Defence Business Development & Strategic Accounts Manager

Location

Poland or Czech Republic, with national travel and selected international travel as required.

Introduction

Mirka is a Finnish family-owned company with global reach and more than 80 years of experience in surface finishing and precision grinding. We are known for high-quality abrasives, power tools, polishing solutions, superabrasives and automation, but our role in industrial manufacturing goes beyond products. We work side by side with manufacturers to improve the processes that determine quality, productivity, repeatability, safety and long-term performance.

As part of our Industrial Manufacturing growth journey, we are expanding our focus in Defence manufacturing and MRO. This is a demanding environment where stable production, documented processes, trusted partnerships and technical performance matter. Mirka’s contribution is focused and practical: we help improve sanding, grinding, polishing, surface preparation, precision grinding, deburring and robotic material-removal processes where they affect output, cost, ergonomics, qualification readiness and lifecycle performance.

We are now looking for a Defence Business Development & Strategic Accounts Manager to build and grow Mirka’s position in this important segment. This role is for a commercially strong and technically curious business developer who can open new doors, understand customer processes, build trust with the right stakeholders and turn technical opportunities into long-term partnerships.

This is not a standard sales role. It is an opportunity to help shape a strategic growth area for Mirka, working inside the manufacturing and maintenance processes where strategy has to become stable production.

Role Purpose

The Defence Business Development & Strategic Accounts Manager will lead Mirka’s commercial build-up in Defence manufacturing and MRO within the Central East Europe.

The role is responsible for creating access to selected OEMs, prime contractors, Tier suppliers, MRO organizations, shipyards, aerospace and vehicle manufacturers, system integrators, robot integrators and strategic partners where Mirka can create measurable process value.

This is a process-led business development and strategic account role. The successful candidate will work closely with local sales, Technical Sales Support, Application Engineering, Product Areas, marketing, legal/compliance, ICS and the wider Defence team to position Mirka as an Industrial Solutions Partner for regulated and high-reliability manufacturing environments.

The role combines short-term commercial traction with long-term strategic account development. It requires a strong hunter mindset, but also the discipline to build trust, understand customer processes, involve technical experts early, prove value and scale what works.

Where Mirka Creates Value in Defence

Mirka’s role in Defence is focused on the industrial systems behind readiness.

We support manufacturing and MRO environments where stable, documented and repeatable processes are critical. Our expertise includes:

• Sanding, grinding, polishing and surface preparation.

• Precision grinding with bonded and superabrasive technologies.

• Deburring, finishing and material-removal processes.

• Robotic deburring, sanding, grinding and polishing.

• Process design, trials, validation and qualification support.

• Training, lifecycle services, remote support and continuous improvement.

• Process standardization across operators, shifts, sites and suppliers.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Market Development

• Develop Mirka’s presence within Defence manufacturing and MRO environments within Central East Europe.

• Identify and develop relationships with OEMs, prime contractors, Tier suppliers, MRO organizations and strategic partners.

• Build access to relevant customer stakeholders and industry networks.

• Support Mirka’s participation in relevant Defence industry events, associations and professional forums.

Strategic Account Development

• Build and manage relationships across commercial, technical and operational stakeholders.

• Develop strategic account plans and identify opportunities for long-term growth.

• Identify where Mirka can create value through process improvement, automation, precision grinding, surface preparation, finishing, lifecycle support and technical validation.

• Coordinate internal resources to support customer development and account growth.

Opportunity Development and Customer Value Creation

• Work closely with Technical Sales Support, Application Engineering and Product Areas to develop customer solutions.

• Support technical evaluations, trials and customer validation activities where relevant.

• Translate customer challenges into measurable operational and commercial value.

• Contribute to the conversion of opportunities into profitable and sustainable business.

Defence Execution and Collaboration

• Support supplier qualification and tender processes where relevant.

• Follow disciplined ways of working for confidentiality, NDAs, controlled information, tender documentation and customer data.

• Share market intelligence, customer feedback and emerging opportunities with internal stakeholders.

• Act as a OneMirka connector between local sales, Technical Sales Support, Application Engineering, Product Areas and customer-facing teams.

Skills, Experience and Personal Attributes

We are looking for a commercially strong and technically curious business developer who can create access, build trust in complex organizations and turn technical opportunities into long-term partnerships.

Essential

• Proven success in strategic business development, key account development or complex technical sales in an industrial B2B environment.

• Strong hunter profile with the ability to open new accounts, create access and build trust in complex organizations.

• Experience within Defence, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, MRO or similarly demanding industrial sectors.

• Ability to engage credibly with production, manufacturing engineering, process engineering, quality, industrialization, automation, MRO and procurement functions.

• Demonstrated ability to sell technical solutions based on measurable commercial and operational value.

• Experience coordinating technical trials, customer validation, feasibility work or application-development projects.

• Strong account-planning, stakeholder-mapping and pipeline-management capability.

• Ability to work in a matrix organization and orchestrate local, regional and global resources.

• Strong commercial acumen, negotiation capability and ability to convert long-cycle opportunities into profitable business.

• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence at multiple levels, from factory-floor specialists to senior executives.

Desirable

• Experience with abrasives, precision grinding, bonded abrasives, superabrasives, surface finishing, polishing, deburring, robotic material removal, tooling, industrial automation or adjacent production technologies.

• Experience with OEMs, prime contractors, Tier suppliers, MRO organizations, system integrators, robot integrators, machine builders or Defence-industry networks.

• Familiarity with Defence supplier qualification processes, tender portals, procurement routes, industry associations or working groups.

• Understanding of regulated or high-reliability manufacturing environments where documentation, traceability, repeatability and qualification support matter.

• Technical or engineering education, or equivalent experience in industrial manufacturing.

• Experience in multi-country, regional or global account development.

• Eligibility or willingness to undergo customer-required security screening where relevant.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic hunter with the patience and discipline to build long-cycle Defence opportunities.

• Process-oriented and curious; able to understand how customers manufacture, maintain and improve critical parts and systems.

• Credible with both executives and factory-level technical stakeholders.

• Commercially sharp, but not transactional.

• Collaborative and low-ego; able to bring the right Mirka experts into the opportunity at the right time.

• Resilient and persistent, with the ability to navigate complex organizations and unclear decision routes.

• High integrity and strong judgement when working in sensitive or regulated environments.

• Comfortable building something that is not yet fully mature.

• Able to balance short-term commercial urgency with long-term strategic account development.

• Motivated by customer outcomes, not only product sales.

Why Join

This is an opportunity to help build one of Mirka’s strategic growth areas from the beginning.

The Defence Business Development & Strategic Accounts Manager will play a key role in shaping how Mirka enters and grows in Defence manufacturing and MRO. The role offers the opportunity to work with demanding industrial customers, advanced manufacturing environments and a broad Mirka solution architecture that includes abrasives, bonded abrasives, superabrasives, power tools, polishing, automation, engineering support and lifecycle services.

You will not be joining only to sell a product range. You will be joining to help customers improve critical processes where quality, repeatability, documentation, productivity, safety and lifecycle stability matter.

Mirka offers strong global capability, local customer presence, application expertise, in-house R&D and production, automation know-how and a clear strategic direction toward becoming a trusted Industrial Solutions Partner.

The role is suited for someone who wants to build, not only manage; someone who can create access, shape opportunities, prove value and turn customer process challenges into measurable performance improvements.

We look forward to hearing from you. Please submit your application by August 10. We review applications on an ongoing basis and will fill the position as soon as we find the right candidate.

For more information about the position, please contact Ritvars Bajars by e-mail ritvars.bajars@mirka.com.