Bid Manager in London

Daintta are a rapidly growing, values-driven team of specialists who work with government clients across Cyber Security, National Security, Law Enforcement, Telecommunications and Healthcare. We are seeking a skilled and experienced Bid Manager to join our team on a full-time basis. The Bid Manager's role is highly collaborative, requiring strong time and task management, communication, and negotiation skills, along with a deep understanding of the technology consultancy's offerings and the client's industry. They are pivotal in securing new business and driving the company's growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Bid Planning and Coordination:

• Understanding Requirements: Work with the sales team and other stakeholders to fully understand the client's needs, project scope, and the requirements of the bid. Summarising and communicating these articulately to relevant internal stakeholders and/or partners.
• Developing Bid Strategy: Collaborate with senior management to define a winning strategy that aligns with the company's strengths and the client's expectations. This includes identifying hot buttons, win themes and competitor analysis.
• Bid Meetings: Organise and lead kick-off and regular catchup meetings to align all stakeholders, including technical experts, sector/account leads, commercial and finance.
• Setting Timelines: Develop a detailed timeline for the bid process, ensuring all deliverables are completed on time and all internal governance processes are followed.

• Content Management: Oversee the creation of high-quality proposal documents, ensuring they are tailored to the client's requirements and showcase the company's capabilities. Develop innovative proposals/content (for example, videos, microsites, prototypes, simulations, etc).
• Technical Input: Collaborate with technical teams to incorporate accurate and compelling technical solutions into the bid.
• Compliance: Ensure the proposal complies with all client requirements, including legal and regulatory standards.
• Value Proposition: Clearly articulate the value proposition, differentiators, and benefits of the proposed solution.
• Review and Approval: Coordinate internal reviews of the proposal to ensure quality, accuracy, and alignment with the bid strategy.

• Internal Coordination: Act as the central point of contact between all internal stakeholders involved in the bid, ensuring smooth communication and collaboration.
• Client Interaction: Engage with the client as needed (either directly or via sector/account leads) to clarify requirements, answer questions, and build relationships.
• Third-party Partners: Manage relationships with any third-party partners involved in the bid, ensuring their contributions are aligned with the overall proposal.

• Pricing Strategy: Work with the sector/account lead and finance team to develop competitive pricing models that align with the company's commercial objectives and the client's budget.
• Resources: Work with business operations and professions to agree delivery resources for bids.
• Risk Assessment: Identify and assess risks associated with the bid, proposing mitigation strategies.
• Contractual Terms: Liaise with commercial teams to ensure all contractual terms are favourable and comply with company policies.

• Final Review: Conduct a final review of all bid documents to ensure they are polished, error-free, and aligned with the bid strategy.
• Submission: Ensure the bid is submitted on time, following the client's specified format and submission requirements.
• Follow-up: After submission, follow up with the client (directly or via sector/account lead) to address any questions or clarifications and monitor the bid's status.

• Feedback Analysis: If the bid is successful, review feedback to understand why it won. If unsuccessful, analyse the reasons for the loss and document lessons learned.
• Continuous Improvement: Use feedback to improve future bid processes, templates, and strategies.
• Handover to Delivery Teams: If the bid is successful, coordinate a smooth handover to the delivery teams, ensuring they are fully briefed on the project scope, client expectations, and contractual obligations.

• Bid Documentation: Maintain a repository of all bid documents, templates, and records for future reference.
• Performance Tracking: Track and report on the success rates of bids, providing insights to senior management on win/loss ratios and areas for improvement. Track and report on actual versus budgeted bidding costs.
• Knowledge Sharing: Share best practices, lessons learned, and bid-related knowledge with the broader team to enhance the overall bidding process.

• Research: Stay informed about industry trends, competitor activities, and market conditions to better position future bids.
• Competitive Intelligence: Gather and analyse information about competitors' strategies, pricing, and offerings to refine the company's bid strategies.

• Team Leadership: Lead bid teams effectively, ensuring all members are clear on their roles and responsibilities.
• Mentorship: Provide guidance and mentorship to junior staff or new team members, helping them develop their skills in bid management.

Skills/Knowledge

• Demonstrable experience in managing successful bids between £100,000 to £10,000,000 and winning them, both in UK Public Sector and the Private Sector.
• A background in business consulting, with experience working in consultancies.
• A background in sales and account management.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills with a keen eye for detail.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple bids simultaneously and meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and bid management tools.

Benefits

• Time Off: 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays; Up to 5 days annual training leave with a dedicated training budget; Up to 3 days annual volunteering leave - give back to the community.
• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive Private Health Insurance; Employee Assistance Programme - 24/7 support services; £2,000 Flex Cash Allowance, paid pro-rata over the year.
• Financial Benefits: 5% pension contribution; Discretionary company awards and bonuses, based on performance and company targets; Access to Electric Vehicle (EV) Salary Sacrifice scheme.
• Professional Development: Up to £1,000 annual training budget (access to additional training and development budget via business case); Up to 5 days annual training leave; 1 professional membership paid annually; Up to £200 of additional IT budget for new joiners.
• Perks: Free breakfast every Tuesday in the London office; Fortnightly drinks in London; Regular social events, quizzes, and guest workshops; Huckletree perks including gym and restaurant discounts; Employee referral programme; Monthly breakfast club in our Cheltenham office.
• Location: Hybrid, with 2-3 days working from Daintta office (London/Cheltenham) or on client site as required.

Security Information: Due to the nature of this position, you must be willing and eligible to achieve a minimum of SC clearance. To qualify, you must be a British Citizen and have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. For more information about clearance eligibility, please see here.