Business Development Manager at ARCO Worldwide Services Limited

Job Summary

• The Business Development Manager (BDM) will play a critical role in driving the growth of UAV operations within Nigeria’s military, defence, and other strategic sectors.
• The role will focus on building and nurturing strategic relationships, supporting the Senior Manager in expanding market presence, securing high-value contracts, and ensuring alignment with the organization’s long-term business goals in Abuja and across Nigeria.

Responsibilities
Business Development & Market Expansion:

• Support the Senior Manager in identifying, developing, and securing business opportunities within the military, defence, security agencies, and other strategic sectors.
• Conduct market intelligence, competitor analysis, and sector mapping to identify trends, threats, and opportunities.
• Assist in preparing tailored proposals, Request for Proposal/Request for Quotation responses, and tender documents for UAV services and solutions.
• Coordinate follow-ups on leads, client engagements, and pipeline management to ensure timely deal closure.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders in government, military, defence, and security agencies.
• Represent the company at industry forums, exhibitions, and defence/security events in Abuja and other strategic locations.
• Support the Senior Manager in developing long-term partnerships with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), regulators, and technology partners.

Strategic Support & Reporting:

• Provide regular updates to the Senior Manager on pipeline status, risks, and opportunities.
• Ensure proper documentation of client engagements, MoUs, contracts, and agreements in alignment with company policies.
• Support the design and execution of strategies for client acquisition and retention.
• Assist in monitoring regulatory frameworks, defence procurement policies, and compliance requirements relevant to UAVs.

Operational & Cross-Functional Support:

• Work closely with technical, operations, finance and project teams to align proposals with deliverable capacity.
• Ensure smooth handover of signed contracts to operations and monitor execution milestones.
• Contribute to risk management and mitigation strategies in defence-sector projects.
• Other roles as assigned by the Senior Manager, Strategic Partnership

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, International Relations, Security Studies, or related field (MBA or MSc is an advantage).
• Minimum of 5–7 years’ experience in business development, preferably in defence, aviation, security, or technology-driven industries.
• Strong knowledge of Nigeria’s defence, security, and regulatory landscape.
• Proven track record of supporting/closing large and complex deals with government, defence, or security institutions.
• Excellent negotiation, networking, and stakeholder management skills.
• High level of discretion, integrity, and ability to operate in sensitive/strategic environments.
• Strong presentation, proposal writing, and communication skills.
• Staying up to date with evolving regulations and industry best practices is crucial.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic thinking & market intelligence
• Relationship building & stakeholder engagement
• Proposal writing & deal structuring
• Defence sector awareness & compliance knowledge
• Results-oriented with strong follow-through
• Team collaboration & leadership support.