The Role
The role involves leading UK government and military engagement strategies, translating operational needs into actionable insights, and managing long-cycle defense opportunities to enhance sovereign precision-strike capability.
Summary Generated by Built In
Help Build Europe's Hypersonic Capability
At Hypersonica, we’re redefining what’s possible in European defence technology. We exist to deliver speed, resilience, and technological independence at a pace that sets a new standard. We are a small, elite team working on problems that matter, and solving them fast.
In a Government and Military Affairs role at Hypersonica you’re not stepping into a predefined role. You’re joining a talent dense environment where every individual shapes the direction of the company. Our philosophy is to hire a small number of exceptional people with broad, deep technical capability, strong judgement, and the ability to operate autonomously.
We hire for talent, not rigid boxes. This role represents a business need, but the way it evolves will be shaped by the individual. If you’ve achieved what others said was impossible, or you bring a unique combination of skills that doesn’t fit a traditional mould, we want to hear from you. The work you do here directly contributes to Europe’s technological independence.
What you'll do
- Own Hypersonica’s UK government and military engagement strategy, generating and capturing related hypersonics opportunities through deep understanding of user needs, operational pain points, and programme roadmaps.
- Lead continuous engagement with current and future UK defence customers, including operators, capability developers, and programme teams, building trust through technical credibility and mission understanding.
- Translate real world operational problems into clear, actionable inputs for product, engineering, and leadership teams, shaping prioritisation, milestones, and capability evolution.
- Develop and execute UK growth strategies aligned to national defence priorities, emerging threats, and competitive dynamics.
- Manage complex, long cycle opportunity development across concept, assessment, and programme formation, maintaining momentum without reliance on legacy defence sales tactics.
- Build and maintain strategic B2B partnerships with industry primes, subsystem suppliers, and technology partners where they accelerate delivery or access.
- Clearly articulate Hypersonica’s value proposition to senior military leaders, programme managers, and industry partners, grounded in operational effect, not marketing language.
- Maintain situational awareness of the competitive landscape, allied developments, and adversary capabilities to inform positioning and strategy.
- Support preparation and delivery of senior level briefings, demonstrations, and engagements, ensuring clarity, relevance, and technical substance.
- Act as a trusted internal voice of the customer, ensuring Hypersonica’s defence solutions remain operationally relevant, differentiated, and best in class.
Who you are
- A government, military, or defence industry professional with 8+ years’ experience operating at the intersection of capability development, operations, and industry.
- Deeply familiar with UK defence users and decision-making environments, with credibility earned through prior military service or close industrial partnership.
- Comfortable engaging with complex, hardware–software systems, and discussing capability, constraints, and trade-offs with technical and operational depth.
- Commercially minded, with experience shaping and capturing long-cycle defence opportunities rather than executing transactional sales.
- Someone who naturally thinks in terms of operational effect and mission outcomes, not product features.
- Trusted to engage senior operators, programme leaders, and industry partners with clarity, substance, and discretion.
- Able to translate real-world military problems into clear internal direction, influencing product priorities and capability evolution.
- Motivated by contributing directly to sovereign precision-strike capability in a small, high-trust team where impact is immediate.
What we offer
- A mission driven environment with the opportunity to work on one of Europe’s most consequential defence challenges, with direct impact on sovereign capability and security.
- Daily collaboration with top experts across engineering, operations, and defence, with real opportunity to learn from the best, contribute, and grow.
- High ownership and autonomy; no time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes.
- A fast paced environment where good ideas are implemented quickly, and feedback from test and flight drives real decisions.
- A culture that values clarity, integrity, and excellence, and supports people who take initiative and push boundaries responsibly.
- Competitive compensation and real share options aligned to responsibility and impact, not tenure or hierarchy.
At Hypersonica, every hire raises the bar. We are deliberately small, intensely capable, and deeply mission-driven. If this role feels like a strong fit, or if you believe you bring something exceptional that goes beyond the description, we encourage you to apply.
Hypersonica is an equal-opportunity employer and assesses candidates solely on merit, capability, and potential.
You can apply directly to this role or reach out to Nathan Sweeney, Head of Talent. We review every application and aim to respond to all candidates within two weeks, whether the answer is yes or no.
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Skills Required
- 8+ years experience in government, military, or defense industry
- Familiarity with UK defense users and decision-making environments
- Experience with complex hardware-software systems and operational effects
- Commercial experience in defense opportunity development
- Ability to engage senior operators and influence product priorities
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The Company
What We Do
Hypersonica is a mission-driven European defense and aerospace company that develops next-generation hypersonic systems for military and civilian applications. Founded in 2023, the company aims to equip European allies with sovereign, cost-effective hypersonic strike capabilities. By utilizing a modular architecture and rapid iteration, they significantly reduce development costs and timelines, focusing on enhancing Europe's defense autonomy and technological independence in a complex global security environment.
