Senior Director, EMEA Public Sector and Defense

Red Hat EMEA is looking for a dynamic and strategic Senior Director of Public Sector & Defence to lead this part of our business across EMEA. This critical leadership role will oversee our engagement with public sector and defence organisations, driving growth and adoption of Red Hat’s open-source solutions. Based in Brussels, you will report directly to the EMEA Enterprise Sales Leader and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of emerging technologies for key strategic customers.

What You Will Do

As a Senior Director, you will be responsible for leading a high-performing sales team focused on expanding Red Hat’s footprint in the public sector and defence markets. You will define and execute go-to-market strategies, foster key industry partnerships, and collaborate cross-functionally to accelerate adoption of Red Hat technologies. A key aspect of this role will be working closely with in-country public sector and defence teams to ensure alignment with local market needs and maximize growth opportunities.

Your Key Responsibilities Will Include

Leadership & Strategy

• Build, develop, and lead a world-class public sector and defence sales team.
• Define and execute a strategic sales plan to increase revenue, market share, and customer adoption across EMEA.
• Align business objectives with Red Hat’s global partnership programs to strengthen our position in the defence ecosystem.
• Collaborate closely with in-country public sector and defence teams, ensuring alignment with local market dynamics, customer needs, and government priorities to drive business success at the regional level.

Sales Execution & Business Development

• Establish and drive a robust pipeline development strategy, identifying key growth opportunities.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with government agencies, defence organizations, and key decision-makers.
• Lead complex sales engagements, including account planning, deal structuring, opportunity negotiation, and business case development.
• Engage with Red Hat’s legal, marketing, operations, and executive teams to support sales success.

Market & Partner Engagement

• Develop and nurture strategic alliances with defence contractors, systems integrators, and technology partners.
• Influence public sector digital transformation initiatives by demonstrating Red Hat’s value in modernization, automation, and cloud adoption.
• Represent Red Hat at industry events, forums, and government engagements to strengthen our public sector positioning.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee forecasting, pipeline management, and business reviews to ensure sustainable revenue growth.
• Drive internal collaboration, ensuring alignment between product, engineering, marketing, and sales to deliver value to customers.
• Champion Red Hat’s open-source mission in the public sector, advocating for open standards, security, and interoperability.

What You Will Bring

• Proven track record in senior-level sales leadership roles within the defence and public sector in EMEA, with major program wins over the past decade.
• Deep understanding of public sector procurement processes, technology trends, and large-scale digitisation strategies.
• NATO Security Clearance is required.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience in the public sector, defence, or enterprise technology sector.
• Exceptional ability to develop long-term strategic relationships and engage with C-level executives and government officials.
• Experience leading complex business development, sales, or transformation programs in the public sector.
• Strong understanding of cloud, automation, open-source, and hybrid IT strategies relevant to government and defence sectors.
• Ability to navigate complex, matrixed environments and influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Excellent presentation, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Fluency in English and Flemish, whilst French or German is a plus
• Bachelor’s degree in a business, technical, or scientific field; MBA is a plus.

About Red Hat

Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to deliver high-performing Linux, cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Spread across 40+ countries, our associates work flexibly across work environments, from in-office, to office-flex, to fully remote, depending on the requirements of their role. Red Hatters are encouraged to bring their best ideas, no matter their title or tenure. We're a leader in open source because of our open and inclusive environment. We hire creative, passionate people ready to contribute their ideas, help solve complex problems, and make an impact.

Inclusion at Red Hat

Red Hat’s culture is built on the open source principles of transparency, collaboration, and inclusion, where the best ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. When this is realized, it empowers people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to come together to share ideas, challenge the status quo, and drive innovation. Our aspiration is that everyone experiences this culture with equal opportunity and access, and that all voices are not only heard but also celebrated. We hope you will join our celebration, and we welcome and encourage applicants from all the beautiful dimensions that compose our global village.

Equal Opportunity Policy (EEO)

Red Hat is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. We review applications for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, veteran status, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

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