Venture Lead

Guildford, Surrey
BAE Systems Applied Intelligence
Role summary

The Venture Lead is a key role within the Futures team of BAE Systems Applied Intelligence. The team’s primary objective is to create new, high value, strategic growth engines in 3-5 year horizon, by harnessing entrepreneurial techniques such as lean start-up and design thinking, to identify, validate and build new ventures that enhance AI’s strategic portfolio.

As Venture Lead, you will lead the development of the FinCrime Testing Service (FTS), the Future teams’ most mature innovation, with responsibilities similar to that of a CEO on a small scale. This will include building the team in line with market demand, owning and developing the vision and messaging, accessing and selling to customers, ensuring delivery is on schedule and growing product revenues. The Venture Lead is accountable for target metrics such as customer acquisition, revenue growth and cost management, and as such requires someone that is confident engaging with senior stakeholders both internally and externally, and able to sell and inspire a vision.

This opportunity is offered on a one year fixed term contract basis providing maternity cover. It will be based from our Guildford Head Office however can be predominantly home based with visits to the office on average once every few weeks in line with our Hybrid Working approach. Occasional UK travel will be required also.

What you’ll be doing

The main responsibilities of the role include:

• Take ownership of FinCrime Testing Service (FTS) and continue to develop the evidence case to support continued investment by the business in the product, supported in decision making by both Futures and FTS Leadership Teams.
• Develop and grow a customer base in Australia and UK/Ire, evaluating potential in new markets as opportunities arise whilst being cognizant of the cost of entering new regions.
• Act as the figurehead for the product, working with marketing to ensure a strong marcomms plan that raises awareness of FTS, pushes our agenda and ultimately drives new leads.
• Maintain a balance in focus across all three core aspects of developing and growing a new product: market need; ability to execute (including but not limited to solution and technical capability); and business model.
• Build the required capability and expertise to deliver FTS at scale across two markets, providing leadership to the rest of the team (technical and business-oriented), with management of suppliers, subcontractors and associates where required.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders (external and internal customers).
• Plan the specific activities needed for successful delivery of tests, identifying and working around any obstacles that arise to ensure the team is able to meet its targets.
• Produce and iterate sales pitch decks, marketing content such as blogs and podcasts, and regular reporting for Monthly Governance Review and Venture Mentoring sessions.
• Present and lead discussions on FTS direction and development with Futures leadership and Business Unit Leadership. This could extend to the AI board or more broadly across BAE Group as the opportunity arises.
• Develop knowledge and learning in the team: all findings, recommendations and risk/opportunity records are kept and made available for other teams to review and learn from.

What we’re looking for

Our ideal candidate will have the following skills and experience, and be committed to further developing their skills.

• Market engagement expertise in financial services, with knowledge of AML
• Product development and management
• Externally oriented, comfortable seeking out and gaining the perspectives of both experts within our business, and experts and potential future users of FTS in the wider marketplace.
• Brings critical thinking and curiosity to be constantly elaborating and refining, getting under the skin of the information that you’re given and the business issue/opportunity we are exploring.
• Not satisfied with general statements but constantly asking why and digging down to uncover the core problems and opportunities we can address, hunting out the evidence to support or reject it.
• Comfortable being the face of the concept/venture, to champion and pitch it to experts and senior people internally and externally to gain feedback and build support.
• Happy to learn and adopt the lean start-up ethos which runs along similar principles to those followed by actual start-up businesses to help them be successful.
• Inspire and lead a team that is both business and technically-oriented, creating a cohesive unit to pull in the same direction and bring FTS to life.
• Create a safe environment where everyone in the team is comfortable being themselves, and feels able to speak up and ask questions regardless of expertise or experience.
• Gather and show evidence that we can deliver benefit to the customer, that our solution to the problem is something customers want to buy, and that we can sustainably deliver the solution at scale.

Life at BAE Systems Applied Intelligence

We are embracing Hybrid Working. This means you and your colleagues may be working in different locations, such as from home, another BAE Systems office or client site, some or all of the time, and work might be going on at different times of the day. By embracing technology, we can interact, collaborate and create together, even when we’re working remotely from one another. Hybrid Working allows for increased flexibility in when and where we work, helping us to balance our work and personal life more effectively, and enhance wellbeing.

Diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of BAE Systems Applied Intelligence. We are proud to have an organisational culture where employees with varying perspectives, skills, life experiences and backgrounds – the best and brightest minds – can work together to achieve excellence and realise individual and organisational potential.

About BAE Systems Applied Intelligence

We use our intelligence-led insights to help defend Governments, Nations and Societies from cyber-attacks and financial crime. Our customers depend on our evolving capabilities to help them safely grow their organisations. Our unprecedented access to threat intelligence, world-leading analysts and market-leading technology means we can help them to adapt, evolve and stay ahead of the criminals.

Division overview: Corporate Functions

At BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, we pride ourselves in being a leader in the cyber defence industry, and the business could not operate without all the dedicated work of our Corporate Functions teams. From Finance & Operations through Communications & Marketing, to HR and Site Operations and more, our Corporate Functions enable our divisions to implement ground-breaking digital transformations and crucial defence software.

As part of Corporate Functions, you will be supporting and partnering with our global business from the backline, being a strategic advisor within your specialist area, and ensuring the business runs smoothly and efficiently. We all have a role to play in defending our clients; and this is yours.