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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and inspire teams to manage complex programmes and bids in a dynamic environment.
- Company: Join a leading organisation with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, travel opportunities, and professional development.
- Other info: Exciting career growth in a fast-paced, multi-disciplinary setting.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact by driving high-stakes projects and shaping the future.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in programme management and strong stakeholder engagement skills.
Location: UK (with occasional UK & overseas travel)
We're seeking an experienced Senior Programme & Bid Manager to lead and govern a portfolio of complex programmes and bids within a technically demanding environment. This is a high-impact leadership role, accountable for bid strategy, programme execution, governance, and performance - from opportunity capture through contract award and into in-life delivery.
What You'll Be Doing
- Leading and inspiring a team of Programme Managers and Bid Managers, creating a high-performance, accountable delivery culture
- Owning the overall health of the programme and bid portfolio, ensuring alignment with business strategy and customer priorities
- Providing senior leadership and governance across complex, multi-stakeholder programmes and bids
- Establishing and maintaining robust programme management processes, proportionate to business size and risk
- Overseeing bid strategy, governance, resourcing, approvals, and handover into delivery
- Ensuring strong control of schedule, cost, risk, change, and benefits
- Balancing resources and priorities across live programmes and concurrent bids
- Identifying, managing, and escalating risks, issues, and opportunities
- Preparing and presenting monthly programme status reports to senior leadership
- Supporting commercial activities including cost estimates, budgets, and revenue forecasting
- Driving lessons learned, continuous improvement, and capability development
- Acting as a senior interface with customers, suppliers, and partners
- Leading performance management, succession planning, and talent development
What We're Looking For
- Proven leadership experience in programme and bid management within complex, multi-disciplinary environments
- Strong track record of delivering major bids and programmes end-to-end
- Deep understanding of matrix organisations and cross-functional leadership
- Excellent commercial, contractual, governance, and risk management capability
- Confident stakeholder management at senior customer and executive level
- Able to remain credible, decisive, and calm under pressure
- Customer-focused, commercially aware, collaborative, and influential
Experience & Qualifications
- Strong background in project / programme management, ideally in a defence or regulated engineering environment
- Experience running bids and programmes from conception to delivery
- Exposure to international customers or export contracts
- Ability to manage budgets, forecasts, and financial performance
- Professional qualifications such as APM, MSP, PMP, PRINCE2 (or equivalent)
- Degree or HND in Project Management or related discipline (or equivalent experience)
- APM accreditation an advantage
Senior Programme and Bid Manager employer: Carbon 60
Contact Detail:
Carbon 60 Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Programme and Bid Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry and let them know you're on the lookout for a Senior Programme and Bid Manager role. You never know who might have the inside scoop on an opportunity that’s not even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its recent projects. Tailor your responses to highlight your experience in managing complex programmes and bids, showing how you can bring value to their team. Remember, confidence is key!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t underestimate the power of follow-ups! After an interview, drop a quick thank-you email to express your appreciation and reiterate your interest in the role. It keeps you fresh in their minds and shows your enthusiasm.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website for the best chance at landing that dream job! We’re always looking for talented individuals like you, and applying directly can sometimes give you an edge over other candidates.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Programme and Bid Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Senior Programme and Bid Manager role. Highlight your leadership experience and specific achievements in programme and bid management that align with what we’re looking for.
Showcase Your Skills: Don’t just list your qualifications; demonstrate how your skills in governance, risk management, and stakeholder engagement have led to successful outcomes in previous roles. We want to see how you can bring value to our team!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read through your experiences and understand your fit for the role.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. This way, you’ll ensure it reaches the right people and you’ll be one step closer to joining our dynamic team at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at Carbon 60
✨Know Your Programmes Inside Out
Before the interview, dive deep into the programmes and bids you've managed. Be ready to discuss specific challenges you faced and how you overcame them. This shows your hands-on experience and gives you a chance to highlight your leadership skills.
✨Master Stakeholder Management
Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed senior stakeholders in previous roles. Think about times when you had to influence decisions or navigate complex relationships. This will demonstrate your ability to handle the high-pressure environment of multi-stakeholder programmes.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
Be ready to talk about your approach to bid strategy and programme execution. Discuss how you align projects with business goals and customer priorities. This will illustrate your understanding of governance and performance management, which are crucial for this role.
✨Bring Data to the Table
Prepare to present data that showcases your success in managing budgets, forecasts, and financial performance. Use specific metrics from past projects to back up your claims. This will help you stand out as someone who is not only experienced but also results-driven.