Bid Manager

As a Bid Manager at GB Railfreight (GBRf) you will play a central and highly visible role in securing new business opportunities and retaining strategic contracts through the delivery of high-quality, competitive bid submissions. You will be responsible for shaping and driving winning strategies, ensuring that GBRf’s value proposition is clearly articulated, evidence-based, and aligned to client priorities across a range of sectors including infrastructure, bulk, and intermodal.

A key aspect of the role will be stakeholder management, acting as the central point of coordination across internal teams and external partners. You will proactively challenge inputs where required, drive consistency across submissions, and ensure that all contributors are aligned to the overall bid strategy. You will also play a role in engaging with customers during pre‑tender and clarification stages, supporting the positioning of GBRf as a credible and differentiated delivery partner.

This role requires a highly organised and detail‑oriented individual with strong commercial awareness, excellent written communication skills, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment. You will be expected to demonstrate initiative, ownership, and a proactive approach to problem‑solving, contributing directly to GBRf’s growth strategy and long‑term success.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end‑to‑end bid process from initial opportunity assessment through to final submission and post‑submission clarifications including managing governance processes, coordinating inputs, and ensuring that all submissions are delivered to a consistently high standard.
• Take ownership of bid programmes, prioritising effectively across multiple concurrent opportunities to meet challenging deadlines, with clear ownership, defined milestones, and timely delivery.
• Work cross‑functionally with Operations, Finance, Assets and Safety departments, and senior leadership to ensure that bid responses are high‑quality, compliant, technically robust, commercially competitive, and operationally deliverable.
• Define and implement bid strategies, including clear win themes and value propositions that differentiate GBRf in competitive tenders.
• Translate complex operational, commercial and technical solutions into clear, concise and compelling written responses that address client requirements and evaluation criteria.
• Support the development of pricing strategies and cost models, ensuring proposals are commercially robust and aligned with business objectives.
• Maintain high standards of bid governance and stakeholder alignment, ensuring robust and consistent submission practices.
• Drive continuous improvement by implementing lessons learned, developing bid libraries and best practice content, and refining processes to support the ongoing evolution of GBRf’s bid capability and win rate.

Skills and Experience

Essential Skills

• Proven experience managing end‑to‑end bid processes, delivering high‑quality submissions within demanding timeframes.
• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to develop competitive, value‑driven proposals aligned to client and business requirements.
• Excellent written communication skills, with a track record of producing clear, concise, and compelling bid responses.
• Strong stakeholder management capability, with the ability to influence and coordinate cross‑functional teams at all levels.
• Highly organised and detail‑oriented, with the ability to manage multiple bids and priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint, for developing high‑quality client documentation.
• Experience within rail, logistics or infrastructure sectors desirable, with knowledge of UK procurement processes advantageous.

Desirable Skills

• Leadership: experience handling difficult management situations and leading initiatives.
• Railway Knowledge: basic understanding of the Rule Book and Personal Track Safety Certificate.
• Analytical Skills: ability to analyse data and provide actionable insights.
• Project Management: experience in project management within the rail freight industry.

About GB Railfreight

GB Railfreight are proud to be one of the UK's fastest‑growing rail freight companies, recognised for our reliability, growth, and commitment to delivering high‑quality service. For over 20 years, we've been so much more than just trains — we're a dedicated team, committed to working together to deliver reliable, sustainable freight services and build strong partnerships across industries nationwide.

When you join GBRf, you become part of a team that truly values its people, works collaboratively, and takes pride in what we do — keeping goods moving through smarter, greener, and more efficient freight solutions. We pride ourselves on being genuinely value‑driven. Our core values guide everything we do, shaping our culture and actions:

• Professionalism – Safety and security are paramount in our business, and we believe this forms the foundation of a high‑achieving safety culture.
• Support – We look after our people, and they in turn are encouraged to look after each other.
• Communication – Transparency in our business is valued by both colleagues and customers.
• Trust and Empowerment – We believe openness and honesty create the best relationships, building trust and confidence.
• Enjoyment – Taking pleasure in coming to work at GBRf is actively encouraged, right from the top.

Key Benefits of Working With Us

As well as a competitive salary, annual leave package of 25 days plus bank holidays (or equivalent for operational staff where bank holidays are worked) and enrolment into our Industry‑Wide Defined Contribution Pension Scheme, we offer:

• A generous healthcare package
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – providing access to 24/7 counselling support and wellbeing resources
• An online benefits portal offering hundreds of discounts at nationwide retailers
• An electric vehicle scheme (available after your first 12 months)
• Regular social events, including days out for you and your family
• Training and development opportunities, including internal courses and external certifications through our industry‑renowned development programs. We prioritise your growth in line with our people‑centric culture.

Inclusion Without Exclusion

At GB Railfreight, we recognise that a more diverse range of people leads to greater innovation. We recruit and develop people best suited to the role requirements, regardless of background. Our aim is to create a diverse workforce that reflects wider society. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing in the workplace, in alignment with our values.

If you're as passionate about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) as we are, we invite new employees to join our People and Culture working group and contribute to the ongoing work in this area.