Bid Manager 12 mth FTC

Roke Manor Research Limited; Old Woking; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellbeing benefits

Savings and protection

Life, leisure and entertainment

Job summary

Roke Manor Research Limited is seeking an experienced Bid Manager to join the bids team on a 12-month contract, delivering complex, high-value bids in Defence and National Security. You will coordinate inputs from multiple functions and manage opportunities valued between £1m and £10m, ensuring compliance and timely submissions.

You will drive bid development, content creation, and compelling proposals, following our Bid Assurance process up to CEO level.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing bids in Defence and/or National Security sectors.
• Strong understanding of complex procurement processes and compliance requirements.
• Minimum 5 years bid management experience and knowledge of the Shipley process.
• Demonstrated success in managing bids valued £1m–£10m.
• Excellent project management skills including planning, scheduling and resource coordination.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet demanding deadlines.
• Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills.
• Knowledge of government frameworks.
• Experience with digital collaboration tools (SharePoint, MS Teams).
• Social value knowledge and bid content experience.
• Practical experience of IFS is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the full bid lifecycle from qualification to submission.
• Develop win themes, storyboards, graphics and narratives woven into bid submissions.
• Schedule, plan, and drive bid activities including kick-offs, clarification questions, reviews and content production.
• Oversee content development and refine bid content for clarity and persuasiveness.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to align bid strategy and drive winning solutions.
• Ensure bids meet client requirements, security protocols and governance standards.
• Develop and maintain bid plans and timelines with Client Managers and Resource Managers.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to bid delivery and compliance.
• Contribute to best practices and process improvements across the bids team.

Skills

Bid management

Defence bids

National security

Shipley process

Procurement compliance

Stakeholder mgmt

Project management

Communication

Deadline driven

Government frameworks

SharePoint

MS Teams

IFS experience

Social value

Bid content

Tools

SharePoint

MS Teams

Job description

Great ideas come from different minds. That's why we bring together engineers, scientists, analysts, and creatives from every background - and give them the trust, tools, and freedom to make a difference. What connects us is the mission: solving meaningful problems and building capability that protects what matters most. And as the challenges evolve, so do we - working on the technologies that will shape tomorrow, not just today.

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Bid Manager to join our bids team on a 12-month contract, supporting the delivery of complex and high-value bids within the Defence and National Security sectors. The successful candidate will manage bids typically valued between £1m and £10m, ensuring compliance, quality, and timely submission in line with client requirements and organisational standards. This role coordinates inputs from functional areas, Business Units and Client Managers. The role will follow Roke's Bid Assurance process taking opportunities through the Shipley lifecycle with reviews up to CEO level.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Bid Management: Lead and coordinate the full bid lifecycle, with involvement from opportunity qualification through to submission and handover on bids ranging from tactical follow-on business through to multi-million-pound strategic initiatives and Frameworks.
• Capture Support: Work with opportunity teams on data management, developing win themes, storyboards, graphics, and compelling narratives woven into bid submissions, developing and delivering competitive proposals.
• Bid and Proposal Development: Schedule, plan, and drive bid activities including: kick-off; clarification questions; bid progress reviews/daily standups; bid/ proposal production; bid/ proposal content collation; mandatory bid reviews; and, approvals documentation.
• Content Development: Oversee the storyboarding; content structure and development, creation, review, and refinement of bid content, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and persuasive messaging.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with internal teams, subject matter experts, and external partners to gather inputs and ensure alignment with bid strategy, and drive bid teams to find winning solutions.
• Compliance & Governance: Ensure all bids meet client requirements, security protocols, and internal governance standards.
• Planning & Scheduling: Develop and maintain bid plans and timelines. Collaborate with Client Managers and Resource Managers to ensure resource allocations achieve deadlines.
• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks associated with bid delivery, including resource constraints and compliance issues.
• Continuous Improvement: Contribute to best practices in bid management and support process improvements across the team.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing bids in the Defence and/or National Security sectors.
• Strong understanding of complex procurement processes and compliance requirements.
• Minimum 5 years Bid Management Experience, and demonstrable knowledge of the Shipley process.
• Demonstrated success in managing bids valued between £1m and £10m.
• Excellent project management skills, including planning, scheduling, and resource coordination.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet demanding deadlines.
• Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills.
• Knowledge of government frameworks.
• Experience with digital collaboration tools (SharePoint, MS Teams).
• Social value knowledge and bid content experience.
• Practical experience of IFS will be an advantage.

Why You Should Join Us

We have a competitive salary and access to a number of additional flexible benefits, which will cover Health and Wellbeing, Savings and Protection and Life, Leisure and Entertainment. Roke has a great community of groups with shared interests. These enable people to share ideas and be passionate about tools, technologies and techniques, which interest them.

Equal Opportunity

We are committed to a policy of Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Inclusion. Our working environment is friendly, creative and inclusive and supports a diverse work‑force and those with additional needs.

Security Information

Due to the nature of this position, we require you to be willing and eligible to achieve a minimum of SC clearance. To qualify, the candidate should have resided in the UK for the last 5 years for SC. Roke, 5th Floor, Space, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom