JOB DESCRIPTION

CLUSTER HEAD DEFENCE

Service Operations & Strategic Accounts

Position at a Glance

Role Title Cluster Head Defence

Reports To Head of Service Operations / COO

Experience 15+ Years (with minimum 8 years in Defence / Signal Intelligence ecosystem)

Qualification B.E. / B. Tech + MBA (preferred) or equivalent technical-commercial degree

Employment Type Full-Time | Senior Leadership

Location New Delhi

Cluster Scope All Defence accounts

Certifications Preferred but not Mandatory ITIL, PM , PRM

Role Purpose

The Cluster Head Defence is a high-impact, senior leadership role at the intersection of technology, service excellence, and strategic business growth. This is not a traditional account management role it is a Techno-Commercial leadership mandate requiring an individual who can command the confidence of senior Defence leadership (Colonel and above), understand and articulate complex big-data analytics and security intelligence solutions, and simultaneously lead a large, high-performance service operations team.

The Cluster Head owns the complete P&L; relationship for all assigned Defence cluster accounts, including service health, customer satisfaction, AMC renewals, and revenue expansion through upsell and cross-sell. The role must drive the transformation from reactive service delivery to a proactive, trusted strategic partnership model within one of India's most sensitive and operationally demanding customer segments.

The Mandate: Techno-Commercial Leadership in Defence

FROM TRANSITION TO

Tactical Incident Escalation Resolver

Strategic Defence Account Steward

Reactive Service Manager Predictive Intelligence-Led Advisor

Single-Layer Relationship Manager

360° Senior Leadership Engager

Cost Centre Owner Revenue & Growth Engine for Defence Cluster

Core Responsibilities

A. Cluster Account Ownership & Service Excellence

Own end-to-end service delivery, SLA adherence, system health, and customer satisfaction across all Defence cluster accounts.

Ensure 100% P1/critical escalation closure within 24 hours; personally engage with the customer's senior technical or operational leadership on major incidents.

Drive zero unplanned critical outages through robust change management, preventive maintenance, and proactive monitoring aligned to ITIL 4 practices.

Maintain CMDB, deployment architecture records, and asset registers with 95% accuracy for all accounts in the cluster.

Chair weekly cluster service reviews with Service Managers and BAs; report cluster health to COO every week.

B. Senior Leadership Engagement Defence

Build, maintain, and expand structured engagement maps from ground-level operators to Commanding Officers, ADGs,DG and equivalent senior officials.

Represent high-level reviews, Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), and Executive Relationship Meetings at customer establishments.

Leverage Defence domain credibility and Signal/Intelligence Unit background to establish peer-level trust with senior officers and technical heads.

Identify and navigate institutional decision hierarchies procurement, operations, intelligence, and establishment to build multi-level account relationships..

C. Revenue Management & Techno-Commercial Growth

Own the cluster's commercial pipeline AMC renewals, upsell, cross-sell, and new department expansion in close coordination with Sales and Presales teams.





Ensure 100% AMC renewal before due date for all Defence cluster accounts.

Generate qualified upsell/cross-sell lead client reference opportunity to an adjacent department per quarter.

Develop and maintain an Annual Account Growth Plan (AAGP) for each major cluster account covering current revenue, growth opportunities, stakeholder map, and renewal calendar.

Actively participate in joint account planning with Sales and Presales; provide deep account context for proposals, demos, and commercial negotiations.

Log all commercial activities, leads, and pipeline updates.

D. Team Leadership & Cluster Operations Management

Lead, mentor, and manage a large team of Service Managers and Business Associates deployed across Defence cluster accounts.

Set individual KRA/KPI targets aligned with the SO framework; conduct quarterly performance reviews for all direct and indirect reports.

Drive team capability development LMS course completion, product certifications, SME evaluations, and attendance at Sales/Product training sessions.

Ensure every Service Manager in the cluster meets the minimum engagement, reporting, and compliance standards defined in the Service Management Policy Framework.

Foster a high-energy, mission-driven team culture instilling a sense of operational discipline drawn from the Defence ecosystem into the service operations function.

E. Intelligence, Learning & Knowledge Evangelism

Lead and oversee the Customer Knowledge Session (CKS) calendar for the cluster h per account covering product training, feature walkthroughs, and best practices.

