Head of Proposals and Commercial (2025-22405)

Framatome; Bristol; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the engineering sector is seeking a Tendering Process Manager to oversee and support the tendering process, ensuring high-quality bid responses and effective collaboration with stakeholders. This role requires strong leadership skills, extensive experience in proposal management, and a commitment to continuous improvement in processes.

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant technical discipline.
• 5+ years experience in tenders and proposal management.
• 3+ years line management experience.

Responsibilities

• Leadership, planning, and coordination of proposal activity.
• End-to-end tender coordination and management.
• Management of commercial sales activities.

Skills

Proposal Management

Tendering

Commercial Awareness

Leadership

Project Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

The role will provide oversight and support to the tendering process and related commercial management, as the subject matter expert, from start to finish in coordination with the Heads of Account and Heads of Business Lines. The role will also be responsible for process improvement activities to consistently enhance robustness and productivity for our client base.

Primary responsibilities:

1. Leadership, planning, and coordination of proposal activity within Framatome in the UK.
2. End-to-end tender coordination, planning, and management.
3. Management and coordination of commercial sales activities within the team in liaison with the Head of Legal.
4. Line management of key personnel in the proposals function at Framatome, alongside coordination of wider teams to deliver proposal commitments.

The role covers all aspects of the tendering process, including but not limited to:

• Project management, working with UK and international stakeholders to formulate and complete high-quality bid responses demonstrating Framatome Ltd's capabilities.
• Participating in all proposal steps, including risk categorization, in line with corporate policy and risk reviews. Completing proposal documents and chairing proposal review governance meetings.
• Collaborating with Heads of Accounts and the Chief Sales Officer to develop business, sales, and account strategies, ensuring Proposal & Commercial functions have visibility and influence.
• Deriving bid plans from PQQ/ITT/RFI stages, assigning tasks within the business development team and other functions (e.g., technical).
• Liaising with customers for bid clarifications and technical queries.
• Formulating costings and deriving selling prices in conjunction with finance and operations, aligned with company policy and market strategy.
• Providing commercial and contract assurance with legal and operations teams, ensuring compliance with governance requirements.
• Visiting customers for tender discussions and submission meetings.
• Following up on tender submissions for feedback to facilitate continuous improvement, including implementing process enhancements and conducting lessons learned sessions.
• Supporting PQQ and portal submissions with relevant information.
• Managing data systems related to sales pipeline, actuals, forecasts, and profit margins, and monitoring KPIs such as win/loss ratios.

You are

Core skills:

• Maintaining a positive safety culture and promoting equity and social value.
• Working as an integrated team member to respond agilely to the Head of Accounts.
• Managing proposals, tendering, pricing, and commercial processes collaboratively with business development, operational, technical, and support functions.
• Supporting and contributing to overseas growth through importing/exporting capabilities, products, and services.
• Owning the UK commercial, sales, and governance processes in line with Framatome group standards.
• Conducting gap analysis and maturity assessments for key enablers of successful bids.
• Working with the Head of Accounts and CSO to execute gap closure plans.
• Developing into the UK Commercial Excellence lead, learning from the Framatome Installed Base commercial team.
• Adapting to cultural changes within the business’s growth environment.
• Developing efficient tools and systems for tendering that comply with group policies and enable agile responses.

Required Attributes:

• Degree in a relevant technical discipline.
• Membership or progress towards membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., IMechE, APM).
• 5+ years experience in tenders and proposal management and coordination.
• 3+ years line management experience.
• Willingness to travel as needed for bid development and collaboration.

Supporting skills:

• Passion for inclusion, equity, and diversity.
• Ability to manage detailed proposal work and governance processes.
• Understanding of infrastructure project lifecycle stages.
• Ability to work independently and within an agile team.
• Experience managing proposal teams or inside sales functions, with leadership, coaching, and development skills.
• Experience working internationally and managing cultural differences and layered approval processes.
• Capability to develop and write winning bids independently or as part of a team.
• Commercial awareness, including project cost-building and sales margin attribution.

Additional information

Level of education: Bachelor’s degree