Bid Manager in Chorley

Location - Lancashire (Hybrid working)

Sector - Engineering

Salary - up to £55k

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and driven Bid Manager to lead the development of high-quality, winning tender submissions across a range of complex and high-value projects. This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys collaborating across business development, engineering, commercial, and delivery teams to secure new business opportunities.

As Bid Manager, you'll take ownership of the full tender lifecycle — from opportunity identification and bid strategy through to submission and handover — ensuring every proposal is compelling, compliant, and commercially robust. You will also play a key role in shaping and continuously improving the company's bid function, processes, and overall win strategy, while leading and developing a dedicated Bid Team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end tendering process, ensuring timely, compliant, and high-quality submissions.
• Collaborate closely with Business Development teams to identify, track, and forecast upcoming tender opportunities.
• Support informed bid/no-bid decisions and develop clear win themes using market and client intelligence.
• Coordinate input from technical, commercial, and operational stakeholders to produce compelling tender submissions.
• Ensure technical solutions are robust, compliant, and aligned with industry best practice and lessons learned.
• Work alongside commercial teams to review contractual terms, identify risks, and support negotiations where appropriate.
• Support early project risk and opportunity identification to help ensure successful and profitable project delivery.
• Write, review, and enhance executive summaries, proposal documents, bases of offer, and tender responses to an exceptional standard.
• Present bid strategies and proposals confidently to internal stakeholders and clients.
• Maintain and continually improve a centralised bid content library for use across PQQs, RFIs, RFQs, and ITTs.
• Monitor bid activity and contribute towards achieving annual sales and growth targets.
• Collaborate with Project Controls teams to ensure proposals include realistic and appropriately resourced project programmes.
• Represent the business at client meetings and industry events, helping to strengthen relationships and identify future opportunities.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the Bid Team, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture.
• Manage and control bid budgets effectively.

Skills & Experience

• Previous experience in a Bid Manager, Proposals Manager, or Tender Management role.
• Proven track record leading high-value, multi-disciplinary tenders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple bids simultaneously and work to tight deadlines.
• Confident working collaboratively across technical, commercial, and operational teams.
• Strong commercial awareness and decision-making capability.
• Ability to build credibility and communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• Proactive, collaborative, and results-driven approach.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
• Experience using Adobe Acrobat.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism at all times.
• Open to candidates from a range of industry backgrounds, with experience in engineering, nuclear, energy, infrastructure, or other technical/project-led sectors particularly advantageous.

Qualifications

• Good standard of general education, including English Language.
• Further education qualification in Business Studies or a related commercial discipline is desirable.
• APMP Certification is preferred; however, candidates with relevant experience and a willingness to undertake APMP training are encouraged to apply.

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to undergo Security Clearance screening.
• Flexibility to work additional hours when required to support critical bid submissions.

Why Apply?

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a growing and ambitious organisation where you'll have genuine influence on future business success and growth. You'll work alongside experienced professionals on complex and rewarding projects, with opportunities for ongoing professional development, career progression, and the chance to shape and enhance the bid function as the business continues to grow. If you're an ambitious Bid professional looking for your next challenge, we'd love to hear from you.