operations teams
• Ensure customer expectations, operational KPIs, and commercial objectives are aligned
• Support transition from contract award to operational launch

• Identify emerging drone logistics services opportunities and market trends
• Monitor competitor activities and industry developments
• Support development of new service offerings and revenue models
• Contribute to long-term commercial growth strategies for drone services

Qualifications and Experience:

• 3-6 years experience in business development, account management, commercial management, sales, or growth roles
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Aviation, Logistics, Engineering, Marketing, or related discipline preferred
• Experience within drone services, aviation services, logistics, transportation, infrastructure, technology-enabled services, or related sectors
• Experience managing complex customer engagements from opportunity identification through contract award and operational delivery
• Strong understanding of BVLOS drone services operating models, regulatory environments, and customer adoption challenges
• Experience working with drone operators, aviation service providers, logistics companies, government agencies, or infrastructure owners preferred
• Experience preparing proposals, business cases, customer presentations, and responses to RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, and government procurement opportunities
• Strong commercial negotiation and stakeholder management skills
• Understanding of commercial pricing, operating costs, and profitability drivers for drone services operations
• Existing network within the drone, aviation, logistics, infrastructure, energy, healthcare, or public sector ecosystems is advantageous
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills particularly in proposal and pricing development