2027 Bid Management Apprentice - Crawley

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

Job summary

Thales UK is offering a Bid Management Apprentice role within its domain bid team. You’ll gain hands‑on across the full bid lifecycle, from opportunity understanding and strategy to coordinating proposals and supporting negotiations, while developing communication, organisation and business writing skills.

The apprenticeship combines live virtual workshops, 1‑2‑1 coaching and self‑directed learning, with the chance to roll into a Project Planner/Controller role after completing the End Point

Qualifications

• GCSEs in three subjects, English and Maths at grade 4/C or above.
• A levels: two subjects with grade C or above.
• Strong written and verbal communication and organisational skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate bids, tenders, proposals and other submissions.
• Maintain bid plans, action trackers and submission schedules.
• Assist with drafting and editing responses to ensure accurate, professional submissions.
• Maintain bid libraries, case studies and standard responses.
• Research customers, markets and competitors to support bid development.
• Prepare presentations and materials for bid reviews and customer meetings.
• Participate in bid reviews and lessons‑learned sessions for improvement.
• Understand commercial considerations and procurement processes.
• Complete apprenticeship learning activities.

Skills

Communication skills

IT skills

Attention to detail

Organisation skills

Problem solving skills

Presentation skills

Number skills

Analytical skills

Logical

Team working

Education

GCSEs (3 subjects) essential

GCSE English essential

GCSE Maths essential

A Level 2 x subjects essential

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

Training

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‑the‑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

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.

What happens at the end

Upon successful completion of your End Point Assessment, you will roll off into the Thales UK Bid and Project Management job family into a bid role.

Skills

• Communication skills
• IT skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Problem solving skills
• Presentation skills
• Number skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical
• Team working

Qualifications

• GCSE 3 subjects (grade 9-4 or A*-C) - essential
• GCSE English (grade 9-4 or A*-C) - essential
• GCSE Maths (grade 9-4 or A*-C) - essential
• A Level 2 x subjects (grade C or above) - essential

Key details

• Wage: £24,000 a year
• Working week: Monday - Friday, 37 hours a week (8 hours Monday – Thursday, 5 hours Friday). Shifts to be confirmed.
• Hours: 37 hours per week
• Duration: 2 Years
• Start date: 2027-09-06
• Closing date: 2027-02-17
• Apprenticeship standard: Associate project manager (level 4)
• Training provider: THE APPRENTICE ACADEMY LIMITED

About the employer

Together, we create the ingenious technological systems and innovations that impact and improve people’s lives every single day. Even if you haven’t heard the name Thales before, you’ve definitely benefited from our inventiveness. We reinvest 20% of our sales in Research & Development in the UK. Together we supply invention across 4 core areas: Aerospace, Space, Defence and Security, Digital Identity and Security.