UK Defence Go to Market (GTM) Lead

THE ROLE

As a UK Defense GTM Lead, you will be at the forefront of Sofar’s Global Defense team, focused on landing new accounts and expanding existing accounts within Sofar’s UK and EU Defense customer base. You will drive sales of our cutting-edge Spotter platform and capture of strategic deals. You’ll identify opportunities, build relationships, and close deals that drive both business value and mission impact. Your primary focus will be on Spotter, but you may also be involved in sales of Sofar’s data as a service (DaaS) and Wayfinder offerings.

We are looking for someone with experience using innovative marine technologies and working with the UK Royal Navy or other EU Navy who is passionate about bringing novel capabilities to enhance situational awareness, reduce risk to force and mission, and provide a strategic advantage.

IMPACT YOU’LL OWN:

• Develop and execute a strategic sales plan to: (1) Land new accounts (go to market); (2) grow existing accounts; and (3) partner with prime contractors on larger solutions.

• Build and maintain relationships with Defense users, decision makers, and contracting officers, as well as partners, prime contractors, policymakers, and influencers. Initial focus will be UK but you may also opportunistically pursue other EU Defense deals.

• Build and maintain a sales pipeline using a combination of domain expertise, networking, and relentless persistence. Balance short term transactional sales and longer-term strategic contracting opportunities.

• Lead the end-to-end sales process, including prospecting, qualification, proposal development (if necessary), negotiation, contract closure, and contract implementation.

• Understand customer needs deeply, including developing customer profiles, and position the Spotter’s unique value proposition effectively.

• Collaborate with internal teams (U.S.-based Gov BD team, product, marketing, engineering) to align solutions with market demand and customer requirements. Provide market insights and feedback to inform product and go-to-market strategies. Assess competitors. Collaborate on proposal and presentation development and submission.

ABOUT YOU

You are a determined problem solver and excellent communicator who is passionate about giving warfighters the edge with innovative marine technologies. You have experience working with the UK Royal Navy and understand its organization, mission, and critical needs. You thrive on building relationships, navigating complex sales cycles, and closing impactful deals. You’re also an entrepreneur at heart, capable of jumpstarting go-to-market strategy for greenfield UK Navy and EU Defence accounts from the ground up.

Experience in defense technology sales or business development is a plus, but we are also open to recently transitioning veterans and other candidates without sales experience who demonstrate their ability to plan and execute a go to market strategy. Most importantly, you share our passion for leveraging technology to better understand our oceans and protect the safety of those who navigate them.

• 5+ years of experience working with the UK Royal Navy or MoD.

• Savvy in navigating government bureaucracy and in connecting the dots between user, program manager, and funder.

• Strong understanding of the UK Defence market and its unique challenges and opportunities, including understanding the federal contracting process and timelines.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.

• Self-starter with the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, including self-managing a balance between strategic capture and short-term, fast-paced sales cycles.

• Curiosity and passion for understanding marine technologies and identifying customer gaps where technologies can be applied.

• Willingness to travel as needed to meet customers and attend events.

• UK citizen located in London, Plymouth, Bristol, or Portsmouth/Southampton

BONUS POINTS

• Familiarity/experience working with additional EU Defence organizations and/or NATO

• 5+ years of experience in defense technology sales, preferably in maritime/environmental tech, with demonstrated experience breaking into greenfield accounts.

OUR APPROACH TO AI IN THE HIRING PROCESS:

At Sofar, we use AI tools in our day-to-day work, and we don't expect our hiring process to be any different. Here's how we think about it:

Applying: Write your own first draft — we want to hear your voice and understand your real experience. AI is fine for refining and polishing, not for generating your story.

Take-home assessments: Complete these on your own unless we've explicitly said otherwise. We'll always be upfront about it when AI is allowed.

Interview prep: Go for it. Use AI to research Sofar, practice your responses, and sharpen your thinking before we meet.

During interviews: This is you. We're a small team and we move fast — live conversations are how we get to know you, and we're genuinely curious how you think in real time.

A note on transparency: We're a lean People team, and we use AI to help with things like drafting job descriptions, preparing interview questions, and candidate communications. We don't use it to make hiring decisions — those are always ours.

The through line: use AI to show more of yourself, not less :)

 

ABOUT WORKING AT SOFAR:

Hybrid work: We're a hands-on team building hardware and software that operates in the real world — so being together matters. We ask that most team members are in office at least 70% of the time, though some roles (like field technicians or hardware engineering) may require more. Fully remote roles are designated as such in the job posting.

Visa sponsorship: We do sponsor visas and retain an immigration lawyer to support the process. While we can't guarantee sponsorship for every role or situation, if we make you an offer, we'll make every reasonable effort to make it work.

A note on applying: We mean it when we say we want the strongest people — not the most credentialed ones. If you're excited about this work but don't check every box, please apply anyway. Research consistently shows that underrepresented candidates are more likely to self-select out, and that's a loss for everyone. Sofar operates at the intersection of ocean science, climate, and technology — the problems we're solving are consequential, and the perspectives we bring to them matter. We're actively working to build a team that reflects that.