Bid Manager in Belfast

Bid Manager
A senior opportunity to build and lead a dedicated bid function within a growing engineering consultancy.

Cala Consulting is recruiting a Bid Manager for an established engineering consultancy working across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the UK. With a growing portfolio of work and an expanding practice, the company is bringing its bid activity together under a dedicated lead. This role will shape how opportunities are assessed, bids are developed and performance is measured.

The opportunity
You will establish clear ownership, consistent processes, strong reporting and the resources needed to increase the number and quality of bids. Working closely with Directors, design leads and colleagues across the practice, you will lead each bid from opportunity review through submission and debrief. You will also use performance and sector insight to help the Directors decide where to focus future effort.
This role will suit an ambitious, self-motivated bid professional who enjoys building effective systems, influencing senior colleagues and improving how a practice wins work. You will be comfortable adapting to changes in procurement and using digital tools to improve quality and capacity.

Key responsibilities

• Build and lead the practice’s bid function, agreeing roles, responsibilities, reporting and sign-off with the Directors.
• Review current bid practices and establish a documented process from opportunity identification to debrief.
• Select and implement appropriate bid systems, including a live pipeline tracker, templates and searchable content library.
• Monitor tender portals and identify relevant opportunities.
• Lead and record Go/No-Go reviews for new opportunities.
• Manage submissions across pre-qualification questionnaires, expressions of interest, frameworks and invitations to tender.
• Agree bid strategy and requirements with the designated Bid Director.
• Set bid plans, coordinate internal and external contributors, run kick-off meetings and track deadlines.
• Lead structured bid reviews and coordinate final approval and submission.
• Coordinate sub-consultant inputs and ensure submissions align with the fee proposal.
• Arrange interviews and presentations where required.
• Build and maintain a bid library of project information, case studies, CVs and reusable content.
• Hold post-submission debriefs and record lessons learned.
• Track pipeline and win rates by sector, client, procurement route, fee value and region; report findings to Directors.
• Analyse client feedback and bid scores, identifying practical improvements.
• Research sectors, public sector pipelines, frameworks, clients and competitors to identify opportunities and inform priorities.
• Prepare regular pipeline and performance reports and support an annual sector and business development plan.
• Plan bid workloads and agree the contribution required from design leads and other colleagues.
• Assess future resource requirements and present a clear business case as the function develops.
• Keep up to date with procurement developments, including the Procurement Act 2023, and introduce suitable digital tools and improved ways of working.

Requirements
You will bring strong bid management experience and the confidence to lead a structured process across a busy engineering practice. You will be organised, commercially aware and able to turn technical input into clear, persuasive and compliant submissions.

• At least five years’ bid management experience, including experience in architecture, engineering or construction.
• Experience developing a bid process, team or content library.
• Experience of public sector bidding in Northern Ireland and/or the Republic of Ireland, including selection and tender stages.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to shape technical contributions into persuasive answers.
• Confidence presenting pipeline and win/loss information clearly to senior leaders.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage several bids and fixed deadlines at once.
• Confident communication and the ability to secure buy-in from senior colleagues and provide constructive feedback.
• Proficiency in Word, PowerPoint and Excel, and experience with InDesign and Adobe Creative Suite.
• A degree in built environment or technical subject, or equivalent experience.