Senior Bid Manager

Senior Bid ManagerThe OpportunityAn exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and highly motivated Senior Bid Manager to join a leading engineering and infrastructure contractor operating within the utilities, civil engineering and infrastructure sectors.This is a pivotal role within a lean and collaborative pre-construction team, taking ownership of a diverse portfolio of opportunities ranging from major strategic framework procurements to smaller, fast-paced project tenders. The successful candidate will lead bids from qualification through to submission, clarification and post-tender review, ensuring every proposal is compelling, compliant and delivered to the highest standard.The role offers significant exposure to senior stakeholders and the opportunity to influence work-winning strategy across a growing and ambitious organisation.Key ResponsibilitiesBid Leadership & StrategyTake ownership of opportunities from qualification through to submission and post-tender review.Develop bid strategies, governance plans and submission programmes appropriate to each opportunity.Produce deliverables schedules, responsibility matrices and bid plans.Facilitate kick-off, solution development and answer-planning workshops.Translate client requirements and evaluation criteria into clear response strategies.Maintain oversight of bid progress, escalating risks and issues where required.Bid Management & WritingManage multiple concurrent bids while maintaining quality and adherence to deadlines.Write, develop and edit high-quality submissions from first principles.Create persuasive, client-focused responses that clearly demonstrate value and differentiation.Coordinate and manage contributions from subject matter experts and operational teams.Lead review processes, ensuring all feedback, gaps and compliance issues are addressed.Ensure final submissions are accurate, consistent, commercially aligned and professionally presented.Pre-Construction CollaborationWork closely with operational, engineering, technical and commercial teams throughout the bid lifecycle.Support the development of robust and deliverable methodologies.Challenge assumptions and help shape practical solutions covering resources, programme, logistics, interfaces and risk.Develop an understanding of commercial strategies, pricing approaches, contractual obligations and project risks.Ensure technical, operational and commercial narratives remain aligned across submissions.Stakeholder ManagementBuild strong relationships across multidisciplinary teams and senior leadership groups.Lead workshops and interviews to extract key evidence, differentiators and project knowledge.Secure timely inputs and maintain accountability across contributors.Resolve dependencies and proactively manage risks to programme delivery.Coordinate external partners, supply-chain organisations and specialist contributors as required.Continuous ImprovementSupport the maintenance and development of bid libraries and knowledge-management resources.Capture lessons learned and reusable content following submissions.Contribute to the development of templates, reporting tools and best practice processes.Support the adoption of digital tools and AI-enabled working practices to improve efficiency and quality.About YouYou will be an experienced bid professional with a proven track record of successfully managing complex opportunities within construction, infrastructure, utilities or engineering environments.Essential Skills and ExperienceProven experience managing bids for a main contractor.Strong bid-writing, editing and proofreading capability.Experience managing multiple live opportunities simultaneously.Excellent organisational and project management skills.Ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders positively and effectively.Strong commercial awareness and understanding of how risk, programme and pricing shape winning solutions.Experience working closely with operational, technical and commercial teams within a pre-construction environment.Ability to translate client requirements into winning response strategies.Advanced Microsoft 365 skills, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint.Ability to work effectively under pressure and meet immovable submission deadlines.DesirableAPMP accreditation or equivalent bid management qualification.Previous experience within the UK water sector.Experience delivering bids across utilities, civil engineering, infrastructure or MEICA environments.Knowledge of major framework procurement processes.Personal AttributesHighly organised and accountable.Commercially aware and technically curious.Strong communicator with excellent interpersonal skills.Collaborative and proactive in approach.Confident challenging and influencing stakeholders.Resilient and calm under pressure.Committed to continuous improvement and sharing best practice.What's on OfferOpportunity to play a key role in the growth and success of a leading infrastructure business.Exposure to major framework and strategic opportunities.Collaborative and supportive working environment.Career development opportunities within a growing work-winning function.Competitive salary and benefits package.This role would suit an experienced Senior Bid Manager, Bid Manager, Proposal Manager or Work Winning Manager looking to take ownership of high-profile infrastructure and utilities opportunities within a fast-paced pre-construction environment.