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- Tasks: Lead a team to create high-quality bids for innovative infrastructure projects.
- Company: Costain Group PLC, a leader in smart infrastructure solutions.
- Benefits: Full-time role with opportunities for growth and development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on sustainable infrastructure while honing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in leading bids and strong collaboration skills required.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team dedicated to improving lives through engineering.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Costain brings together a unique mix of engineering solutions for increasingly complex problems. Our commitment to creating connected, sustainable infrastructure is core to all our activities within our four strategic markets of transport, water, energy and defence. Together with our customers, we work to shape, create and deliver pioneering infrastructure solutions, combining construction, consulting and digital expertise to engineer solutions to the most complex infrastructure problems.
A strong track record in seamlessly leading the quality submission and fellow authors on complex bids is essential. This individual is a strong collaborator and influencer, adept at managing a diverse mix of stakeholders, including Sector Directors and SMEs, to retain high degrees of confidence that the bid will be submitted to the highest possible standard.
The Lead Author is responsible for managing a team of authors and overseeing and actively managing the end‐to‐end quality submission process, from storyboard development to final submission, ensuring all outputs, including those of their team, are high‐quality, compliant and compelling.
Responsibilities- Leadership And Team Guidance
- Support the Bid Director to lead the authoring team, providing clear direction on submission strategy and structure, including incorporating VP/Win Themes.
- Brief Authors, SMEs and stakeholders on response approaches, client scoring mechanisms and win themes.
- Ensure SMEs understand their roles and responsibilities and how they contribute to the overall pursuit.
- Contribute to bi‐annual Authors Day to align ways of working, understand areas of improvement and lessons learned.
- Strategic Response Development
- Support the development of response strategies tailored to the client's scoring criteria, question requirements and incorporating value propositions and win themes.
- Support Senior Authors, Authors and Question Owners in strategically translating the value proposition into high‐quality written responses.
- Quality Assurance
- Take responsibility for 'one voicing' responses prior to submission.
- Work with Bid Manager and lead SMEs and Authors to achieve quality response milestones (storyboard, pink and red reviews deadlines) to the necessary quality, making the team accountable for their actions.
- Lead pink, red and gold review meetings, translating high‐level feedback during reviews.
- Implement best‐practice winning approaches, governance and quality standards throughout the process.
- Escalate unresolved quality/output/relationship challenges to Bid Manager or Bid Director as appropriate.
- Continuous Improvement & Training
- Actively support senior authors and authors to illustrate "what good looks like" in submissions.
- Drive continuous improvement in quality.
- Embed improvements and learnings.
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Work collaboratively with Sector Directors during review processes to ensure alignment with strategic goals and client expectations.
- Extensive experience of leading and securing successful strategic bids.
- Strong leadership qualities around influencing people and leading quality submission.
- A strategic and creative thinker who ensures the client needs are at the heart of every quality submission.
- Exceptional planning and organising skills, aligning activities to successfully achieve outcomes.
- Anticipates, understands and balances multiple stakeholders' needs.
- Effective problem solving.
- Experience bidding both construction and consultancy opportunities.
- Experience in the Transportation and Natural Resources sectors.
Costain helps to improve people's lives with integrated, leading‐edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK's energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, decarbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK's leading smart infrastructure solutions company.
We appreciate the time and effort taken when applying for one of our positions but, due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to provide individual feedback on candidates at the application phase. We do share individual feedback following an interview.
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant who discloses they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer.
Seniority level: Mid‐Senior level
Employment type: Full‐time
Job function: Marketing, Public Relations and Writing/Editing
Industries: Civil Engineering
Location: Telford, England (UK) – also available in Bridgnorth, England.
Lead Author in London employer: Costain Group PLC
Contact Detail:
Costain Group PLC Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Author in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, especially those who work at Costain Group PLC. A friendly chat can sometimes lead to insider info about the role or even a referral.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by researching the company’s recent projects and initiatives. Show us that you’re not just interested in the role but also passionate about what Costain does in the infrastructure space.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your storytelling skills! Be ready to share examples of how you've led teams and managed complex bids. We want to hear about your successes and how you overcame challenges.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows us you’re serious about joining the team at Costain.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Author in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to reflect the specific skills and experiences mentioned in the job description. We want to see how you can bring your unique flair to the Lead Author role!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: Since this role involves leading a team, highlight your leadership experiences. Share examples of how you've successfully guided teams in the past, especially in high-pressure situations. We love a good story!
Focus on Quality Assurance: Emphasise your commitment to quality in your written responses. Discuss any processes or strategies you've implemented to ensure high-quality submissions. Remember, we’re all about delivering top-notch work!
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget 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. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Costain Group PLC
✨Know Your Bid Strategy
Before the interview, make sure you understand the specific bid strategies that Costain Group PLC employs. Familiarise yourself with their recent projects and how they align with their strategic goals. This will help you demonstrate your knowledge of their approach and how you can contribute to their success.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Lead Author, you'll need to lead a team effectively. Prepare examples from your past experiences where you've successfully guided a team through complex submissions. Highlight your ability to influence stakeholders and ensure quality outputs, as this is crucial for the role.
✨Prepare for Quality Assurance Questions
Expect questions about your approach to quality assurance in bid submissions. Be ready to discuss how you would implement best practices and manage review processes. Think of specific instances where you improved submission quality and how you handled feedback during reviews.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Collaboration is key in this role. Prepare to discuss how you've worked with various stakeholders in the past, especially Sector Directors and SMEs. Share your strategies for ensuring alignment with client expectations and how you’ve navigated differing opinions to achieve successful outcomes.
