Head of Bid Management in City of London

Job Description

We're looking for an experienced Bid Centre Manager to lead our UK & Ireland Bid Centre and Social Value function, playing a key role in helping us win profitable new business and protect and grow existing customer relationships.

This is a leadership role with responsibility for a team of approximately eight bid and Social Value professionals. You'll oversee the qualification, development and submission of complex tenders, frameworks, direct awards and strategic proposals across both direct and indirect sales channels.

You'll combine strategic bid leadership, commercial thinking and people management, working closely with Sales and teams across the wider business to develop compelling, customer-focused propositions that differentiate us in the market.

You'll also lead our approach to Social Value, ensuring meaningful and measurable social, environmental and economic value is embedded into our customer propositions and bid responses.

*The internal job title for this role is Bid Centre and Social Value Manager*

Responsibilities

As our Head of Bid Management, you'll:

• Lead and develop our Bid Centre and Social Value team, creating a high-performing culture focused on winning business, continuous improvement and service excellence.
• Own bid qualification and go/no-go decisions, ensuring time and resources are focused on opportunities with the strongest strategic value, profitability and likelihood of success.
• Lead complex bids and tenders, including public and private sector tenders, frameworks, direct awards and strategic proposals.
• Develop compelling win themes, value propositions and bid strategies that strengthen our competitive positioning and improve win rates.
• Partner with Sales early in the opportunity lifecycle to help shape customer strategies and identify the strongest route to winning.
• Work closely with Sales, Finance, Legal, HR, Marketing, Supply Chain, Service & Support and other teams to develop commercially robust customer solutions.
• Lead our Social Value strategy, developing initiatives and partnerships that create measurable social, environmental and economic impact for customers and communities.
• Monitor bid performance across measures including win rates, revenue won, profitability, pipeline conversion and bid cycle times, using insights to improve future performance.
• Own and continuously improve our bid content library, knowledge base, methodologies and best-practice frameworks.
• Ensure bids meet relevant governance, commercial, legal and procurement requirements.
• Lead tender debriefs, capturing lessons learned, and turning feedback into practical improvements.
• Coach, develop and support team members, building capability and creating opportunities for professional development.
• Keep abreast of developments in procurement, frameworks, Social Value requirements and competitor activity, translating insights into actions that strengthen our competitive position

Qualifications

We're looking for an experienced bid professional who combines strong commercial judgement with excellent leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Significant experience managing complex bids, tenders or proposal functions within a B2B, technology, services or solutions-led organisation.
• A strong track record of helping secure profitable business through public and/or private sector tenders, frameworks and strategic proposals.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing teams and building a high-performance culture.
• Strong understanding of procurement processes, tender governance, and commercial decision-making.
• Excellent written communication skills and the ability to develop persuasive, customer-focused proposals and value propositions.
• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to balance customer requirements, competitiveness, risk, and profitability.
• Confidence working with and influencing senior stakeholders across multiple business functions.
• Experience using data and performance measures to identify trends, improve bid performance, and drive continuous improvement.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to successfully manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

Social Value & Sustainability

Social Value is an important part of this role, so experience in Social Value, ESG, sustainability, or community impact programmes would be particularly valuable.

You’ll understand how customer objectives can be translated into credible, measurable Social Value commitments and ideally have experience developing programmes or partnerships that deliver positive social, economic, or environmental outcomes.

Qualifications

A degree or equivalent professional experience is welcomed.

APMP accreditation is desirable, while professional qualifications or development within Bid Management, Procurement, Sustainability, ESG or Project Management would also be advantageous.

Evidence of continuous professional development relevant to commercial, bid, procurement or Social Value disciplines.

What success looks like

Success in this role goes beyond simply submitting bids on time. You'll play an important part in improving bid win rates, revenue won, strategic contract success and profitability, while building an engaged, capable team and continuously improving how we approach bids and Social Value.

The base salary for this role is up to £80k (DOE), plus 10% bonus and a comprehensive benefits package

About Us

At Canon, we've been inspiring people to capture and share their world for over 85 years. As a global leader in imaging and innovation, we're driven by bold ideas, collaboration, and a commitment to making a positive impact. We're proud of our diverse, inclusive culture and our philosophy of Kyosei - living and working together for the common good. We welcome applicants from all communities and backgrounds.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a diverse, energetic team, joining 50+ nationalities at our Stockley Park Head Office
• Enjoy hybrid working (3 days in office, 2 from home)
• Benefit from flexible hours, professional development, and a wide range of perks
• Minimum of 25 days of personal holiday per year with up to 5 days of available holiday purchase
• Access a competitive salary, benefits, a generous pension scheme and up to 38% discount on Canon products
• Be part of a company that values sustainability, inclusion, and your personal growth
• Great transport links- Elizabeth Line and Stockley Park low-cost Shuttle Bus and free parking on site

If you are ready to make an impact - we'd love to hear from you.

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