Plan and execute bi-annual cybersecurity and compliance awareness workshops for Defence customer teams.

Ensure production of 15 days across the cluster showcasing operational impact, usage metrics, and value delivered.

Contribute strategic intelligence from customer interactions operational gaps, project plans, new requirements to the Pre Sales, Sales and Product teams.

Required Background & Experience

Defence & Intelligence Domain

Minimum 8 years of direct exposure to the Indian Defence, Signal Intelligence, or Para-Military ecosystem as a service professional, domain consultant, or ex-serviceman.

Deep working knowledge of Defence command structures, operational hierarchies, and procurement/tendering frameworks (DPP, GFR, security clearances).

Demonstrated ability to engage with senior officers (Colonel, Brigadier, DIG, ADG and above) with peer-level professional credibility.

Understanding of Signal Intelligence (SIGINT), technical surveillance, and communications intelligence principles sufficient to hold substantive product conversations at the customer's technical teams.

Familiarity with sensitive data handling, classification frameworks, and security compliance norms applicable in Defence environments.

Technology Big Data, Analytics & Security Software

Hands-on exposure to enterprise-grade big data platforms, analytics solutions, and security intelligence software (OSINT, social media intelligence, pattern-of-life analytics, or similar).

Ability to understand, articulate,



and demo complex analytical products to both technical and non-technical Defence stakeholders.

Working knowledge of data architecture, visualisation, and reporting sufficient to engage with customer IT teams and discuss integration, performance, and capacity.

Understanding of cybersecurity frameworks (ISO 27001, NCSC, or equivalent) relevant to the Defence sector.

Commercial & Leadership

Proven track record of managing large, multi-site service operations teams (20+ personnel across geographies).

Experience in B2G (Business-to-Government) account management with commercial accountability renewals, revenue growth, upsell/cross-sell.

Demonstrated ability to manage and grow large-ticket government accounts with complex multi-stakeholder environments.

Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills able to navigate bureaucratic, procurement, and diplomatic sensitivities in government accounts.

Qualifications

B.E. / B. Tech in Computer Science, Electronics & Communication, Information Technology, or related Engineering discipline mandatory.

MBA in Sales, Marketing, or General Management preferred for candidates from pure engineering or Defence service backgrounds.

Ex-Defence Officers with technical branch background (Signals, Electronics, IT, Intelligence) are strongly encouraged to apply.

15+ years of total professional experience, with a minimum of 8 years in the Defence / Para-Military / Central Intelligence ecosystem.

At least 5 years in a team leadership role managing multi-member, geographically distributed service or operations teams.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The right candidate for this role is a rare combination of high-energy operational leader and sharp commercial mind someone who has lived in the Defence ecosystem, understands its culture, language, and hierarchy, and now brings that credibility and domain depth into a fast-growing technology organisation.

A natural leader who commands respect through domain knowledge and track record, not just designation.

Energetic, resilient, and mission-focused thrives under pressure, owns outcomes, and delivers results in a high-stakes, security-sensitive customer environment.

A confident communicator who can walk into a room with a DIG or ADG and hold a credible, strategic conversation and equally motivate and align a 30-person service operations team.

Process-disciplined with ITIL sensibility understands that excellent service is built on rigorous processes, not heroics.

. Skillset Required: ITIL, PM, PRM, Big Data, Analytics, Security Software, OSINT, Social Media Intelligence, Pattern-of-life Analytics, Technical Surveillance, Communications Intelligence, Data Architecture, Visualisation, Reporting, Cybersecurity Frameworks (ISO 27001, NCSC), Commercial Pipeline Management, Service Delivery, SLA Adherence, Change Management, Preventive Maintenance, Proactive Monitoring, Customer Satisfaction, Incident Escalation, Stakeholder Management, Negotiation, Team Leadership, Performance Reviews, Capability Development, Product Certifications, Sales Collaboration, Business-to-Government Account Management, P&L; Ownership, Revenue Growth, Upsell, Cross-sell, Procurement and Tendering Frameworks (DPP, GFR), Security Compliance, Knowledge Evangelism, Operational Discipline, Customer Engagement, Strategic Business Growth, Operational Impact Analysis

📌 Cluster Head (Defence) (India)
🏢 Antal International
📍 India