2027 Bid Management Apprentice

Thales Group; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Holiday allowance

Pension

Health care

Hybrid/flexible working

Learning & development

Employee discounts

Wellbeing initiatives

Life Cover

Job summary

Thales UK is seeking a Bid Management Apprentice in Crawley. You will join a domain bid team, coordinating bids, drafting responses, and supporting negotiations to win new contracts.

The role offers real responsibility, structured learning, and hands-on experience across the bid lifecycle. You will learn to manage opportunities, develop strategy, and work with multiple teams, gaining skills in communication, organisation and business writing while progressing toward the Level 4 Project Manager

Qualifications

• 2 A Levels Grade C or above in any subject or equivalent Level 3 qualification such as BTEC Diploma (MM), T Level (Merit) or Level 3 apprenticeship
• 5 GCSEs grade 4-9 (A-C) including English and Maths; right to work in the UK and security checks (BPSS) before starting employment.

Responsibilities

• Support the coordination of bids, tenders, proposals and other customer submissions
• Maintain bid plans, action trackers and submission schedules coordinating information from colleagues across teams
• Assist with drafting, editing and formatting written responses to ensure submissions are accurate and professional
• Maintain bid libraries, case studies, standard responses, policies and documentation
• Carry out research into customers, markets and competitors to support bid development
• Assist with preparing presentations and materials for bid reviews and customer meetings
• Participate in bid reviews and lessons-learned sessions for continuous improvement
• Develop understanding of commercial considerations, procurement processes and how organisations win new business
• Complete learning and development activities associated with the apprenticeship programme

Job description

Bid Management is a key and fast paced role within Thales UK - we deliver proposals to customers to win business by securing new projects which is vital to our success and growth. Bid Managers take responsibility for leading bids and work with other business functions to ensure business strategy is in line with the business goals and targets. As a Bid Management Apprentice, you will take on real responsibility and learn how to lead cross-functional teams to deliver successful bids. You will bring together the right people, information and ideas, manage activities and deadlines and help ensure our proposals demonstrate why customers should choose Thales. You will gain experience in:

• Understanding and responding to customer requests
• Knowledge in structuring and estimating new projects
• Developing compelling and competitive proposals
• Supporting negotiations and working towards winning new contracts
• Understanding the commercial considerations behind winning business

Bid Apprentices will join a Thales UK domain bid team, you will be encouraged to contribute ideas, build relationships and take increasing ownership as your experience develops. Bid Apprentices will be supported in their learning journey, you will gain hands‑on experience across the full bid lifecycle from understanding an opportunity and developing the strategy, through to coordinating and delivering the proposal, supporting negotiations and handing a successful contract over to the project delivery team. No two bids are quite the same, so you will get exposure to different bids/ projects/ products, customers and challenges while building valuable skills in communication, organisation, project management and business writing.

Responsibilities Include

• Support the coordination of bids, tenders, proposals and other customer submissions
• Maintain bid plans, action trackers and submission schedules coordinating information and contributions from colleagues across different teams
• Assist with drafting, editing and formatting written responses to help ensure submissions are accurate, consistent, professional and completed on time
• Maintain bid libraries, case studies, standard responses, policies and supporting documentation
• Carry out research into customers, markets and competitors to support bid development
• Assist with preparing presentations and materials for bid reviews and customer meetings.
• Participate in bid reviews and lessons-learned sessions to identify opportunities for continuous improvement
• Develop an understanding of commercial considerations, procurement processes and how organisations win new business
• Complete the required learning and development activities associated with the apprenticeship programme

Apprenticeship Programme

Through our apprenticeship you'll be making the most of your talents, getting to understand the Project Management Function from the ground up; and doing so with the help of one of the biggest and best names in the industry. You'll receive on‑job training tailored to work alongside your studies, giving you the hands‑on experience needed to develop practical skills and knowledge. The programme will be delivered via a virtual delivery model, combining:

• live virtual workshops
• 1-2-1 coaching calls
• Self-directed learning activities, 5. Complete Online Tests - undertake the online assessments designed to evaluate your suitability for the role.
• 6. Virtual Assessment Centre - candidates who progress from the online assessment stage will attend a virtual assessment centre, which will include group exercises, and competency-based interviews.
• 7. Job Offer - successful candidates who perform well throughout the recruitment process will receive a job offer from Thales.

Please note, assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February - May 2027. Induction week for all Graduate and Apprentices will take place from Monday 6 September - Friday 10 September 2027.

Combining academic study with hands‑on, practical experience, it offers a fantastic opportunity to grow and thrive within a global, innovative & industry leading organisation.

This is a 2-year programme, working towards the Level 4 Project Manager Associate Apprenticeship standard, with our training provider, The Apprentice Academy. Upon successful completion of your End Point Assessment, you will roll off into the Thales UK Bid and Project Management job family into a Project Planner or Project Controller role.

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals who are motivated, committed and keen to learn. A self‑starter who can manage their time, show initiative and have a genuine interest in bids and Thales UK. Successful candidates will show self‑discipline and an aspiration to achieve the qualification.

Entry Requirements

• 2 A Levels Grade C or above in any subject or equivalent Level 3 qualification such as BTEC Diploma (MM), T Level (Merit) or Level 3 apprenticeship
• 5 GCSEs grade 4-9 (A-C) including English and Maths, To be considered for this position, you must have the permanent right to work in the UK and be able to successfully complete and maintain UK Government security checks, including Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) screening and Security Clearance (SC), which is a government background check, before starting employment.

To be eligible for SC clearance, you will typically need to have lived in the UK continuously for the last five years. As part of the vetting process, you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, right to work in the UK, any time spent overseas during the last five years, and your employment and/or education history.

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

• Competitive salary of £24,000 per annum
• Performance-related pay uplifts
• Holiday entitlement of 201 hours a year (plus a company day and bank holidays)
• Contributory Company Pension
• Health Care Cash Plan
• Hybrid/flexible working options
• Employee assistance programme
• Learning and development support
• Employee discounts and wellbeing initiatives
• Life Cover, For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please follow this link - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Thales is an equal opportunities employer, and diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales. At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all.

The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.