Bid Manager

Vivup; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Perkbox in London is seeking a senior bids professional who thrives on strategy and execution. You'll own the full bid lifecycle across public and private sector, set strategy, and lead bid/no-bid decisions.

You'll write compelling responses, manage timelines, coordinate with CEO-level stakeholders, and build a reusable content library. This is a senior, autonomous role with clear impact on winning outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven track record independently managing and winning complex bids.
• Ability to develop win narratives and lead bid strategy from first principles.
• Exceptional written communication tailored to evaluators.
• Strong commercial acumen, including pricing strategy and ROI framing.
• Comfort operating at CEO/Director level and meeting deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Define win themes and set the strategic direction for each bid.
• Lead bid/no-bid decisions and present recommendations to Head of Bids & Frameworks.
• Write, structure, and edit high-quality responses across criteria.
• Manage submission timelines across multiple concurrent bids.
• Lead post-submission activities including clarifications and negotiations.
• Own the debrief process and translate learnings into improvements.
• Engage with senior stakeholders to extract insight for winning.

Skills

Bid management

Strategic bidding

Public sector bids

RFP evaluation

Stakeholder engagement

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!