When companies in and around the defence industry need to recruit leaders and specialists, it is natural to first look for candidates with direct industry experience. These may be profiles who already know the sector, understand the requirements and have worked with defence-related customers, projects or products.
But in practice, this is rarely enough.
The candidate market in the defence industry is limited, and competition for the most relevant profiles is high. Many of the obvious candidates are already in attractive positions, and in some functions, there are simply not enough people with exactly the experience companies are looking for.
That is why it becomes important to look more broadly at the candidate market. Not by compromising on quality, but by understanding which types of experience from civil industry can be transferred to defence-related roles.
For suppliers to the Armed Forces, technology companies, production companies, advisors and subcontractors, the right candidates can often be found in industries that may look different on the surface, but share many of the same fundamental requirements: technical complexity, documentation, quality, long decision-making processes, regulatory requirements and a high degree of accountability.
Industry experience is valuable — but not always decisive
Direct experience from the defence industry can be a significant advantage. Candidates who already know the sector will often have an understanding of security, confidentiality, stakeholder landscapes and the specific decision-making processes that characterise the industry. They know that things can take time. They understand that documentation is not a formality. And they may already have experience with the customers, systems or regulatory frameworks relevant to the role.
But industry experience is not the same as a guarantee of success.
A candidate may have worked in the defence industry without necessarily having the right commercial weight, leadership maturity or technical depth. Conversely, a candidate from another industry may have exactly the mindset and experience needed to succeed — if they are assessed correctly and onboarded properly.
That is why companies should start by asking: What do we actually need the candidate to be able to do? Not only which industry they come from.
Is the role about understanding complex technical systems? Navigating regulated processes? Driving projects with multiple stakeholders? Working with documentation and quality? Selling technical solutions in long B2B sales cycles? Or leading specialists in environments where trust, structure and sound judgement are essential?
When those questions are answered precisely, the candidate field often becomes both broader and stronger.
Energy and infrastructure: experience with critical systems and long time horizons
Candidates from the energy and infrastructure sectors can be relevant for many defence-related roles. This is especially true for functions where projects are complex, time horizons are long and the consequences of errors can be significant.
In energy and infrastructure, many candidates are used to working with systems that are critical to society. They are familiar with requirements related to stability, operational reliability, documentation and collaboration across public authorities, suppliers and technical disciplines. They are often used to projects where decisions need to be carefully anchored, and where many stakeholders need to feel confident in the solution.
This can be highly relevant for companies that supply the Armed Forces or take part in larger defence-related projects.
A project manager from infrastructure may, for example, have experience with complex construction projects, tenders, security requirements and coordination between public and private stakeholders. A technical specialist from the energy sector may have worked with systems where uptime, risk management and quality are business-critical. A commercial profile from the energy industry may be used to long sales processes, technical decision-makers and framework agreements.
This does not mean the transition happens automatically. The defence sector has its own requirements, culture and processes. But the foundation can be strong.
Pharmaceuticals and medtech: documentation, quality and regulated processes
Pharmaceuticals and medtech are other obvious places to look for relevant candidates. These industries differ from the defence industry, but they share an important common denominator: high levels of regulation and very low tolerance for error.
Candidates from pharmaceuticals and medtech are often used to documentation, audits, compliance, quality systems and structured workflows. They understand that processes do not exist for their own sake, but because they protect quality, safety and end users.
That experience can be highly valuable in defence-related companies, where documentation, traceability and quality assurance also play a central role.
Quality profiles, compliance specialists, project managers, production managers and technical specialists in particular may have transferable competencies. They are often used to working in organisations where decisions must be documented, changes must be controlled, and collaboration between development, production, quality and regulatory requirements is essential.
For some candidates, the defence industry may even represent a motivating new direction. It allows them to apply their experience from regulated environments in a sector where technology, security and societal importance are becoming increasingly significant.
Industrial production: technical understanding and operational discipline
Many defence suppliers work with advanced production, components, materials, system integration or technical solutions where industrial experience is directly relevant.
Candidates from production companies can bring a strong understanding of operations, quality, processes, supplier management and continuous improvement. They are used to translating technical requirements into practical delivery, and they often understand the interaction between engineering, production, quality and commercial considerations.
This can be particularly relevant in roles such as production manager, supply chain manager, quality manager, project manager, technical sales profile or operations leader.
In defence-related companies, however, it is important that candidates can also thrive with the additional layers of complexity that may come with the sector. These may include documentation requirements, specific customer processes, security, export control, certifications or long development and approval processes.
Operational experience from civil industry can therefore be a strong starting point, but it must be combined with curiosity, patience and the ability to understand the specific framework of the sector.
