Bid Manager

SNC Mission Systems UK; Bristol; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence solutions provider in the UK seeks an experienced Bid Manager to lead the proposal process for defence and secure government contracts. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in proposal management, particularly within the UK public sector. Responsibilities include overseeing the entire bid lifecycle, ensuring compliance, and collaborating with internal teams. Strong stakeholder management skills and attention to detail are crucial for success in this structured role.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in bid or proposal management or a related role.
• Proven experience delivering proposals to UK public sector defence and security organisations.
• Experience maintaining and working within a structured, process driven bidding environment.

Responsibilities

• Own the bid lifecycle for defence, government and secure contracts.
• Lead end-to-end proposal management and develop proposal plans.
• Ensure proposal responses comply with customer requirements.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Critical thinking

Time management

Attention to detail

Education

Degree level education

Job description

Overview

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is a trusted leader in solving the world’s toughest challenges through advanced engineering technologies in Space Systems, Commercial Solutions, and National Security and Defence. Our applications include navigation and guidance, communication and surveillance systems, electronic warfare, andaircraftsystems.

SNCMS UK is an established mission partner and the “go-to” company in the UK for Tactical and Operational Communication Information Systems and service integration. We are driven to continuously improve services at pace for customers through research and development while leveraging SNC’s widerexpertiseto deliver best-of-breed capabilities and solutions to Defence and other areas of the UK Government.

Role

BidManager

We’re looking for an experienced Bid Manager to lead bids and produce high-quality, compliant proposals within the defence and secure government sector. You’ll sit at the heart of business development, translating complex technical solutions into compelling, customer-focused proposals that win work.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in structured, deadline-driven environments and understands the rigour of defence procurement.

Key responsibilities

• Own the bid lifecycle for defence, government and secure contracts – capture planning, run kick-off meetings, bid gate reviews, submission and lessons learned sessions
• Assemble and brief internal bid teams, work with them to develop and competitive bid strategies, win themes, value propositions
• Lead end-to-end proposal management, develop proposal plans and compliance matrices
• Lead and facilitatestoryboarding, writing, editing and proposal review cycles
• Define and coordinate bid inputs from SMEs across commercial engineering, finance and project management disciplines, from internal and bid partner teams, including delivery costs and schedules, pricing and risk assessments
• Ensure proposal responses and related documents are fully compliant with customer requirements (EOI, RFP, PQQ, ITT and supporting media)
• Support bid/no-bid decisions with insight on risk, effort and competitiveness
• Provide coaching on working to the bid process, storyboarding, writing and other key skills required of bid team members
• Manage security aspects related to bidding in conjunction with the company Security Manager
• Maintain and develop source content libraries and best practice templates
• Maintain and develop bid processes and procedures, to improve the efficiency of proposal production, quality of proposals and win rate
• Ensure all activity aligns with defence security, governance and quality standards

Person Specification

Qualifications & experience

• Degree level education
• 5+ years of experience in bid or proposal management or a related role.
• Proven experience delivering proposals to UK public sector defence and security organisations
• Experience maintaining and working within a structured, process driven bidding environment.
• Familiarity with public procurement rules and regulations relating to tenders
• Proven track record of managing complex responses to ITTs and delivering successful outcomes
• Understanding of security classifications and information assurance
• Familiarity with pricing inputs and commercial strategy

Desirable (but not essential)

• Experience with complex technical solutions (engineering, cyber, aerospace, communications, C4ISR, etc.)

Skills & abilities

• Strong stakeholder management – confident working with senior engineers and leadership
• Ability to manage multiple bids under tight deadlines
• Highly organised with close attention to detail
• Critical thinking and being able to view the proposal from multiple (customer) perspectives