Defence · Aerospace & Space · Maritime

Win the work. Deliver it. Build the team behind it.

Senior commercial, programme and talent support for Defence, Aerospace & Space and Maritime businesses. One partner from the first bid to a fully staffed programme.
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See how we help
7.5 years as a senior commercial lead working supplier-side with all the UK Tier 1 primes, and the MOD directly. Five years headhunting across the same sectors.
The problem we solve

Growth stalls in two places.

Most growing businesses in Defence, Aerospace & Space and Maritime have the capability. Where they get stuck is winning enough of the right work, and having the people to deliver it once they do.

Winning the work

number one

Too reliant on too few customers.

One programme or one Prime makes up most of the revenue, and everyone knows it.
number two

Locked out of Tier 1 and MOD supply chains.

Good products, but no clear route onto supplier lists, frameworks or in front of the right people.
number 3

Bids lost on positioning.

Technically compliant submissions that don't land the win themes or the price.

Delivering it

number one

More work than people.

A big contract lands and you need to scale the team in weeks, not the months it takes to hire.
number two

Programmes that slip.

Contracts won, then delivery drifts without the governance and grip to keep it on track.
number 3

Hires that don't last.

People who leave within the first year, taking knowledge and momentum with them.
Services

Everything between the opportunity and a delivered programme.

Use one service or combine them. Symmetric Advisory helps you win the work and deliver it. Symmetric Headhunting builds the permanent team behind it.
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Winning the work

  • Getting in front of the Tier 1s and the MOD.
    Onto Prime supplier lists and through JOSCAR, with relationships built in the supply chain and programme teams that actually place work.
  • Frameworks and the Procurement Act.
    Positioning you for MOD and public sector frameworks, registered and ready before the tender lands.
  • Bids and capture.
    Bid or no bid decisions, capture planning, win themes, pricing input and bid reviews, so you submit something built to win rather than just comply.
  • Growth strategy and business development.
    Where to play, which accounts to target, and a pipeline and BD rhythm that keeps running when delivery gets busy.
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Delivering it

  • Programme and project delivery.
    Governance, delivery assurance and recovery when things slip, so the work you win leads to the next contract.
  • Contractor and interim supply.
    When a contract lands and you need to scale quickly, we put experienced contractors and interim leaders in from our own live bench, often before a requirement goes out to market. Commercial, contracts and bid professionals, programme and project managers, PMO and planners, engineering and technical contractors, and surge resource for bids and programme peaks.
  • Fractional leadership.
    A senior Commercial, BD or Programme Director for a set number of days a month, until you're ready to hire one full time.
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Building the team behind it

Permanent headhunting through Symmetric Headhunting.

Technology, Engineering and Commercial hires for Defence, Aerospace & Space and Maritime.

90% of our hires come from passive people already performing and not applying, and our hire attrition is under 5%, against agency averages of 20 to 40%.

How we work

Diagnose. Plan. Deliver.

1 icon

Diagnose

A focused review of your customers, pipeline, recent bids, live programmes and team. An honest view of where growth is coming from and where it's leaking.
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Plan

A practical plan covering target accounts, routes into the Tier 1s and frameworks, priority bids, delivery risks and the people you'll need.
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Execute

We work inside your team to run it. Opening doors, shaping bids, keeping programmes on track and putting the right people in place, with clear reporting every month.
Ways to engage

Start small. Scale when it's working.

two people look at data
Fixed fee

Growth Health Check

A short, structured review of your pipeline, positioning and route to market, with a prioritised action plan.
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woman shows growth stats on laptop
Monthly retainer

Growth & BD Support

Ongoing support to build and run your pipeline, bids and growth plan, with monthly reporting to the leadership team.
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Days per month

Fractional Director

Senior Commercial, BD or Programme leadership on a fractional basis, from a few days a month upwards.
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Day rate or fixed term

Contract & Interim Resource

Experienced contractors and interim leaders to deliver bids, programmes and peaks in workload.
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About

We've seen growth stall from both sides.

Symmetric was founded by James Surplice. James spent 7.5 years as a senior commercial lead, working supplier-side with all the UK Tier 1 primes, and the MOD directly. For the last five years we've been headhunting across Defence, Aerospace & Space and Maritime.
james surplice

In that time we've watched good businesses lose bids they should have won, and good contracts put at risk by hires that didn't last. Most firms only ever see one half of that problem. We work on both.

We know how the Tier 1s and the MOD buy, how bids are scored and what it takes to deliver. We work with a small number of clients at a time, so you get senior attention, not a junior team.

Let's talk.

Book a 30-minute growth call. We'll look at where your work comes from today, where it could come from next, and what you'll need to deliver it.
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07584 066122
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linkedin.com/in/jamessurplice

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Contact

T: 07584 066122
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Registered Address:
Grenville House
Barnstaple
Devon, EX31 1TZ

Company No. 13441988

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