Graduate Bid Writer in Edinburgh

EiB (Excellence in Business) Group Ltd is a management consultancy providing high-quality professional services to public and private sector clients, including those in the rail, construction, and facilities management industries. As one of the largest fully-employed work-winning consultancies in the UK, we offer graduates accelerated development to reach their full potential as bid writers within a supportive and collaborative environment.

Operating on a flat structure, we enable our employees to work directly with our industry-leading bid management professionals and company directors, to personalise and accelerate their professional development. Location: EiB's Bid Hubs are in central Birmingham and Edinburgh. We offer a flexible working model aligned to our clients' needs and expectations, combining smart home working with on-site support at client locations throughout the UK and Europe. There is no need to relocate.

Starting salary: £30,000, with the opportunity to rise to £42,500 upon completion of the programme.

What is a bid writer? If the government wants to dual a section of road to increase capacity, or a hospital needs a contractor to maintain its facilities, they will put the work out to tender. Companies wishing to deliver the work submit competitive bids outlining their delivery solution and price, which are evaluated against set criteria to select the winner. Typical bid questions include:

• Detail your proposed innovations to improve the health and safety of staff and customers.
• How will you meet the contract's social value requirements?

As a bid writer at EiB, you will work with our clients to answer these questions. You will write persuasive responses that meet the evaluation criteria and tender requirements. The reward is winning your clients' work that makes a tangible difference to the world around you.

About you: You will be committed to helping our clients prepare the most inspiring and successful bids in the industry. You are a flexible and motivated individual who is driven to develop your skills and progress within a growing company. With excellent writing and editorial skills, you can produce compelling content to the highest quality standards. Your strong organisational and time-management skills equip you to meet client deadlines. With experience undertaking research and multitasking, you can prioritise your workload while demonstrating attention to detail.

Essential skills:

• Strong academic record and educated to degree level (especially in an Arts or Social Science subject)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with an extensive vocabulary
• Exceptional editing and proofreading ability
• Confident presenter, able to communicate ideas and share learning
• Strong research skills, with the ability to analyse documents and data
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite.

Desirable skills:

• Knowledge of public sector procurement
• Graphic production skills
• Experience using Mac platforms and devices.

The role: In this role you will gain experience in bid writing, project management, and research, including:

• Working within a team and with clients to storyboard and write high-quality bids in line with specifications, meeting strict deadlines
• Editing, reviewing, challenging, and contributing to documents to improve bid submissions
• Leading and coordinating internal projects that add value to the business
• Staying abreast of updates and developments within specialist markets
• Supporting EiB's business development function to secure client work
• Keeping up to date with bid writing competitors.

The EiB graduate programme: You will complete a two-year graduate programme, led by our Professional Head of Graduate Development and supported by the wider business. Over the course of the programme, you will have access to a wealth of knowledge from experts and gain valuable experience across sectors including construction, rail, highways, and health, establishing core bid writing and project management skills.

Year one: You will develop your understanding of the bidding process, the sectors we work in, and the clients we work with. You will build a thorough understanding of the EiB Way and our approach to managing bids, applying this knowledge to a series of internal projects. You will work on several end-to-end bids, fully supported by a team of experienced bid writers and managers.

Year two: You will have achieved the skills required to be a competent bid writer and will further develop by working on more complex bids. Alongside on-the-job learning, you will complete your APMP Foundation certification (12 months) and work towards your APMP Practitioner certification (three years), formally recognising your professional development.

How to apply: Please apply with your CV and a tailored cover letter. Interviews will take place as part of an in-person assessment day in our Birmingham Bid Hub in April. Inductions will be conducted in person in one of our Bid Hubs before transitioning to a hybrid model. Provisional start date: Tuesday 1 September, with the opportunity to start earlier for the right candidate. Schedule: Monday to Friday.

While as a business we recognise the value of AI, we ask candidates to refrain from using AI tools to prepare CVs/cover letters, and during initial writing assignments. This will enable us to accurately assess your writing skills, which are central to this role. We will pass all applications through our in-house AI detection software.