Head of Proposals

Tempest Jones Recruitment; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A professional services consultancy is seeking a Strategic Head of Proposals to lead their national bids team. The ideal candidate will have experience in a senior proposals role within consultancy, capable of guiding transformative processes and ensuring high-quality outputs. This leadership position offers significant influence over the company's strategic growth and culture, along with attractive benefits including flexible working arrangements and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

25 days' paid annual leave plus bank holidays

Volunteer days

Holistic wellbeing package

Flexible working arrangements

Tailored career development

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a senior proposals or bids leadership role within the professional services, consultancy or built environment sectors.
• Strong understanding of proposal best practice and client-centric storytelling.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead the national proposals and bids team and set direction and standards.
• Develop and implement an integrated proposals strategy aligned with growth objectives.
• Provide strategic leadership and coaching on major pursuits.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Commercial instinct

Team leadership

Proposal best practice

Client-centric storytelling

Stakeholder engagement

Performance management

Job description

Strategic Head of Proposals - Built Environment Consultancy

London, Oxford, Bristol, Reading or Birmingham

Competitive package

Permanent full-time position

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity offering real influence over the future direction of a successful and ambitious professional services firm.

We are not simply looking for someone to lead the proposals team - we are seeking a transformative leader who can introduce best-in-class processes and systems. Your mission will be to help guide the business as it evolves from a relationship and delivery-focused model to a more professionalised, insight-led, and data-driven proposals function.

Our client

With a focus on quality, innovation and growth, our client is continually looking to expand their expertise and nurture their talent. They are an award-winning high-growth business with ambitious 10-year goals. They know what they want to achieve and now need a capable leader in their bids to team to help them get there.

As a built environment consultancy, they help public and private sector clients transform the quality and sustainability of the built environment by providing access to a wide range of integrated expertise and professional disciplines.

By aligning their services directly to their clients’ distinct needs, they help them navigate every challenge with confidence. Providing expert counsel and practical hands-on support, they listen, lead and deliver.

They are private equity-backed and have ambitious growth plans via both acquisition and organic expansion.

The opportunity

As part of their strategic growth, we are seeking an experienced, driven, and collaborative Head of Proposals to lead a national proposals and bids team of 25. This role sits in the Marketing function, reporting into an inspiring CMO who is great to work with.

You will be instrumental in defining the end-to-end bid process, driving continuous improvement, developing pursuit strategies for complex opportunities, and embedding best practices to ensure high-quality, compelling, and client-focused submissions. Your influence will extend across all business units and regions, helping to position the firm as a partner of choice for clients across the UK.

There is significant investment and board-level support for the proposals function, recognising its central role in achieving the company’s ten-year growth ambitions.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the national proposals and bids team, setting direction, standards and frameworks that deliver consistently high-quality outputs
• Develop and implement an integrated proposals strategy aligned with the organisation’s growth and client objectives
• Provide strategic leadership and coaching on major pursuits, working closely with senior stakeholders and technical teams
• Work closely with marketing to help harmonise formatting and proposal messaging / style across all business streams.
• Establish clear bid / no-bid criteria, pursuit planning processes and win strategies to enhance success rates
• Oversee resource planning and team structure to ensure the right support is available for each opportunity
• Champion a culture of excellence, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement across the team
• Monitor pipeline activity and proposal performance metrics to identify trends, improve win rates, and drive return on investment
• Work with marketing, communications and business development colleagues to align messaging and positioning across all client touchpoints
• Lead on developing persuasive written content, executive summaries and value propositions that resonate with clients
• Mentor and develop proposal professionals at all levels, providing clear career pathways and opportunities for growth
• Act as a trusted advisor to the Executive and Sector Leads on pursuit strategy, market trends and client feedback

The candidate

We’re looking for a strategic thinker with a sharp commercial instinct, a passion for creating business processes and leading high-performing proposals teams.

• Proven experience in a senior proposals or bids leadership role within the professional services, consultancy or built environment sectors
• Demonstrable success in leading and developing large, geographically dispersed proposals teams and supporting high-value, complex bids
• Strong understanding of proposal best practice, client-centric storytelling, and how to win work in competitive markets
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a strong eye for detail and quality assurance
• Confident in engaging senior stakeholders, building trust and shaping successful strategies
• Skilled in managing performance metrics, continuous improvement, and process enhancement across a busy proposals function
• Experience in leading teams through change, and in fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability and professional development

You will benefit from becoming part of their engaging and progressive culture, which supports your continued development, career aspirations and overall wellbeing.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing organisation during a significant period of expansion, offering a range of attractive benefits including;

• 25 days' paid annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to buy / sell additional days
• 3 days per year to volunteer for causes you care about
• A holistic wellbeing package - supporting financial, physical and mental health
• Flexible, hybrid working arrangements
• Tailored career development - focused on professional, personal and educational growth

For more information and to arrange a confidential conversation about the role, please apply now by submitting your CV or contact Dean Forster at Tempest Jones directly.