Bids & Grants Manager

Lumi Space; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EMI share options (UK employees)

25 Days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays

Enhanced Parental Leave

Cycle to work schemes

Offices in central London

Job summary

Foundational seeks a Bids & Grants Manager in London to lead end-to-end bid activity, write non-technical sections, and manage budgets and partner coordination. The role supports impact and commercialisation efforts in a fast-moving space tech environment.

You will track calls from ESA, Horizon Europe, Innovate UK, and UK Space Agency, coordinating contributors under deadlines and ensuring compliant post-award reporting.

Qualifications

• Experience writing and managing grant or tender bids, ideally for ESA, Horizon Europe, Innovate UK or the UK Space Agency.
• Excellent writing and editing.
• Strong organisation under deadline pressure.
• Confidence with budgets and funding rules.

Responsibilities

• Track funding calls and tenders, and recommend which to pursue.
• Plan and manage bids end to end: timelines, contributors, reviews and submission.
• Write and edit the non-technical sections: management, finance, impact and commercialisation.
• Build bid budgets and work with finance on cost models and eligibility rules.
• Coordinate consortium partners and their paperwork.
• Manage post-award reporting and compliance.

Skills

Grant writing

Bid management

Budgeting

Editing

RFPs

Tools

ESA Star

Job description

Bids & Grants Manager

About us

Foundational is building the most precise picture of Earth and orbit, using lasers fired from the ground. We call it ground truth for orbit.

We design and run low-cost, autonomous satellite laser ranging stations. They measure the distance to satellites with extreme precision, day and night. Our data platform turns those measurements into tracking data and orbit products for satellite operators, space agencies and governments. We also build our own flight-proven laser retroreflector arrays, so any satellite can be tracked.

Our station network is expanding across continents. The data supports resilient navigation, Earth observation and the safe, sustainable use of space.

We're a small, fast-moving team of engineers, scientists and operators in London. We're backed by venture investors and supported by ESA, the UK Space Agency, and Innovate UK.

Position Overview

London · Full time · On-site

What you'll do

• Track funding calls and tenders, and recommend which to pursue

• Plan and manage bids end to end: timelines, contributors, reviews and submission

• Write and edit the non-technical sections: management, finance, impact and commercialisation

• Build bid budgets, and work with finance on cost models and eligibility rules

• Coordinate consortium partners and their paperwork

• Manage post-award reporting and compliance

What you'll bring

• Experience writing and managing grant or tender bids, ideally for ESA, Horizon Europe, Innovate UK or the UK Space Agency

• Excellent writing and editing

• Strong organisation under deadline pressure

• Confidence with budgets and funding rules

Nice to have

• ESA procurement experience (esa-star)

• A space or deep-tech background

• Public-sector contracting

What We Offer

• A high-impact role with real ownership at an early-stage, venture-backed spacetech company

• EMI share options (UK employees)

• 25 Days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays

• Enhanced Parental Leave

• Cycle to work schemes

• Work alongside engineers and scientists across optics, lasers, software and astrodynamics

• Offices in central London, with snacks, tea, coffee and regular socials

We actively champion underrepresented groups and seek to bridge gaps in our workforce. Building the best team is our priority.