Director of Pre – Contracts

TLI Group; Limerick; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

TLI Group is seeking a Director of Pre-Contracts to lead the front-end work-winning and tender governance function across all business units in Ireland. You will ensure opportunities are strategically assessed, commercially evaluated, accurately estimated, contractually reviewed and risk‑adequate before submission.

Reporting to executive leadership, you will align bids with the company’s five‑year plan, lead cross‑functional teams, manage risk, and drive improvements in bid quality and margins

Qualifications

• Degree (or higher) in relevant industry.
• Senior experience in utilities, infrastructure, electrical contracting, telecoms, renewables, power, civil engineering, M&E, energy or major contracting.
• Proven leadership of tendering, estimating, bid management, pre-construction or commercial governance.
• Strong understanding of contracts, risk allocation, pricing, tender assumptions and negotiation.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary bid teams.
• Experience with high-value tenders, frameworks, regulated clients or complex infrastructure programmes.
• Ability to challenge senior stakeholders and make disciplined bid/no-bid recommendations.
• Strong commercial judgement and executive-level communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Group pre-contract’s function, covering tendering, estimating, bid management, contract review, negotiation and risk governance.
• Develop consistent pre-contracts processes, standards and governance across all business units.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight on major bid opportunities, supporting profitable and sustainable growth.
• Manage the full tender lifecycle from opportunity assessment through to submission, negotiation and handover.
• Ensure bids are compliant, commercially robust, competitive and submitted on time.
• Coordinate cross-functional input from operations, engineering, commercial, legal, finance, procurement and HSEQ teams.
• Drive continuous improvement in bid quality, win rates and tender performance metrics.
• Lead estimating activities, ensuring pricing accuracy, consistency and commercial viability.
• Review and challenge major estimates, assumptions, risk allowances and margin expectations.
• Maintain cost benchmarks, historical pricing databases and lessons‑learned processes.
• Oversee contractual and legal reviews during the tender stage.
• Identify, assess and mitigate commercial and contractual risks.
• Lead or support contract negotiations and provide recommendations on risk acceptance and commercial strategy.
• Maintain robust tender risk management processes and risk registers for major opportunities.
• Ensure bid/no-bid decisions are evidence-based, documented and aligned to business strategy, capacity and risk appetite.
• Own tender approval processes and ensure appropriate technical, commercial, legal and executive sign-off.
• Contribute to TLI Group's long-term growth strategy through pipeline analysis, market intelligence and tender performance insights.
• Identify opportunities across power, renewables, telecoms and utility infrastructure sectors.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, consultants, legal advisors, framework owners and key stakeholders.
• Represent TLI Group during tender interviews, negotiations and commercial discussions.

Skills

Bid leadership

Estimating governance

Risk management

Contract negotiation

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Strategic planning

Multidisciplinary leadership

Education

Degree (or higher) in relevant industry

Tools

Contract management software

Job description

The Director of Pre-Contracts will lead TLI Group’s front-end work-winning and tender governance function across all business units. The role will be responsible for ensuring that every material opportunity is strategically assessed, commercially evaluated, accurately estimated, contractually reviewed, risk-assessed and formally approved before submission.

This role will act as the senior gateway between business development, estimating, operations, commercial, legal, finance and executive leadership. It will ensure that TLI Group pursues the right work, at the right margin, with a clear understanding of risk, resource demands, contractual obligations and alignment with the company’s five-year business plan.

Key Responsibilities

Pre-Contracts & Bid Leadership

• Lead the Group pre-contract’s function, covering tendering, estimating, bid management, contract review, negotiation and risk governance.
• Develop consistent pre-contracts processes, standards and governance across all business units.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight on major bid opportunities, supporting profitable and sustainable growth.

Tendering & Bid Management

• Manage the full tender lifecycle from opportunity assessment through to submission, negotiation and handover.
• Ensure bids are compliant, commercially robust, competitive and submitted on time.
• Coordinate cross-functional input from operations, engineering, commercial, legal, finance, procurement and HSEQ teams.
• Drive continuous improvement in bid quality, win rates and tender performance metrics.

Estimating & Commercial Governance

• Lead estimating activities, ensuring pricing accuracy, consistency and commercial viability.
• Review and challenge major estimates, assumptions, risk allowances and margin expectations.
• Maintain cost benchmarks, historical pricing databases and lessons‑learned processes.

Contract Risk & Negotiation

• Oversee contractual and legal reviews during the tender stage.
• Identify, assess and mitigate commercial and contractual risks.
• Lead or support contract negotiations and provide recommendations on risk acceptance and commercial strategy.

Risk Management & Governance

• Maintain robust tender risk management processes and risk registers for major opportunities.
• Ensure bid/no-bid decisions are evidence-based, documented and aligned to business strategy, capacity and risk appetite.
• Own tender approval processes and ensure appropriate technical, commercial, legal and executive sign-off.

Strategic Planning & Market Insight

• Contribute to TLI Group's long-term growth strategy through pipeline analysis, market intelligence and tender performance insights.
• Identify opportunities across power, renewables, telecoms and utility infrastructure sectors.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, consultants, legal advisors, framework owners and key stakeholders.
• Represent TLI Group during tender interviews, negotiations and commercial discussions.

Qualifications & Skills

Role Requirements:

• Degree (or higher) in relevant industry.

• Senior experience in utilities, infrastructure, electrical contracting, telecoms, renewables, power, civil engineering, M&E, energy or major contracting.
• Proven leadership of tendering, estimating, bid management, pre-construction or commercial governance.
• Strong understanding of contracts, risk allocation, pricing, tender assumptions and negotiation.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary bid teams.
• Experience with high-value tenders, frameworks, regulated clients or complex infrastructure programmes.
• Ability to challenge senior stakeholders and make disciplined bid/no-bid recommendations.
• Strong commercial judgement and executive-level communication skills.
• Exposure to ESB Networks, Eir, SIRO, National Broadband Ireland, Uisce Éireann, Gas Networks Ireland, renewable developers, data centre clients or regulated utility frameworks.
• Experience with NEC, FIDIC, public works contracts, bespoke utility contracts or private sector infrastructure agreements.
• Experience in HV substations, grid connections, overhead lines, underground cables, fibre networks, smart metering, EV infrastructure or renewables.
• Degree or professional qualification in engineering, quantity surveying, construction management, law, business or commercial management.

Attitudes

• Committed to TLI Company Mission, Vision and Values and Business Objectives
• Safety first
• Customer focus; Professional; Honesty and Integrity
• Positive and flexible approach
• Open to innovation and collaboration
• Right first-time approach
• Proactive with the ability to think ahead