Bid Manager

Thales; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in defence and security seeks a Bid Manager to lead major bids within the Under Water Systems UK team. The role offers a hybrid working model, leadership opportunities, and a chance to contribute to strategic projects. Ideal candidates will have strong project management skills and experience in delivering bids, with a focus on stakeholder management and risk mitigation. The position supports career development within a diverse organization.

Benefits

Half-day Fridays

Pension scheme

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Life insurance

Career development opportunities

Employee assistance and mental wellbeing programs

Employee discounts

Qualifications

• Proven success in delivering bids on framework contracts.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams under tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Manage bid schedules and resources, lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Create robust project baselines for post-contract delivery.
• Oversee proposal development and reviews.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Risk Mitigation

Project Management

Commercial Awareness

Tools

Oracle

P6

Job description

Location: Manor Royal Crawley, United Kingdom

Thales provides armed forces customers with operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. We deliver the full range of defence mission systems solutions across land, sea, and air, including platforms in Above and Sonar, Electronic Combat, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance systems.

We offer exciting opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their careers. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact millions daily, making life better and safer. Our innovations span Aerospace, Defence, Security, and Space industries.

We prioritize health and well-being, offering flexible working arrangements such as part-time hours, job sharing, home working, and flexible start and finish times to support your lifestyle and ambitions.

Locations: Crawley (West Sussex), Cheadle (Greater Manchester), or Templecombe (Somerset) with a hybrid work pattern (3 days in the office, 2 days remote).

Role Overview: We seek a Bid Manager to lead major bids vital to our long-term strategy within the Under Water Systems (UWS) UK team, based in Templecombe or Cheadle.

What We Offer:

• Participation in a rapidly growing sector with a portfolio of world-leading sonar products.
• Leadership opportunity in strategic bids supporting UWS and Thales.
• Supportive, experienced team fostering learning and development.
• Hybrid working model.

Key Responsibilities:

• Promote a culture of delivery accountability, risk, and opportunity management.
• Manage bid schedules and resources, lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Establish and control technical and non-technical requirements, including compliance and estimating processes.
• Create robust project baselines for post-contract delivery.
• Manage relationships with customers, suppliers, and partners, building trust.
• Apply bid governance, including stage gates and reviews.
• Coordinate assumptions, dependencies, and exclusions across bid artefacts.
• Oversee proposal development and reviews.
• Focus on cash management to ensure positive project cash flow.
• Lead PQQ responses, including governance and sign-off.
• Align bid activities with win strategies.
• Develop initial project plans for contract execution.
• Control bid budgets and liaise with PMO tools like Oracle and P6.

Candidate Profile:

Seeking a leader with strong bid and project management skills, stakeholder management, commercial awareness, and proactive risk mitigation. Requirements include:

• Proven success in delivering bids on framework contracts.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams under tight deadlines.
• Stakeholder and partner relationship management skills.
• Ability to craft compelling proposals that meet customer needs.
• Knowledge of Gate Bid Lifecycle processes.

Security Clearance: Role requires SC clearance. Candidates should be eligible or willing to obtain clearance before starting, with UK residence for the past 5 years generally required.

What We Offer:

• Market-leading training, development, and mentoring opportunities.
• Career progression within a diverse, global organization.

Flexibility and Work Environment:

Roles support flexible SMART working, combining remote and office-based work at our UK sites, which feature modern amenities and resources.

Benefits:

• Half-day Fridays
• Pension scheme
• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Life insurance
• Career development opportunities
• Employee assistance and mental wellbeing programs
• Employee discounts

Thales is committed to diversity and inclusion, offering accessible recruitment processes and support for neurodiverse or disabled applicants. For adjustments or inquiries, contact our recruitment teams.

Great journeys start here, apply now!