Bid Manager in London

12-Month FTC – Maternity Cover

Contract duration: 12 months (anticipated start: May/June 2026 – end: May/June 2027)

The Role

As a Sales Enablement Manager at Avison Young, you will play a pivotal role in driving our growth and success by leading the development and delivery of winning Tier 1 and 2 bids and proposals. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that our proposals are strategically aligned, compelling, and tailored to meet the specific needs of our clients. In this role, you will work on a variety of high-profile pursuits, both in the public and private sectors, across all business groups at Avison Young, gaining exposure to working with senior leaders to drive successful outcomes and achieve strategic objectives. This maternity cover role is critical in maintaining continuity across our strategic bids and supporting key commercial pursuits over the next 12 months.

Key Responsibilities:

• Bid & Proposal Management: Lead the end-to-end development of high-quality Tier 1 and Tier 2 bids and proposals — from opportunity identification through to final submission — ensuring clarity, consistency, strategic alignment, and adherence to deadlines and quality standards.
• Strategy & Pipeline Development: Work closely with Client Development, the wider Client Solutions team, and Business Groups to develop winning bid strategies that differentiate Avison Young in the marketplace, while establishing and maintaining a clear bid pipeline. This includes identifying target contracts and renewal opportunities, proactively engaging with Business Groups to understand upcoming needs, anticipating opportunities, and developing positioning strategies to secure new and renewed contracts.
• Content Management: Work closely with Business Services and Content Management teams to continuously contribute to a repository of best-in-class bid content, including methodologies, case studies, and other relevant materials, to support the development of compelling proposals for future bids and self-serve purposes.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including senior leadership, to gather input, and ensure alignment on bid strategies and messaging.
• Feedback and Performance Analysis: Conduct post-bid reviews to evaluate the effectiveness of bid strategies and identify opportunities for improvement, sharing insights and best practices across the organisation.
• Continuous Improvement & Bid Training: Proactively identify opportunities to streamline and enhance the bid management process - including best-practice tools and self-serve infrastructure - and contribute to the development and delivery of training materials, workshops, and ongoing guidance to help fee-earning teams build capability and improve success rates on self-serve pursuits.
• Coaching and Preparation for Client Pitches: Coach and prepare teams for client pitches, including conducting rehearsals to ensure teams are ready and prepared to deliver compelling presentations and responses during client engagements.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience:

• At least 5 years proven experience in bid management or proposal development within the professional services sector, with a track record of successfully securing new business.
• Background in the Public and Private Sector bidding environment.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks, manage deadlines, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a keen eye for detail and the ability to articulate complex concepts clearly and persuasively.
• Strategic mindset, with the ability to think analytically, anticipate client needs, and develop compelling value propositions.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, bid management, and CRM software/tools.
• Excellent influencing, strong communication, and facilitation skills to be credible and challenge management and senior directors effectively.
• Proactive with a positive can-do approach.
• Self-starter able to work effectively as a member of a team.
• Ability to form networks with partners and staff at all levels.
• Emotional intelligence and an ability to flex style to the situation.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary.
• Performance-based bonuses.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Opportunities for professional development and advancement.
• Dynamic and collaborative work environment.

About The Team:

This role sits within the UK Sales Enablement team and is part of the wider Client Solutions team, Avison Young’s centralised support function, covering all aspects of bid management, client development, marketing, sales support, ESG, and market intelligence. The role will report to the UK Sales Enablement Lead. Sales Enablement and Client Development work closely on tier 1 pursuits together with other Client Solutions sub-teams to build and sustain competitive advantage. We help to execute go-to-market strategies using our expertise, talent, and assets to drive commercial outcomes, for us and our clients. The Client Solutions function operates with a culture focused on client-centricity, and a consistent level of quality and excellence in all we do. We work together to ensure these standards are present in all activities and interactions, every day.