Senior Bid Manager (m/f/d) – Space & Defence

CS GROUP; Darmstadt; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

CS GROUP is a leading provider of operational systems and an important long‑term partner for space and defence organisations. This role is based in Darmstadt, with options across Bremen or Munich, Germany, and offers an international environment.

You will leadBid development efforts, coordinate cross‑functional teams, and mentor junior bid managers while delivering compliant, high‑quality submissions to ESA, NATO, and other agencies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Aerospace, Defence Studies, Project Management, or related discipline.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in bid management, proposal management, capture management, or business development.
• Proven experience delivering successful bids within the space, defence, aerospace, security, IT, or engineering sectors.
• Strong knowledge of European public procurement and competitive tendering processes.
• Demonstrated experience working with customers such as ESA, EUMETSAT, European Commission, EU Agencies, NATO, and defence authorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the complete bid lifecycle from qualification through proposal submission and contract award.
• Develop win strategies and align customer requirements with company capabilities and strengths.
• Establish bid governance, schedules, review plans, and resource allocation for major opportunities.
• Manage multiple bids while ensuring quality, compliance, and timely delivery.

Skills

Proposal writing

Project management

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree (Engineering/Business/Aerospace/Defence/PM)

Tools

MS Office

SharePoint

CRM systems

Proposal management tools

Job description

CS GROUP, together with HE Space and Sopra Steria, has been successfully providing digital end-to-end systems and engineering services for more than 40 years.

With over 2000 employees worldwide, we combine advanced and unique skills in both information technology and space data engineering. We combine entrepreneurial agility with cutting‑edge technological expertise.

CS GROUP is a leading provider of operational systems and an important and trusted long‑term partner for space and defence organisations.

At CS GROUP, we are driven by innovation, and we value our most important asset: our people.

• Lead and manage the complete bid lifecycle from opportunity qualification through proposal submission and contract award;
• Develop and implement win strategies that align customer requirements with company capabilities and competitive strengths;
• Establish bid governance, schedules, review plans, and resource allocation for major opportunities;
• Manage multiple simultaneous bids while ensuring quality, compliance, and timely delivery.

Proposal Development

• Analyse customer requirements, tender documentation, evaluation criteria, and contractual conditions;
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams including engineering, operations, finance, legal, procurement, and programme management;
• Develop proposal structures, compliance matrices, executive summaries, and customer‑focused value propositions;
• Ensure all submissions meet technical, commercial, legal, and quality requirements.

Commercial & Strategic Support

• Support pricing strategy, business case development, and risk management activities;
• Contribute to capture planning and pre‑sales activities alongside business development teams;
• Assess competitor positioning and identify differentiators and win themes;
• Support contract negotiations, clarification processes, customer presentations, and best‑and‑final offer submissions.
• Drive proposal excellence and bid management best practices;
• Contribute to process improvements, lessons learned activities, and proposal knowledge management;
• Mentor junior bid managers and proposal coordinators.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Aerospace, Defence Studies, Project Management, or a related discipline;
• Minimum 8 years of experience in bid management, proposal management, capture management, or business development;
• Proven experience delivering successful bids within the space, defence, aerospace, security, IT, or engineering sectors;
• Strong knowledge of European public procurement and competitive tendering processes;
• Demonstrated experience working with customers such as: European Space Agency (ESA), EUMETSAT, European Commission and EU Agencies, NATO Organisations, German Federal Ministries and Defence Authorities, Major aerospace and defence primes.

Languages

• Fluent in German and English, both written and spoken;
• Ability to prepare professional proposals, reports, presentations, and customer communications in both German and English.

Technical & Professional Skills

• Excellent proposal writing and editing capabilities;
• Strong project management and stakeholder management skills;
• Experience managing cross‑functional and international teams;
• Strong commercial awareness and risk management capabilities;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, SharePoint, CRM systems, and proposal management tools.

Desirable Qualifications

• APMP Certification (Foundation, Practitioner, or Professional);
• Knowledge of defence procurement regulations and security frameworks;
• Experience with large framework agreements, service contracts, and system integration programmes;
• Familiarity with space systems, satellite operations, mission planning, command and control systems, cybersecurity, or defence digitalisation projects;
• Eligibility to obtain national or European security clearance.

Personal Attributes

• A strategic thinker with a strong customer focus;
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple priorities;
• Comfortable engaging with senior executives and technical subject matter experts;
• Results‑oriented and capable of delivering under tight deadlines;
• A strong communicator who can build consensus and motivate multidisciplinary teams.

Additional information

This job can be located in Darmstadt, Bremen or Munich, Germany.

An exciting and dynamic international working environment awaits you!

An inclusive and committed employer, our company works every day to combat all forms of discrimination and promote a respectful working environment. That's why, committed to gender diversity and overall inclusivity, we encourage all applications and profiles.