2027 Bid Management Apprentice - Level 4 Project Management Associate Apprenticeship

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

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid/flexible working options

Health Care Cash Plan

Contributory Company Pension

Learning and development support

Employee discounts and wellbeing Initi

Life Cover

Job summary

Thales UK in Crawley invites applications for the 2027 Bid Management Apprentice – Level 4 Project Management Associate Apprenticeship. This 2-year programme combines on‑the‑job training with academic study, starting 6 September 2027, with a salary of £24,000 per annum and a permanent contract.

You’ll learn to lead cross‑functional bids, coordinate teams, manage bid plans and deadlines, and develop proposals while working toward the Level 4 PM Associate standard via The Apprentice Academy.

Qualifications

• 2 A Levels Grade C or above or equivalent Level 3 qualification
• 5 GCSEs grade 4-9 including English and Maths

Responsibilities

• 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

Skills

Organisation

Attention to detail

Communication

Education

A levels or Level 3 qualification

GCSE English and Maths

Job description

2027 Bid Management Apprentice - Level 4 Project Management Associate Apprenticeship

Location: Crawley, United Kingdom

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.

Start Date: Monday 6th September 2027

Salary: £24,000 per annum

Employee Type: Permanent

Location: Crawley

Working Schedule: Monday - Friday, 37 hours a week (8 hours Monday - Thursday, 5 hours Friday)

Transform your curiosity into a rewarding career. Do you think you have a talent for organisation, a common-sense approach and an eye for the detail to link these aspects together to create winning bids? If so, this apprenticeship is perfect for you. Combining academic study with hands-on, practical experience, it offers a fantastic opportunity to grow and thrive within a global, innovative & industry leading organisation.

Benefits of the Programme

• Earn a salary while studying for your apprenticeship
• Gain hands-on experience within the Bid & Project Management environment
• Receive job-specific training and development
• Achieve a recognised qualification
• Have your tuition fees fully paid
• Secure a permanent role from the start of your apprenticeship

About the Role

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-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

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

To apply, you will need:

• 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

Benefits

• 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
• 80 Hours Volunteering per year (first two years)

Because of the work we do at Thales, all roles are subject to security requirements.

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 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.

Closing date: Our applications will close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 17 February 2027, this is the only time we will be accepting applications this year. Please note, we will be in contact by the end of February 2027 with details of next steps.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ROLES MAY CLOSE EARLIER THAN the ADVERTISED DEADLINE IF WE RECEIVE A HIGH NUMER OF APPLICATIONS. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID MISSING OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY.

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.