Bid Manager in Southampton

OCEA Shipbuilding (UK) Ltd is part of the OCEA Group, a leading international shipbuilder renowned for innovative, high-performance aluminium vessels serving defence, government, and commercial markets worldwide. With a reputation built on technical excellence and a growing footprint in the UK, OCEA is expanding its team to support an ambitious pipeline of bids and commercial contracts.

We're looking for a Bid Manager to join OCEA (UK) on a full-time, on-site basis in Southampton. This is a role at the heart of the business, owning the end-to-end bid process for global defence shipbuilding opportunities, from tender review through to contract award. You'll work with bid teams across legal, finance, engineering, and operations, working alongside external advisors, suppliers, and government partners to deliver compliant, competitive, and profitable submissions.

Alongside bid leadership, the role carries commercial management responsibility: reviewing and helping with negotiating contracts, drafting key contractual clauses (liability, warranties, indemnities, bonds, guarantees), running commercial risk assessments, and ensuring requirements flow down correctly to suppliers and subcontractors. This is a high-visibility role reporting into the Head of the Defence Business Unit, with genuine ownership over how bids are won and contracts are shaped.

What you'll be doing:

• Leading bids through the full lifecycle: tender review, governance, clarifications, internal approvals, and submission
• Negotiating commercial terms with customers and suppliers, in line with the company's risk appetite
• Drafting and finalising contractual clauses, ensuring contracts are profitable and risk is minimised
• Maintaining bid schedules, risk registers, and supporting documentation
• Ensuring compliance with export control regulations and security requirements throughout the bid process
• Driving continuous improvement of bid processes and tools to strengthen win rates
• Contributing lessons learned from past bids to build long-term organisational capability

What we're looking for:

• At least two years' experience in a commercial or bid manager role, with a proven track record of delivering bids successfully
• A degree in business, law, engineering, maritime studies, or a related discipline is preferred, though equivalent professional experience in a commercial or bid management role will also be considered.
• A reputation as a finisher, someone who drives bids to completion under pressure and to deadline
• Experience in marine, shipbuilding, defence, or engineering sectors highly beneficial
• Strong contract negotiation and drafting skills, with commercial and legal awareness
• Stakeholder management across technical, commercial, and operational teams
• Strong analytical and organisational skills, with confidence using Microsoft Office and bid management tools
• Eligibility for UK security clearance (SC minimum) is essential
• Willingness to travel occasionally, including internationally to OCEA shipyards and customers