Bid Manager

Dalcour Maclaren; Bicester; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

25 days leave + birthday

Private health care

Flexible working

Pension scheme

Life insurance

Cycle to work

Maternity leave

Paternity leave

Study leave

EAP and wellbeing support

Job summary

Dalcour Maclaren Limited in the United Kingdom seeks a skilled Bid/Proposal Manager to lead high-quality submissions for public and private sector frameworks. You’ll coordinate multidisciplinary teams, shape win strategies and drive improvements in bid effectiveness and conversion rates.

You’ll manage expressions of interest, selection questionnaires and direct awards, while developing compelling client propositions and persuasive executive summaries to maximise scoring.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Bid or Proposal Manager.
• Excellent written communication and editing skills.
• Creative and bold – bring bids to life with innovative ideas.
• Exceptional attention to detail with compliance awareness.
• Track record of delivering successful bids and framework submissions.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead submissions for public and private sector frameworks.
• Coordinate expressions of interest, selection questionnaires, mini competitions and direct award opportunities.
• Manage the complete bid lifecycle from qualification to submission and interview stages.
• Lead bid planning, kick-off meetings, technical review workshops, timelines and review cycles.
• Own bid delivery by coordinating multidisciplinary teams to ensure high-quality, compliant submissions.
• Set expectations for contributors, chase inputs, and raise risks early to ensure timely delivery.

Skills

Bid management

Proposal writing

Stakeholder management

Project management

Attention to detail

Tools

CRM systems

Bid management software

Knowledge management systems

Job description

At Dalcour Maclaren, we're key players in the Utilities and Infrastructure industry, bringing the UK and Ireland closer to Net Zero every day. Our land, environmental and geospatial experts work together to unlock the consents needed by our clients to deliver key projects. Our services include land access and assembly, agricultural liaison, planning, environmental impact assessments and geospatial mapping. Join us, and play your part in helping us to achieve our vision; to be the professional services team of choice, leading the Utilities and Infrastructure industry to a sustainable future.

The Opportunity

You will manage the development of high-quality bids, tenders, framework submissions and client proposals, working closely with Client Relationship Directors, Growth Directors, operational leaders and subject matter experts across the business.

The successful candidate will combine exceptional bid management and bid writing expertise with strong commercial awareness, helping us identify the right opportunities, improve bid quality and increase conversion rates.

This role goes beyond coordinating submissions. We are looking for someone who can challenge, influence and shape winning strategies.

Key Responsibilities

Bid Management

• Lead submissions for public and private sector frameworks.
• Coordinate expressions of interest, selection questionnaires, mini competitions and direct award opportunities.
• Manage the complete bid lifecycle from opportunity qualification through to submission and interview stages.
• Lead bid planning, kick-off meetings, technical question review workshops, submission timelines and review cycles.
• Take ownership of the bid delivery by proactively managing multidisciplinary teams to ensure the delivery of high-quality, well written, compliant submissions.
• Set clear expectations for contributors, proactively chase outstanding inputs and elevate risks to the submission programme early, where required, to ensure all bids are submitted on time and to the highest standard.

Content Development

• Develop compelling, client-focused bid responses by critically analysing tender questions, evaluation criteria and scoring methodologies to ensure answers are tailored for maximising scoring.
• Translate technical information into clear client benefits and outcomes.
• Create persuasive executive summaries, win themes and differentiators.
• Maintain and develop a central bid content library and knowledge repository.

Stakeholder Management

• Work collaboratively with Directors, technical specialists and subject matter experts across the business.
• Confidently and constructively challenge SME drafts to identify gaps, risks and areas where stronger evidence is required.
• Support presentation preparation and interview coaching for key opportunities.

Continuous Improvement

• Track bid performance and win rates.
• Drive continuous improvement in bid quality, efficiency and effectiveness.
• Streamline future bid submissions through the use of templates, case studies and the bid library.

About You

Essential Experience & Skills

• Proven experience in a Bid or Proposal Manager role.
• Excellent written communication and editing skills.
• Creative and bold – we want to bring our bids and presentations to life with innovative ideas.
• Exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to identify inconsistencies, omissions, compliance risks and errors before submission. Understanding of public and private sector procurement processes.
• Demonstrable track record of delivering successful bids and framework submissions.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.
• Strong project management and organisational capabilities.
• Commercial awareness and understanding of business growth drivers.
• Ability to develop compelling client value propositions.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple deadlines.

Desirable

• Experience within utilities, energy, transport, telecommunications or infrastructure consultancy sectors.
• Experience with CRM, bid management and knowledge management systems.
• Experience supporting presentation and interview stages for major opportunities.

Benefits

• Annual bonus scheme
• 25 days annual leave plus 1 day to celebrate your birthday
• Vitality Health Membership (including Private healthcare, subsidised gym membership and other discounts)
• Flexible working through our ‘Flexible Advantage’ supporting working families & your work/life balance
• Pension Scheme via The Peoples Pension
• Life insurance (4x Base Salary)
• Cycle to work scheme
• 26 Weeks paid Maternity Leave
• 4 Weeks paid Paternity Leave
• BHN Extras – provides discounted gift cards for hundreds of popular retailers
• Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme (provided by Octopus Electric Vehicles) effective at 1 years’ service
• Sabbatical Policy effective at 3 years’ service
• Professional development – paid study leave
• Military service paid leave (7.5 days per year)
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) plus wider Mental Health & Wellbeing support
• 2 x Company-wide events every year, in addition to multiple office socials throughout the year

Dalcour Maclaren is an equal opportunities employer.