Bid Manager

Perkbox; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Perkbox, London-based, seeks a senior bid professional to own the full bid lifecycle across public and private sectors, shaping strategy and delivering compelling, evaluator-focused responses. You will lead cross-functional teams, manage multiple bids, and drive post-submission activity through to contract award.

You’ll engage with senior stakeholders up to CEO level, build a reusable content library, and ensure compliance across frameworks while advancing pricing strategy and ROI framing.

Qualifications

• A proven track record independently managing and winning complex bids across public/private sectors.
• Ability to develop win narratives and lead bid strategy from first principles.
• Exceptional written communication: evaluator-focused, not template-driven.
• Strong commercial acumen: pricing, risk, ROI awareness.
• Confident interaction with CEO/Director level and client teams to meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of both public and private procurement landscapes with transferable skills.
• Working knowledge of AI tools and prompt engineering applied to bid management.

Responsibilities

• Define win themes and set strategic direction for each bid before production.
• Lead bid/no-bid decisions and present recommendations to Head of Bids & Frameworks.
• Write, structure, and edit high-quality responses across evaluation criteria.
• Manage submission timelines across concurrent bids and escalate capacity risks.
• Lead post-submission activities including clarifications, presentations, and negotiations.
• Own the debrief process and translate lessons into improvements.
• Build pipeline visibility across the primary sector and flag opportunities.
• Engage with senior stakeholders (commercial, sales, product, legal, finance) up to CEO level.
• Contribute to a reusable bid content library.
• For public sector bids: ensure PCR 2015 and Procurement Act 2023 compliance.
• For private sector bids: interpret RFPs with commercial rigour and pricing collaboration.

Skills

Bid strategy

Executive stakeholder mgmt

Proposal writing

RFP response mgmt

Timeline management

Public/private sector bids

AI tools & prompt engineering

Job description

Does this sound like you?

You're a senior bid professional who thrives on strategy as much as execution. You know that a great bid isn't just a well-written document - it's a narrative built on insight, shaped around an evaluator's priorities, and differentiated from the first paragraph. You're comfortable making the call on bid/no-bid decisions, challenging scope when it isn't commercially sound, and holding yourself accountable for the outcome. Whether your background is public sector frameworks, enterprise RFPs, or both, you bring the rigour, credibility, and independent judgement this role demands.

London│Hybrid

What You’ll Be Doing (in a Nutshell)

In our Bids & Frameworks team, you'll own the full bid lifecycle across both public and private sector - from opportunity qualification through to submission, presentation and contract award. You'll hold a primary sector focus, but the expectation is that you can operate credibly across both. This is a senior, autonomous role: you're setting the strategy, not just executing it.

Day-to-day You Can Expect To

• Define win themes and set the strategic direction for each bid before production begins - not after
• Lead bid/no-bid decisions and present well-reasoned recommendations to the Head of Bids & Frameworks
• Write, structure, and edit high-quality responses across all evaluation criteria, producing content that's specific, commercially compelling, and clearly differentiated
• Manage submission timelines across multiple concurrent bids at different stages, escalating capacity risks before they become problems
• Lead post-submission activity including clarification responses, client presentations, and negotiation support through to contract award
• Own the debrief process - secure feedback, document lessons, and translate them into measurable improvements
• Build and maintain pipeline visibility across your primary sector, flagging upcoming opportunities and cross-sector dependencies
• Engage confidently with senior stakeholders across commercial, sales, product, legal, and finance - including at CEO and Director level - to extract the insight and evidence needed to win
• Contribute to a shared library of reusable, high-quality bid content, keeping it current and fit for purpose
• For public sector bids: ensure full compliance with PCR 2015, the Procurement Act 2023, and relevant framework requirements
• For private sector bids: interpret RFP requirements with commercial rigour and collaborate with sales on pricing strategy

To Be Successful, You'll Have

• A proven track record of independently managing and winning complex bids - public sector frameworks, call-off contracts, enterprise RFPs, or structured procurement exercises
• The ability to develop win narratives and lead bid strategy from first principles, not just coordinate content
• Exceptional written communication: clear, evaluator-focused, and free of the generic template-speak that loses bids
• Strong commercial acumen, including awareness of pricing strategy, risk, and ROI framing
• The confidence to operate at CEO and Director level - both internally and with client organisations - and to hold contributors to deadlines
• Awareness of both public and private sector procurement landscapes; deep specialism in one, with transferable capability in the other
• Working knowledge of AI tools and prompt engineering as applied to bid management

Bonus Points If You Bring

• APMP Foundation or Practitioner qualification
• Experience working across both public and private sector bid environments
• Experience building and curating a bid content library that demonstrably improves submission speed and quality over time

Why Perkbox?

Perkbox is the employee experience platform built to care for, connect with, and celebrate employees in all areas of life.

With more than 20 years of experience across public, private, SME and corporate sectors, we support nearly 4 million employees across 7,500 organisations in the UK and Australia. From the NHS to leading private sector businesses, our platform brings together benefits, wellbeing, and recognition in one place people actually use.

From access to expert mental health services to help with the cost of everyday essentials, our range of benefits and wellbeing tools meets people where they are, at work and beyond.

We're redefining what employee benefits can be. And we're just getting started.

The Interview Process

Our Interview Process Involves 4 Main Stages

• Application
• Short call with a member of the TA team
• 30-minute video call with Hiring Manager and one other team member
• Final Interview and task with two members of the team

Our average process takes around 2-3 weeks, but we will always work around your availability. You will have the chance to speak to our recruitment team at various points during your process. If you have any specific questions ahead of this, please contact us on [e-mail]

We’re committed to being an inclusive employer and creating a fair workplace for all. We encourage applications from candidates across all backgrounds, circumstances, ages, disabilities, ethnicities, religions or beliefs, gender identities, or sexual orientations

We're happy to offer reasonable adjustments during our hiring process. Just let us know, and we'll make it work for you. Your comfort and success matter to us!

Perkbox is the employee experience platform that brings together wellbeing, benefits, and recognition in one place, one app people actually use.

More than 7,500 organisations across the UK and Australia, from the NHS to leading private sector businesses, trust us to support nearly 4 million employees every day. We're raising the bar for what employee benefits can be, and we're just getting started.