IT and cyber security: confidentiality, system understanding and critical infrastructure
IT and cyber security profiles are increasingly relevant for the defence industry and its suppliers. This applies both to companies that work directly with software, data, communication, system integration and cyber security, and to companies where digital systems are an integrated part of the product or operation.
Candidates from cyber security are often used to working with confidentiality, risk assessment, access management and critical infrastructure. They understand the practical importance of security and are used to thinking in terms of threats, consequences and resilience.
This can be a strong advantage in defence-related roles, where security is not only about formal procedures, but also about mindset.
At the same time, IT and software profiles from other industries may be relevant if they have worked with complex systems, embedded software, data, cloud, communication technology, product development or technical project management.
Here, motivation and contextual understanding become particularly important. A candidate may be technically strong, but they must also be able to see themselves in an environment where product cycles, documentation requirements and decision-making processes may differ from those in more traditional tech companies.
Commercial profiles must be able to sell complexity
When discussing transferable competencies for the defence industry, the focus often falls on technical specialists. But commercial profiles are just as important.
Companies that supply the Armed Forces or larger defence-related projects need commercial leaders and specialists who can work with complex sales, long-term relationships, public sector customers, tenders, technical decision-makers and strategic partnerships.
Here, candidates from other B2B industries can be highly relevant. These may include profiles from industrial technology, energy, infrastructure, IT, consulting or other markets where sales are not about quick transactions, but about trust, timing and a deep understanding of the customer’s reality.
The right commercial candidate must be able to sell without overselling. They must be able to build relationships, understand technical products and navigate a complex value chain. They must also be able to work with a long-term perspective, because decision-making processes in defence-related environments often require patience and persistence.
That is why industry knowledge is not always the most important factor. Often, it is experience with complex B2B sales, strategic customers and technically demanding solutions that determines whether the candidate can succeed.
Leadership in defence-related environments requires maturity
For leadership roles, the question of transferable competencies becomes even more nuanced.
A leader from civil industry can be a strong match for a defence-related company if they have experience leading specialists, creating structure, managing stakeholders and driving change in complex organisations.
But the leader must also understand the specific context. In the defence industry and in security-critical environments, there is often less room for improvisation and greater demands for accountability. Decisions can have far-reaching consequences, and the leader must be able to create progress without pushing processes in a way that compromises quality or trust.
That requires maturity. Not only leadership experience.
A leader from a fast-moving commercial growth company may, for example, bring energy and business development, but must be able to adapt to a sector where pace and complexity work differently. A leader from a regulated industry may have a natural understanding of documentation and governance, but may need to learn the commercial dynamics of the market.
That is why leadership recruitment for defence-related environments should always explore experience, judgement and the ability to read the context. We look more closely at this in the article “Executive search in the defence industry: when leaders must navigate complex markets”.
Success also depends on onboarding
When a company hires a candidate from another industry, onboarding becomes decisive. This is especially true in the defence industry, where the candidate may need to build an understanding of the sector’s customers, regulation, security requirements, decision-making processes and culture.
Strong onboarding is not only about systems, processes and introductory meetings. It is also about giving the candidate context.
Why do the decision-making processes look the way they do? Which requirements are non-negotiable? What does the candidate need to understand about the customers, the market and the security surrounding the work? Who are the most important internal and external stakeholders? And where should the candidate be especially attentive during the first few months?
When this is considered from the start, it increases the chances of the candidate succeeding. At the same time, it can make the company more courageous in its recruitment, because candidates are not only assessed on what they have already done, but also on how quickly and safely they can build the necessary industry understanding.
This is an important point: when the candidate market is narrow, the best solution may be to find the candidate with the right foundation — and then ensure that the transition is handled professionally.
The best match is not always found in the most obvious industry
For companies in the defence industry and suppliers to the Armed Forces, the candidate market is often more complex than it first appears. The most obvious candidates are not always available, and direct industry experience is not always the best indicator of success.
That is why recruitment for defence-related roles is largely about understanding competencies across industries.
Candidates from energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, medtech, industrial production, IT, cyber security and complex B2B environments can bring experience that is highly relevant in the defence sector. But they must be assessed precisely. Not only based on title and industry, but on mindset, accountability, learning ability, motivation and the ability to navigate regulated, technical and security-critical environments.
This requires a recruitment process that can both think broadly and assess sharply.
For the companies that succeed with this, the candidate field becomes larger — without lowering the requirements. And in a market where competition for specialists and leaders is only becoming stronger, that ability can become a decisive advantage.
Read also our article “How to recruit specialists for security-critical environments”, or visit our main page about recruitment for the defence industry and suppliers to the Armed Forces.
