Bid Finance Manager: Strategic Cost Modeller for Bids

Thales; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-related bonus

Half day every Friday

28 days annual leave (+buy up to 40h)

Volunteer time (24 hours)

Life cover

Employee Assistance Program

Employee discounts

UK benefits page

Job summary

Thales in the United Kingdom is seeking a Bid Finance Manager to lead financial aspects of major bids, balancing cost modelling, risk analysis and commercial strategy. The role collaborates across engineering, project management, procurement and finance to govern bid economics and maximise profitability.

Based in Crawley with hybrid work (3 days on-site) and up to 25% travel, you’ll influence high-value opportunities from the early stages and contribute to borderline complex defence programmes

Qualifications

• Experience in estimating, cost engineering, bid finance, or a related discipline within a complex business environment.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with the ability to analyse and interpret complex data.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across multiple functions.
• Advanced Excel and financial modelling capabilities, with strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Experience supporting complex bids, projects, or defence-related programmes, ideally within a regulated or technical environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the preparation, review, and presentation of estimating, costing, pricing, and financial data for bids and projects.
• Develop financial models covering costs, risks, opportunities, cash flow, funding, and margins.
• Support bid reviews, gate approvals, and financial governance activities.
• Contribute to the creation of business cases and commercial strategies for new opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to help deliver competitive and successful bids.

Skills

Estimating

Cost engineering

Bid finance

Project controls

Stakeholder management

Advanced Excel

Tools

Excel

Job description

Thales in the United Kingdom is seeking a Bid Finance Manager to lead financial aspects of major bids, balancing cost modelling, risk analysis and commercial strategy. The role collaborates across engineering, project management, procurement and finance to govern bid economics and maximise profitability.

Based in Crawley with hybrid work (3 days on-site) and up to 25% travel, you’ll influence high-value opportunities from the early stages and contribute to borderline complex defence programmes