Principal Bid Manager

HCRG Care Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

HCRG Care Group, in collaboration with Operose Health, is seeking an experienced Principal Bid Manager to lead complex tenders across the two organisations. The role is remote with occasional travel, and you’ll guide a team of Bid Managers, drive bid strategies, and ensure compliant submissions.

With 5+ years in bid management and a background in writing and editing proposals, you’ll influence stakeholders and help shape win strategies. This position sits within the Business Development function.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years in bid management, handling complex and high-value tenders.
• Public sector tender experience is advantageous.
• Strong bid writing, editing and proposal development skills.
• Ability to develop win strategies and customer-focused propositions.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex and strategically important bids from opportunity to submission.
• Develop compliant, commercially sound tender submissions.
• Lead bid planning, stakeholder engagement, and proposal development.
• Review content and provide constructive feedback to the bid team.
• Support other Bid Managers and deputise for the Senior Manager when required.
• Ensure bids meet procurement and governance standards.
• Identify bid risks and dependencies.
• Contribute to market engagement and early proposition development.
• Occasional travel for meetings.

Skills

Bid management

Stakeholder engagement

Bid writing

Proposal development

Complex tenders

Team leadership

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Education

APMP Foundation

APMP Practitioner

Degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

We have an opportunity for an experienced Principal Bid Manager to join our Business Development team, working across HCRG Care Group and Operose Health. We're looking for someone with a strong background in bid management who is comfortable managing complex tenders, working to competing deadlines and supporting colleagues across the wider team. This is a new position within the team and would suit an experienced Bid Manager who is ready to take on more responsibility. Alongside managing your own bids, you'll help guide and support other Bid Managers, review submissions and deputise for the Senior Business Development Manager when required. You'll also have the opportunity to develop your leadership skills, with the potential to take on formal line management responsibilities as the role develops. Previous people management experience isn't essential. The role is fully remote, with occasional travel for team meetings, market engagement events and other business requirements, expected to be approximately once a month.

Main duties of the job

The Principal Bid Manager role is integral to the Business Development team at HCRG Care Group. The candidate will manage complex tenders, adhering to deadlines and supporting the team. This role will oversee bidding strategies, submission processes, and departmental compliance. The candidate will also support other Bid Managers and potentially take on leadership duties. The candidate should have over five years of bid management experience and be adept at writing and editing proposals, with notable skills in stakeholder engagement. The role offers remote working flexibility but requires occasional travel.

About us

HCRG Care Group, in collaboration with Operose Health, provides health and care services across the UK. This role is crucial within the Business Development team, contributing to the strategic and operational growth of both organizations. The successful candidate will be employed under Operose Health's terms and conditions. HCRG Care Group values collaboration, innovation, and the provision of quality care services, working tirelessly to improve the lives of those in the communities they serve, supporting healthcare development, and delivering sustainable care solutions across the nation.

Job responsibilities

Package Description:

We have an opportunity for an experienced Principal Bid Manager to join our Business Development team, working across HCRG Care Group and Operose Health.

We're looking for someone with a strong background in bid management who is comfortable managing complex tenders, working to competing deadlines and supporting colleagues across the wider team.

This is a new position within the team and would suit an experienced Bid Manager who is ready to take on more responsibility. Alongside managing your own bids, you'll help guide and support other Bid Managers, review submissions and deputise for the Senior Business Development Manager when required.

You'll also have the opportunity to develop your leadership skills, with the potential to take on formal line management responsibilities as the role develops. Previous people management experience isn't essential.

The role is fully remote, with occasional travel for team meetings, market engagement events and other business requirements, expected to be approximately once a month.

Main Responsibilities

As Principal Bid Manager, you'll be responsible for managing complex and strategically important bids from early opportunity development through to submission and outcome.

You’ll work closely with colleagues across the business to develop strong, compliant and commercially sound tender submissions, while also providing guidance and quality assurance across the wider bid team.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Managing multiple bids at the same time, taking ownership of planning, deadlines, resources and submissions.
• Leading the end-to-end bid process, including bid planning, stakeholder engagement, proposal development and submission.
• Developing bid strategies, win themes and customer-focused proposals.
• Working with operational, clinical, finance, commercial, legal and workforce colleagues to develop tender responses.
• Reviewing and challenging bid submissions prepared by other members of the team, providing feedback and quality assurance.
• Supporting other Bid Managers with day-to-day queries, sharing knowledge and helping to improve bid management practices.
• Contributing to bid writing, editing and proposal development where required.
• Ensuring bids meet procurement requirements, internal governance standards and submission deadlines.
• Identifying and managing bid risks, dependencies and commercial considerations.
• Supporting wider business development activity, including market engagement, opportunity qualification and early proposition development.
• Deputising for the Senior Business Development Manager when required, helping to coordinate activity across the team.
• Contributing to post-bid reviews and identifying opportunities to improve how bids are managed and delivered.

The Ideal Candidate

We're looking for someone with substantial experience in bid management who can take ownership of complex tenders and work confidently with colleagues at all levels.

Ideally, you'll have at least five years' experience working in bids, including managing multiple tenders simultaneously. Experience of public sector tendering is particularly valuable, although we'd also welcome applications from candidates with relevant experience in other sectors.

You’ll need to be comfortable getting involved in the detail of a bid, whether that’s managing the process, developing content, reviewing submissions or resolving issues along the way.

We're also looking for someone who can support and guide others. You don’t need to have managed people previously, but you should be confident sharing your knowledge, challenging constructively and taking responsibility when needed.

You’ll need to demonstrate:

• Substantial experience of end-to-end bid management, including complex and high-value tenders.
• Experience of managing multiple bids and competing deadlines.
• Strong bid writing, editing and proposal development skills.
• Experience of developing win strategies, win themes and customer-focused propositions.
• The ability to review bid content, identify improvements and provide constructive feedback.
• Good commercial awareness, including an understanding of bid risks, assumptions and dependencies.
• Experience of working with and influencing senior stakeholders and subject matter experts.
• Strong organisational, communication and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to work under pressure and maintain a high standard of work.
• A collaborative approach, with the confidence to support and guide colleagues.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

It would also be beneficial if you have:

• Experience of bidding for healthcare, NHS, local authority or other public sector contracts.
• APMP Foundation, Practitioner or another relevant bid/proposal management qualification.
• Experience of wider business development activity, including market engagement and opportunity qualification.
• A degree or equivalent relevant experience.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to join a growing Business Development team and take on a role that combines hands‑on bid management with supporting and developing others.

You’ll work closely with the Senior Business Development Manager, taking responsibility for your own bids while helping the wider team improve its approach to bid management.

For someone who has built a career in bids and is looking for their next step, the position offers the chance to gain leadership experience without needing to have held a formal management role previously.

You’ll also have the flexibility of working remotely, with occasional opportunities to meet colleagues and attend business events.

About Us

HCRG Care Group and Operose Health work across health and care services in the UK.

This position sits within the Business Development function, working across both organisations. The successful candidate will be employed on Operose Health terms and conditions.

Please see the attached job description for further information about the role and its requirements.

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate should have at least five years' experience in bid management, especially handling complex and high-value tenders. Public sector tender experience is advantageous. Strong skills in bid writing, editing, developing strategies, and influencing senior stakeholders are essential. APMP Foundation or similar qualifications and experience in healthcare or public sector bidding would be beneficial.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.