At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of compelling proposals and manage the bid pipeline.
- Company: Join a global consultancy focused on evidence-based healthcare.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, bonus scheme, and 25 days holiday plus perks.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for personal development and career progression.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in global health while growing your career.
- Qualifications: Strong organisational skills and ability to translate technical content into clear proposals.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 60000 £ per year.
Location: Flexible, we have offices in Northamptonshire and London
Start: Flexible
Are you passionate about evidence-based healthcare? Do you enjoy working in a collaborative, fast-paced environment where your work helps shape better decision-making in global health? Initiate Consultancy is looking for a Proposal and Engagement Manager to join our growing team.
Initiate is a global market access and health economics consultancy working with novel products designed to help people living with rare or life-limiting disorders. Our core values are collaboration, empowerment, integrity and pragmatism. We seek to recruit exceptional individuals who share these values and have a genuine passion to learn, deliver and grow.
Job Purpose
The Proposal & Engagement Manager plays a pivotal role in strengthening Initiate’s commercial performance by leading and driving the development of high-quality, compelling and compliant proposals, and overseeing the visibility of the ‘live’ proposal pipeline. Sitting within the Commercial team, reporting directly to the Head of Business Development & Commercial Engagement, the role owns the day-to-day operational management of the bid pipeline, and the end-to-end delivery of all proposals.
Operating beyond process coordination alone, the Proposal & Engagement Manager is responsible for creating structure, pace and clarity across all live opportunities - ensuring that our technical bid teams are mobilised early, aligned to clear agreed priorities, and are working to a defined plan. The role acts as the central point of control for all our bid activity, maintaining pipeline accuracy, enforcing process, and driving accountability across multidisciplinary teams.
By bringing discipline, visibility and proactive management to the bid process, the Proposal & Engagement Manager directly contributes to improving win rate, turnaround speed and overall commercial effectiveness, while reducing reactive working and ensuring the business is consistently prepared and positioned to succeed.
Responsibilities
- Pipeline Management & Reporting
- Own our pipeline visibility and accuracy
- Own and maintain a live, accurate bid pipeline (via Synergist and associated reporting tools)
- Provide clear visibility of the overall pipeline position and forward workload
- Regularly update the commercial team on the status, values, and timelines of all opportunities
- Chair and lead regular operational pipeline review meetings, providing clear visibility of status, priorities and forward activity
- Support commercial forecasting through reliable bid data collection and recording
- Bid Coordination, Delivery & Accountability
- Run our bid process and delivery
- Lead the end-to-end bid process from RFP receipt through to proposal submission, and bid follow-up
- Establish and manage clear plans, timelines, and ownership for each bid individual opportunity
- Ensure timely bid scoping, coordinating strategic and technical inputs from relevant team members
- Act as the central point of control across multiple concurrent bids - proactively driving progress, maintaining pace and momentum
- Ensure all bids are delivered to a high, consistent standard – maintaining strong bid discipline in a deadline-driven environment, reducing delays and ensuring consistent delivery
- Follow-up and challenge as necessary to ensure delivery to agreed timelines - holding contributors accountable for their individual inputs and outputs
- Proposal Content Control
- Shape our proposal content for clarity and impact
- Lead the development and coordination of high-quality complete proposals, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and alignment with client needs
- Translate technical inputs from HTA, HEOR, Access, and Evidence Synthesis teams into clear, compelling and client-ready narratives
- Use approved proposal templates, methodologies, and branded materials to ensure consistency and compliance in tone and presentation
- Apply corporate style, referencing, branding, and compliance standards
- Assemble complete, submission-ready proposal documents, including key sections such as executive summaries
- Develop budgets using standard templates, aligned with scope and commercial strategy
- Opportunity Triage & Prioritisation
- Prioritise our high-value bid opportunities
- Coordinate the review and assessment of incoming RFPs and opportunities
- Support go / no-go decision-making with structured input
- Ensure focus is applied to the most valuable opportunities
- Align bid activity with overall commercial objectives
- Team Mobilisation & Coordination
- Mobilise our teams and coordinate input
- Build strong working relationships across project teams to ensure accurate, evidence-based bid content
- Identify and engage appropriate technical and commercial contributors
- Mobilise multidisciplinary teams early to ensure sufficient preparation time, and a single coherent response
- Identify and communicate risks, issues, and dependencies early to stakeholders
- Ensure clarity of roles, responsibilities and expectations - managing dependencies between contributors
- Quality Assurance & Sign-Off
- Ensure our quality, compliance and approval readiness
- Ensure all proposals meet required standards of quality and compliance
- Manage review cycles and approval processes
- Enforce consistency in formatting, content and messaging
- Ensure appropriate sign-off is obtained ahead of submission
- Continuous Bidding Improvement
- Gather bid learnings
- Capture lessons learned from bid outcomes (win/loss)
- Track client feedback
- Improve processes, templates and working practices over time
- Bid Asset Management
- Maintain our bid content assets
- Ensure structured, accessible and audit-ready bid documentation
