Bid Manager

Theo James Recruitment; Cramlington; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Bonus

8% Employer Pension

BUPA Private Healthcare

Life Assurance (3x Salary)

Hybrid Working

Flexible Start & Finish Times

Modern Office Environment

Career Development Opportunities

International Project Exposure

Job summary

The Bid Leader role in Cramlington reports to a growing international engineering manufacturer and sits at the center of technical and commercial strategy. You will own complex bids from qualification through submission, coordinating engineering, cost and procurement teams to deliver compelling proposals.

You will review customer specs, set bid strategies and manage risks while leading discussions with customers and influencing scope, value engineering and contracts.

Qualifications

• Experience in bid management, applications engineering or technical sales.
• Strong technical and commercial understanding of complex bids.
• Excellent communication and negotiation with customers.

Responsibilities

• Own complex opportunities from qualification through submission and negotiation.
• Coordinate Engineering, Costing, Purchasing, Manufacturing and Quality teams to deliver proposals.
• Review specifications, define bid strategies and identify risks.
• Lead technical and commercial discussions with customers during the bid phase.
• Provide day-to-day direction to engineers supporting bids and develop capabilities.

Skills

Bid management

Proposals engineering

Technical sales

Negotiation

Engineering knowledge

Risk management

Customer communication

Mechanical engineering

Education

HNC/HND in Mechanical Eng

FdEng or Eng degree

Tools

CRM software

MS Excel

Job description

Bid Leader

Location: Cramlington, Northumberland

Salary: Highly Competitive

Benefits

• Annual Bonus
• 8% Employer Pension
• BUPA Private Healthcare
• Life Assurance (3x Salary)
• Hybrid Working (3 days office / 2 days home)
• Flexible Start & Finish Times
• Modern Office Environment
• Career Development Opportunities
• International Project Exposure

The Company

I'm recruiting on behalf of a growing international engineering manufacturer that designs and delivers bespoke engineered solutions for customers across the global energy and industrial sectors.

With a long-standing engineering heritage and operations across the UK, Europe and North America, the business supplies technically complex equipment into industries including power generation, oil & gas, petrochemical and industrial markets.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a financially secure and expanding organisation that combines technical excellence with genuine investment in its people. The company offers modern working practices, a collaborative culture and clear opportunities to develop your career internationally.

Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Bid Leader to join a growing Product Solutions team in Cramlington.

As Bid Leader, you'll take ownership of complex customer opportunities from initial qualification through proposal submission and negotiation, bringing together technical, commercial and customer requirements to develop competitive solutions.

The Bid Leader will review customer specifications, define bid strategies and identify key commercial, contractual and technical risks before coordinating Engineering, Costing, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Quality and Project Management teams to deliver high-quality proposals.

You'll remain technically involved throughout the process, reviewing engineering solutions, equipment selections and calculations while ensuring proposals are compliant, commercially balanced and aligned with customer requirements.

As the primary customer contact during the bid phase, the Bid Leader will lead technical and commercial discussions, manage clarifications and support negotiations around scope, value engineering and contractual requirements.

The Bid Leader will also provide day-to-day direction to engineers supporting individual bids, helping develop technical-commercial capability across the wider team.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Bid Leader, Applications Engineer, Proposal Engineer or Technical Sales professional who wants greater ownership of complex international opportunities.

The successful Bid Leader will operate at the centre of engineering, commercial strategy and customer engagement, with genuine autonomy and influence over how major opportunities are secured.

Skills & Experience

• HNC, HND or FdEng in Mechanical Engineering or an equivalent technical discipline.
• Mechanical Engineering degree would be advantageous.
• Experience within bid management, applications engineering, proposal engineering or technical sales.
• Experience leading complex technical-commercial proposals.
• Strong engineering knowledge with the ability to review and challenge technical solutions.
• Understanding of engineering principles, manufacturing and fabrication methods.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications and technical documentation.
• Experience reviewing commercial requirements and contractual terms.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify and manage risk.
• Confident customer-facing communication and negotiation skills.

Why Should You Apply?

• Take ownership of major international bids from qualification through negotiation.
• Join a growing and financially secure international engineering manufacturer.
• Excellent bonus, pension and private healthcare package.
• Hybrid and flexible working.
• Combine technical engineering, commercial strategy and customer engagement.
• Work directly with senior leadership and key international customers.
• High level of autonomy and responsibility.
• Opportunity to influence bid strategy and commercial decision-making.
• Genuine long-term career development within an international organisation