Head of Bids - Water

United Living Group; England; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

United Living Group is seeking an experienced Head of Bid Management to lead our bid and proposals function. You will combine strategic leadership, hands-on delivery and commercial insight to secure high-quality, winning bids that grow the business.

You will also own the CRM platform, turning it into pipeline visibility, intelligence and performance insight, guiding data-driven decisions across teams. A strong track record in UK water bids and cross-functional leadership is essential.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading bids within the UK water sector.
• Proven track record of winning bids with water/utility clients.
• Strong understanding of AMP cycles, procurement routes and framework environments.
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on where needed.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end bid and proposals across all opportunity types, including DPC schemes.
• Develop bid strategy aligned with growth objectives and regulatory cycles.
• Guide cost development, risk management and commercial shaping of submissions.
• Oversee bid governance, gate reviews and quality assurance.
• Own CRM, provide forecasting, insights and pipeline reporting.

Skills

Bid leadership

UK water sector knowledge

Strategic leadership

Commercial insight

CRM proficiency

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional leadership

Narrative clarity

Education

APMP or equivalent

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

Purpose of the role

We are a £190m-turnover capital delivery business operating long-term framework contracts with UK water companies. Our project portfolio spans minor works and mini-competitions through to major bids for strategic water and wastewater assets, and may include emerging opportunities such as DPC (Direct Procurement for Customers) schemes.

Job Description

We are a £190m-turnover capital delivery business operating long-term framework contracts with UK water companies. Our project portfolio spans minor works and mini-competitions through to major bids for strategic water and wastewater assets, and may include emerging opportunities such as DPC (Direct Procurement for Customers) schemes.

We are seeking an experienced Head of Bid Management with deep UK water sector knowledge to lead our bid and proposals function. This individual will combine strategic leadership, hands-on delivery, and commercial insight to secure high-quality, winning bids that support the growth of our business. They will also take organisational ownership of our CRM platform, ensuring it becomes a source of intelligence, pipeline visibility, and business performance insight.

Specific Responsibilities

Bid Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the end-to-end bid and proposals function across all opportunity types, from mini-comps to major capital programmes and DPC schemes.
• Develop and implement a bid strategy aligned with business growth objectives, market position and AMP8/9 regulatory cycles.
• Drive early positioning, win-theme development, and value proposition refinement tailored to client needs.
• Lead lessons-learned processes and continuous improvement across the bid lifecycle.

Bid Delivery

• Oversee and personally support the development of high-quality, compliant, and compelling submissions.
• Manage the bid pipeline, prioritising opportunities based on strategic fit and resource availability.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary bid teams including commercial, technical, planning, estimating, engineering, and operational specialists.
• Ensure bid governance, gate reviews, and quality assurance are executed effectively.
• Champion accurate cost development, risk management, and commercial shaping to deliver competitive and sustainable propositions.

Client & Market Insight

• Leverage strong water sector knowledge to anticipate client priorities, regulatory drivers, and investment trends.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across UK water companies and partner organisations.
• Monitor market intelligence, competitor activity, and procurement changes to support strategic decision-making.

CRM Ownership & Business Insight

• Own and champion the organisation’s CRM system, ensuring:
• high-quality, up-to-date pipeline information
• consistent use across teams o integration of insights into forecasting, resource planning, and priority setting
• Use CRM analytics to provide leadership with accurate reporting, trends, and opportunity intelligence.
• Drive a culture of data-led decision-making within the business development and delivery teams.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing bid team with clear responsibilities, development plans, and performance expectations.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and excellence.
• Ensure capacity planning and resource allocation are aligned with demand.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in bid leadership within the UK water sector (capital delivery, infrastructure, or engineering).
• Demonstrable track record of winning bids with UK water companies or regulated utility clients.
• Strong understanding of capital delivery models, procurement routes, AMP cycles, and framework environments.
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on where needed.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an eye for detail and narrative clarity.
• Strong commercial understanding and experience shaping competitive technical and commercial solutions.
• Proficiency with CRM systems, ideally with experience driving adoption and business insight.
• Strong stakeholder management and the ability to coordinate complex, multi-disciplinary bid teams.

Desirable

• Experience with DPC schemes or major infrastructure procurement models.
• Formal bid management qualifications (APMP or equivalent).
• Experience implementing or optimising CRM and pipeline processes.

Behaviours & Attributes

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into action.
• High levels of resilience, adaptability and ownership.
• Collaborative and inclusive leadership style.
• Commercially astute with strong judgement and decision-making.
• Passionate about quality and continuous improvement