- Develop capability statements, case studies, and client-ready decks
- Maintain and continuously improve the proposal library (slides, boilerplates, team bios, case studies)
- Identify opportunities to enhance proposal quality, consistency and template effectiveness
- Stakeholder & Client Engagement
- Engage stakeholders and clients with confidence
- Act as the key interface between Initiate’s commercial and technical delivery teams, ensuring clear communication and alignment
- Engage confidently with senior internal stakeholders, providing clarity, updates and direction across live opportunities
- Liaise with clients during the bid process where appropriate, ensuring professional and timely communication
- Support structured follow-up activity post-submission, to maintain engagement and momentum
About You
- Highly organised, commercially aware, bringing energy and pace to the proposal generation and bid process
- Ability to take clear ownership for driving activity and maintaining pipeline momentum
- Ability to constructively challenge, maintain collective focus, and hold contributors to account, comfortable directing colleagues at all levels
- Disciplined project management and communication skills
- Ability to translate technical input into clear, consistent and compelling proposal content, ensuring quality and coherence throughout
- Ability to anticipate pressures and identify risks early, creating the structure and forward planning needed to reduce reactive, last-minute working
- Comfortable operating at pace and maintaining control in a deadline-driven environment
- Collaborative team player who builds strong relationships with colleagues and clients and contributes positively to team culture
- Values led, working with collaboration, integrity, pragmatism and empowerment, with a desire to take ownership and solve problems proactively
Additional benefits
- Competitive salary
- Bonus scheme
- 25 days holiday (excludes bank holidays)
- 3 days leave ‘Privilege Days’ at Christmas time
- Birthday off
- Healthcare insurance scheme
- Life insurance
- Personalised development programme: the job holder will receive training, ongoing support and opportunities for personal development and career progression
- Use of onsite gym and/or subsidised gym
Proposal and Engagement Manager in Towcester employer: Initiate
Initiate Consultancy is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and empowering work culture, where employees are encouraged to grow and develop their skills in the dynamic field of evidence-based healthcare. With flexible working options, competitive salaries, and a comprehensive benefits package including healthcare insurance and a personalised development programme, team members can thrive both personally and professionally while contributing to meaningful projects that improve global health outcomes.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Proposal and Engagement Manager in Towcester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect on LinkedIn. The more you engage with others, the better your chances of hearing about opportunities before they even hit the job boards.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its values. Understand their mission and how your skills align with their goals. This will help you stand out as someone who genuinely cares about contributing to their success.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain why you're the perfect fit for the Proposal and Engagement Manager role. Highlight your experience in managing bids and your ability to work collaboratively with teams to drive results.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email can go a long way in showing your enthusiasm for the role. Plus, it keeps you fresh in their minds as they make their decision.
We think you need these skills to ace Proposal and Engagement Manager in Towcester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Proposal:Make sure to customise your application to reflect the specific skills and experiences that align with the Proposal and Engagement Manager role. Highlight your passion for evidence-based healthcare and how your background fits into our collaborative environment.
Showcase Your Organisational Skills:Since this role requires a high level of organisation, be sure to demonstrate your project management abilities in your application. Share examples of how you've successfully managed multiple tasks or projects simultaneously, keeping everything on track.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, clarity is key! Use straightforward language and structure your content well. This will not only make it easier for us to read but also showcase your ability to communicate effectively, which is crucial for this role.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you 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. Plus, it shows you’re keen to engage with us directly!
How to prepare for a job interview at Initiate
✨Know the Company Inside Out
Before your interview, dive deep into Initiate Consultancy's mission and values. Understand their focus on evidence-based healthcare and how they support people with rare disorders. This knowledge will help you align your answers with their core values of collaboration, empowerment, integrity, and pragmatism.
✨Showcase Your Project Management Skills
As a Proposal and Engagement Manager, you'll need to demonstrate strong project management abilities. Prepare examples from your past experiences where you've successfully managed multiple bids or projects simultaneously. Highlight how you maintained clarity and pace while ensuring all team members were aligned and accountable.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Expect questions that assess your ability to translate technical inputs into compelling proposals. Brush up on your knowledge of HTA, HEOR, and evidence synthesis. Be ready to discuss how you would approach creating clear narratives from complex data, as this is crucial for the role.
✨Engage with Confidence
During the interview, practice engaging confidently with your interviewers. They’ll want to see how you communicate and build relationships. Use examples that showcase your ability to liaise with stakeholders and clients effectively, ensuring you convey professionalism and clarity in your communication.
