Bid Manager - Nottingham

Stepnell; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Enhanced pension 7%

Annual leave increases with service

Health coverage

Car allowance or company car

Flexible start/finish times

Employee referral scheme

Job summary

Stepnell is seeking a Bid Manager to lead key bids from Nottingham, steering technical, commercial and strategic aspects across the full lifecycle. You will collaborate with in-house teams, supply chain partners and external consultants to craft compliant, compelling proposals tailored to client goals.

You will drive pursuit ownership, evolve work-winning strategies, and lead presentations at client interviews while mentoring regional bid teams and ensuring quality governance throughout the

Qualifications

• Proven track record of managing construction or preconstruction bids across public and private routes.
• Ability to translate complex technical requirements into winning bid strategies.
• Strong facilitation and leadership of multi-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Pursuit ownership: lead multiple bids of varying complexity across procurement frameworks.
• Work-winning strategy development using CRM data, market intelligence, and client insights.
• Lead and coach regional bid teams, bid writers, and SMEs; run launch events and review sessions.

Skills

Bid management

Construction bids

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder leadership

Client engagement

Tools

InDesign

Job description

As a Bid Manager at our Nottingham office, you will be the leader and principal owner of key nominated pursuits throughout the full bid lifecycle—covering technical, commercial, and strategic facets.

Working across disciplines with in-house teams, supply chain partners, and external consultants, you will drive the creation of compliant, compelling, and winning proposals tailored to our clients' unique goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Pursuit Ownership: Lead and manage multiple bids of varying complexity across diverse procurement frameworks and types.
• Work-Winning Strategy: Evolve work-winning strategies using CRM data, market intelligence, competitor analysis, and client insights to unlock Stepnell’s Unique Selling Propositions (USPs).
• Team Leadership & Coaching: Direct and support regional bid teams, bid writers, and subject matter experts. Facilitate bid launch events, workshops, answer-planning sessions, and regular review check-ins.
• Commercial & Quality Governance: Collaborate closely with preconstruction teams to refine cost strategies, chair tender settlements, and lead quality "red reviews."
• Client Engagement: Lead presentation teams for client interviews and represent Stepnell at key client engagement meetings.
• Continuous Improvement: Capture operational and client feedback, conducting debriefs to continuously refine future pursuit strategies and update our Knowledge Bank.
• Tech & Innovation: Utilise modern tender portals, publishing software (e.g., InDesign), and emerging digital tools/AI to optimise bid workflows.

Who We Are Looking For

• Proven Experience: Successful track record of managing construction or preconstruction bids across various public and private procurement routes.
• Strategic Thinker: Ability to analyse market data, dissect client needs, and translate complex technical requirements into winning bid strategies.
• Strong Communicator & Motivator: Excellent facilitation skills with the confidence to lead, coach, and influence multi-disciplinary teams and senior authorisers.
• Detail-Oriented & Organised: Skilled at managing bid timelines, budgets, tender administration, and compliance (including familiarity with the Procurement Act 2023 and framework guidelines).
• Adaptable & Forward-Thinking: Enthusiastic about adopting new technology, workflow tools, and knowledge management practices to maintain a competitive edge.

Why Stepnell

At Stepnell, we’re passionate about empowering our people to thrive. We believe in building fulfilling and rewarding careers by investing in talent, nurturing growth, and inspiring innovation. With the prestigious Investors in People Gold accreditation, we’re proud to place our people at the heart of everything we do. Every team member is valued, and curiosity and collaboration are central to our team culture. We’re committed to enabling our people to make a real impact and drive meaningful change throughout our business.

To show our appreciation, we offer generous and competitive benefits including, an enhanced pension scheme with a Stepnell contribution of 7% to help secure your financial future, annual leave that increases with service and the flexibility to purchase more, a market leading employee referral scheme, and for eligible roles comprehensive health coverage, adjustable start and finish times and a car allowance or company car.

Join us in a collaborative and inclusive environment where your well-being is our priority, and your contributions are truly valued.

About Stepnell

As a family-owned business with over 159 years of history, Stepnell is built on stability, trust, and long-term thinking. We make decisions with the future in mind for our people, our clients and our communities.

Our capabilities span construction, property, development, energy solutions, bespoke joinery and concrete repair, allowing us to offer services that meet a wide range of client needs. Operating through eight regional offices in Rugby, Nottingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Wantage, Bristol, Southampton, and Exeter and across three core business units, we maintain a strong local presence while delivering consistently high standards.

Today, repeat clients account for 75% of our turnover a testament to our reliability and the quality of our relationships.