At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and manage high-quality bids in the water sector, ensuring compliance and competitiveness.
- Company: Join a leading firm focused on water infrastructure and sustainability.
- Benefits: Enjoy a medical cash plan, life insurance, pension, and 25 days holiday.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for professional growth and collaboration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the water industry while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in bid management with a degree in engineering or business.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 65000 £ per year.
The Proposal Manager is responsible for leading, managing, and delivering high‑quality, compliant, and competitive bids for major opportunities within the water sector. This role focuses on complex, high‑value, and strategically important tenders across water and wastewater infrastructure, treatment, networks, and asset management frameworks. The role requires strong leadership of multidisciplinary bid teams, deep understanding of water sector procurement, and the ability to translate technical, commercial, and operational inputs into compelling, client‑focused proposals.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead end‑to‑end management of significant and strategic bids from opportunity identification through submission and post‑bid review.
- Develop and own bid plans, programmes, and governance for complex water sector tenders.
- Ensure all submissions are fully compliant with client requirements, procurement regulations, and internal approvals.
- Manage multiple concurrent bids with varying values, timescales, and complexity.
Water Sector Expertise
- Apply detailed knowledge of the water industry, including AMP cycles, regulatory drivers (e.g. Ofwat, EA, DWI), and client priorities.
- Understand delivery models such as frameworks, alliances, joint ventures, D&B, DBO, and capital maintenance contracts.
- Interpret water company objectives around resilience, sustainability, customer outcomes, carbon reduction, and innovation.
Stakeholder & Team Leadership
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary bid teams including engineering, commercial, planning, delivery, sustainability, digital, and supply chain.
- Act as the central point of coordination between internal teams, partners, and joint venture organisations.
- Influence senior stakeholders to secure resources, approvals, and timely inputs.
Proposal Development & Quality
- Develop win strategies, value propositions, and key messages aligned to client scoring criteria.
- Oversee and, where required, author high‑quality written responses that are clear, persuasive, and evidence‑based.
- Ensure proposals demonstrate strong understanding of risk, opportunity, and whole‑life value.
Commercial & Risk Awareness
- Work closely with commercial and estimating teams to ensure proposals align with pricing, risk, and delivery assumptions.
- Contribute to bid/no‑bid decisions, risk assessments, and commercial strategies.
- Ensure proposals clearly articulate commercial robustness, value for money, and risk mitigation.
Continuous Improvement
- Capture lessons learned from bid outcomes and feedback from clients.
- Develop and maintain bid best practice, templates, and standard responses.
Key Skills & Competencies
- Proven experience managing significant or complex bids within the water or wider utilities/infrastructure sector.
- Strong understanding of water sector procurement processes and client expectations.
- Excellent written communication and proposal development skills.
- Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and deadlines under pressure.
- Strong planning, organisation, and attention to detail.
- Confident facilitator with the ability to challenge and influence senior contributors.
- Experience working with UK water companies and AMP frameworks.
- Knowledge of NEC, alliancing, or framework‑based contracting models.
- Familiarity with sustainability, carbon, digital delivery, and innovation themes in water.
- APMP (or equivalent) qualification.
Qualifications & Experience
- Degree or equivalent experience in engineering, business, commercial management, or a related discipline.
- 5+ years’ experience in bid management, proposals, or work‑winning roles within water, utilities, or infrastructure.
- Experience of leading bids valued at £10m+ (or strategically significant frameworks).
Salary and Benefits
- Medical cash plan.
- Life insurance.
- Benefits portal.
- Company pension.
- 25 days holiday.
Proposal Manager in Havant employer: AF ECO Ltd
As a Proposal Manager in our dynamic team, you will thrive in a supportive work culture that prioritises collaboration and innovation within the water sector. We offer competitive benefits including a medical cash plan, life insurance, and a generous holiday allowance, alongside ample opportunities for professional growth and development. Join us in making a meaningful impact on water infrastructure while enjoying a fulfilling career in a company that values your contributions and fosters a sense of community.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Proposal Manager in Havant
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the water sector. Attend industry events, join relevant online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your expertise! When you’re chatting with potential employers or networking contacts, make sure to highlight your knowledge of water sector procurement and your experience with complex bids. This will set you apart from the crowd and show you mean business.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Whether it’s for an interview or a casual chat, being able to clearly articulate your experience and how it aligns with the role of Proposal Manager is key. Keep it concise, engaging, and focused on how you can add value to their team.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! We’ve got some fantastic opportunities waiting for you, and applying directly shows your enthusiasm. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure your application gets into the right hands quickly.
We think you need these skills to ace Proposal Manager in Havant
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Proposal:Make sure to customise your application to reflect the specific requirements of the Proposal Manager role. Highlight your experience in managing complex bids and your understanding of the water sector to show us you’re the right fit.
Showcase Your Skills:Don’t just list your qualifications; demonstrate how your skills align with the key responsibilities outlined in the job description. Use examples from your past experiences to illustrate your leadership and proposal development abilities.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, clarity is key! Ensure your responses are well-structured and easy to read. We want to see your thought process, so avoid jargon and keep it straightforward.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy!
How to prepare for a job interview at AF ECO Ltd
✨Know Your Water Sector Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of the water industry, including key regulations and frameworks like AMP cycles and Ofwat. Being able to discuss these topics confidently will show that you understand the landscape and can navigate it effectively.
✨Prepare Compelling Win Strategies
Think about how you would develop win strategies and value propositions for bids. Be ready to share examples of how you've done this in the past, focusing on client scoring criteria and how you ensured compliance with requirements.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Proposal Manager, you'll need to lead multidisciplinary teams. Prepare to discuss your experience in managing diverse groups, influencing stakeholders, and coordinating efforts across different functions. Highlight specific instances where your leadership made a difference.
✨Demonstrate Attention to Detail
In bid management, details matter! Bring examples of how you've ensured high-quality submissions in previous roles. Discuss your approach to risk assessment and how you’ve maintained compliance with procurement regulations while managing multiple bids.
