Head of Submissions

Kier Group; Landbeach; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Kier Group is seeking a Head of Submissions to lead our submissions function from Waterbeach, Cambridge, with options to base out of Birmingham, Castle Donington or Stansted. You will set strategy, governance, and a high‑performing culture to deliver winning, compliant, client‑focused responses across complex opportunities.

Collaborating with Business Development, Pre-Construction, Operations and our Centres of Excellence, you’ll harness market insight and performance data to raise submission

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading complex, high‑value or strategic submissions.
• Strong understanding of client evaluation processes and persuasive, evidence‑based responses.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross‑functional contributions under deadlines.
• Excellent written communication, editorial judgment and attention to detail.
• Experience in coaching and developing a submissions team and driving collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Set the submissions strategy, standards and operating model for the business unit.
• Act as senior submissions authority for high‑value opportunities.
• Partner with cross‑functional teams to develop winning, client‑focused submissions.
• Establish governance and QA to ensure accuracy, compliance and timeliness.
• Lead and develop the submissions team, fostering an inclusive, high‑performing culture.

Skills

Submissions leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Editorial writing

Team coaching

Job description

We're looking for a Head of Submissions to join our team based in Waterbeach, Cambridge (could also be based out of Birmingham, Castle Donington or Stansted).

Location: Waterbeach, Cambridge (could also be based out of Birmingham, Castle Donington or Stansted)
Hours: 37.5 per week - some flexibility on hours available if desired, just let us know when you speak to us.

We are unable to offer certificates of sponsorship to any candidates in this role.

This is an exciting opportunity to provide strategic and operational leadership for our submissions function. You'll ensure we deliver high-quality, compelling and consistent work-winning submissions that support sustainable growth. Working collaboratively across Business Development, Pre-Construction, Operations and our Clients & Markets Centre of Excellence, you'll use market insight, client feedback and performance data to continuously improve submission quality and enhance our work-winning performance. You'll champion best practice, innovation and knowledge sharing, ensuring we maintain a competitive advantage and deliver an excellent client experience throughout the procurement process.

What will you be responsible for?

As a Head of Submissions, you'll be working within the team, supporting them in delivering consistent, high-quality work-winning performance. Your day to day will include:

• Setting the submissions strategy, standards and operating model for the business unit
• Acting as the senior submissions authority for strategically important, high-value and complex opportunities
• Partnering with teams across the business to develop winning strategies and compelling, client-focused submissions
• Establishing governance and quality assurance arrangements to ensure submissions are accurate, compliant and delivered to programme
• Leading, coaching and developing the submissions team, creating an inclusive, high-performing culture that promotes collaboration and continuous learning

What are we looking for?

This role of Head of Submissions is great for you if:

• You have proven experience of leading complex, high-value or strategically important submissions
• You have a strong understanding of client evaluation processes and developing compelling, evidence-based responses
• You have demonstrable experience of influencing senior stakeholders and leading multidisciplinary contributions within deadline-driven environments
• You have strong written communication skills, editorial judgement and attention to detail
• You have strong people leadership experience, including resource planning, coaching and capability development

We're all about finding potential here at Kier, and transferrable skills are always welcome! So, even if you don't tick every box, please apply and we can have a chat.

Rewards and benefits

We're proud to be able to offer our brilliant people a wide variety of benefits that you can tailor to your needs. You can see more information of benefits here.

Diversity and inclusion

Making Kier a diverse and inclusive place to work is a huge priority for us. We're proud of the steps we've taken so far, but we know we must always do more. Our employees are key in shaping Kier's diversity and inclusion initiatives and our people have made a huge impact on how we work, by using their experiences to shape our policies. You can see our D&I action plan here. As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this role will be offered an interview.

We look forward to seeing your application to #joinkier.

• Head of Submissions.docx