Bid Manager

ESCO Maritime Solutions; Rugeley; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

ESCO Maritime Solutions in the United Kingdom seeks a Bid Manager to lead end-to-end bid lifecycle, from qualification to submission and handover to delivery. You will coordinate cross-functional teams and drive compelling, compliant responses within deadlines to win profitable contracts.

The role requires experience in bid management, preferably in defence or aerospace, with strong stakeholder relations, organised under time pressure, and excellent MS Office proficiency.

Qualifications

• Proven bid management experience preferably in Defence / Aerospace.
• Experience in a complex engineering environment is preferred.
• Organised and able to work under time pressure to achieve outcomes.
• Excellent literacy and numeracy; proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate bids, proposals, and tenders from initial opportunity through to contract award.
• Develop winning bid strategies to deliver business growth and win rates.
• Be the focal point for the customer during the bid lifecycle.
• Lead bid kick-off, assign actions and manage the bid schedule with reviews.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams to gather bid inputs.
• Prepare and contribute to technical and commercial bid documentation, including delivery plans.
• Manage customer onboarding and due diligence processes.
• Track opportunities in CRM; identify further opportunities with the customer base.
• Oversee order acceptance and handover to delivery teams.
• Coordinate weekly and forward-looking resource requirements with engineering and delivery teams.
• Own and improve the bid management process and frameworks.

Skills

Bid management

Defence aerospace

Stakeholder management

Client facing

Time management

MS Office

Dynamics

Team player

Travel readiness

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics

Job description

ESCO Maritime Solutions based in Rugeley, Staffordshire has an exciting opportunity for a bid manager to join the business development team at a time of significant expansion within the organisation.

The Bid Manager is a key customer-facing role responsible for securing new business, that develops new opportunities and converts them into profitable contracts for the company.

The role will be varied and you may be managing multiple bids concurrently or focused on a single large value strategic proposal, ensuring in both cases high-quality, compliant, and compelling responses within our customers deadlines.

Role Purpose

As Bid Manager, you will take full responsibility for the end-to-end bid lifecycle, from opportunity qualification through to submission, contract support, and handover to delivery. This role will be varied and you may be managing multiple bids concurrently or focused on single large value strategic proposal, ensuring in both cases high-quality, compliant, and compelling responses within our customers’ deadlines.

Business Development is the key customer-facing function responsible for securing new business, which develops new opportunities and converts them into profitable contracts for the company. This key role supports all aspects of activity towards meeting the company’s order intake budgets.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and coordinate bids, proposals, and tenders from initial opportunity through to contract award.
• Develop winning bid strategies to deliver business growth and win rates.
• Be the focal point for the customer during the bid lifecycle.
• Lead bid kick-off, assigning actions and managing the bid schedule including all required reviews.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams across the organization including Engineering, Project Management, Commercial, Supply Chain and Operations to gather bid inputs.
• Prepare and contribute directly to technical and commercial bid documentation, including delivery plans.
• Manage customer onboarding and due diligence processes.
• Manage and track opportunities through the CRM system and identify further opportunities with our customer base.
• Oversee order acceptance and ensure a smooth handover to delivery teams.
• Coordinate weekly and forward-looking resource requirements with engineering and delivery teams.
• Own and continually improve the bid management process and frameworks.

Qualifications / Skills Required

• Proven bid management experience preferably gained within the Defence / Aerospace industry.
• Background in a complex engineering environment is preferred.
• Confident in client‑facing and internal stakeholder interactions at all levels across the organisations.
• Ability to liaise with and build effective relationships with both internal and external customers and key stakeholders.
• Must be organised and able to work under time pressure to achieve outcomes.
• Articulate and excellent literacy /numeracy skills required with proficiency in Microsoft office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Dynamics).
• Experience of working within a team‑based, multi‑disciplined environment.
• Enthusiastic with drive and motivation.
• Good negotiation and diplomacy skills.
• Occasional UK and international travel may be required.

Note

All candidates must meet the security vetting requirements relevant to the role. For reasons of national security, applicants must be British nationals. Dual nationals may be permitted in exceptional circumstances.