Senior Principal Strategy & Market Intelligence Lead

Job Description The Senior Principal Strategy & Market Intelligence Lead serves as the enterprise lead for monitoring and translating the external business environment into strategic intelligence that covers the Aerospace and Defense markets, U.S. Government and international customer priorities, the competitive landscape, and other emerging trends. As part of the Strategy and Corporate Development (S&CD) team, this role delivers mission‑critical insights that inform long‑range strategy, portfolio shaping, investment decisions, and enterprise planning.

This lead provides senior leadership with a clear, data‑driven understanding of evolving government priorities, market direction, and competitive posture. These insights help ensure strategic decisions that strengthen competitiveness, anticipate opportunities, and reduce strategic risk.

Key priorities include leading structured competitive intelligence programs, developing analytical frameworks, conducting scenario and market modeling, and producing executive‑ready assessments that guide enterprise decision making. Work is performed in close collaboration with Inc. Headquarters and Segment teams to advance quantitative analytic efforts across external markets, competitive dynamics, industry trends, and internal portfolio performance. The position also partners with the VP, Strategy and Planning to support enterprise strategic initiatives, as well as with the VP, Corporate Development on mergers and acquisitions activities.

This position offers significant enterprise visibility and is well suited for individuals who thrive in analytical leadership, cross‑functional collaboration, and shaping strategic direction through clear, evidence‑based insight.

Key Responsibilities

Market Intelligence and Budgetary Analysis
- Conduct enterprise-level data-driven research to inform senior leaders and support strategic decision making.
- Lead structured assessments of competitors, market trends, emerging technologies, industry investments, and U.S. Government customer priorities.
- Monitor external signals including defense budgets, modernization priorities, acquisition trends, policy developments, and geopolitical dynamics to identify threats, opportunities, and early indicators.
- Produce recurring intelligence deliverables such as competitor profiles, market updates, landscape assessments, early warning indicators, dashboards, and executive briefings.
Market Analysis and Segmentation
- Build addressable market models, segment-level market maps, demand-driver analyses, growth projections, and investment outlooks.
- Maintain and govern enterprise market segmentation frameworks to ensure consistency across the organization.
- Conduct market analyses for priority market domains and emerging defense technologies to support strategic portfolio decisions.
Strategic Planning and Decision-Making
- Perform scenario modeling, risk and sensitivity analysis, competitive simulations, and long-term market forecasting.
- Develop executive-ready insights, strategic options, and decision-support materials for senior leadership.
Cross-Functional Leadership and Influence
- Collaborate across the enterprise on market and competitive landscapes.
- Apply strong influencing skills to guide leaders and teams toward data-backed strategic decisions without relying on direct authority.
- Support enterprise strategic initiatives through research, analysis, and structured problem framing.
Corporate Development (M&A) Support
- Support M&A activities through market scans, competitive positioning assessments, and integration considerations.
Internal Business Analysis
- Integrate external market intelligence with internal performance data to identify portfolio gaps, portfolio opportunities, capability needs, and potential efficiency improvements.
Required Education, Experience, & Skills
- Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of competitive intelligence, market analysis, or strategy experience; Master’s degree with 8 years of experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to create concise, executive-level presentations.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate and influence across multiple business units.
- Strong business judgment with the ability to synthesize complex information into practical, strategic insight.
- Proven experience analyzing external markets and competitor behavior in the Aerospace and Defense sectors.
- Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills with experience interpreting large and complex datasets.
- Proficiency with analytics and intelligence tools including Power BI, Tableau, Janes, Excel Pivot Tables, and SQL Server environments.
- Familiarity with U.S. Government budgets, acquisition processes, and modernization priorities.
- Ability to obtain a U.S. Government security clearance.
Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills
- MBA or advanced degree in strategy, economics, engineering, or data analytics.
- Experience with predictive analytics, machine learning, or AI-supported analysis.
- Familiarity with Python or R for modeling and data automation is a plus.
- Experience supporting M&A transactions, strategic partnerships, or integration activities.

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $134640 - $228888

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.
About BAE Systems, Inc. BAE Systems, Inc. is a defense, aerospace, and security company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with more than 40,000 employees worldwide. We serve, supply, and protect those who protect us. As one of the most geographically diverse international defense companies, we deliver a full range of products and services spanning air, land, maritime, space, and cyber, including advanced electronics, intelligence solutions, and dedicated customer support.

Our culture is performance-driven and values-led, built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Purpose isn't a tagline here. It's what drives us. We're developing breakthrough technologies that defend national security and make a lasting impact on our communities and our planet. When you join BAE Systems, you're not just building a career. You're contributing to a mission that truly matters.

This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.