Solutions Director Healthcare in Ipswich

OCS UK & Ireland is a leading facilities management company with 50,000+ colleagues and a turnover in excess of £2bn. We deliver innovative, award-winning services within facilities management, hard services, cleaning, security and catering. Our mission is to make people and places the best they can be for our colleagues, customers and the communities we serve. Our commitment to doing business the right way is rooted in our TRUE values - Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment.

Days of Working: Monday to Friday. Reporting to the Sector Sales Director you will be responsible for the design, development and articulation of compelling soft service and catering solutions that meet the customer’s objectives and needs as identified through the N.O.S.E and Deal Plan. This will include determining the best integrated service delivery model and relevant industry partners (including teaming and potential joint ventures), analysis of management and contract structures, assessment of alternative delivery methods, technology requirements and alignment with other service outputs.

• You will provide specialist solutions architecture, operating as a specialist bid writer and individual contributor, owning and co-ordinating the design and articulation of compelling, innovative, and effective solutions aligned to the customers' requirements.
• Supporting Bid Leads and Bid Managers with the development and written articulation of high-quality, tailored, and integrated soft service and catering solutions for identified complex requirements in their solution design.
• Demonstrating an understanding of relevant markets, customers, opportunities and potential partners, to support the development of customer-focussed, tailored soft service and catering solutions and proposals.
• Preparing for, engaging in and meaningfully contributing to critical bid and solution development workshops, including bid kick offs, solutions workshops, storyboarding workshops, critical reviews and bid reviews.
• Working closely with operational team in the business to draw on their experience and knowledge, and reach agreement on the optimal soft service and catering solution design.
• Contributing to the design of Target Operating Models (including partnership delivery models) that meet customer needs, OCS business requirements, and align with the win strategy for each bid.
• Designing and articulating overarching solution integration for complex deals which offer efficiencies and innovation, by interfacing with the sales leads, bid leads, bid managers, bid writers and SMEs contributing to the core solution build.
• Creating and developing storyboards for relevant responses / sections of proposals, and ensuring that these are adhered to throughout the writing process.
• Gathering and extracting information from key technical experts to develop responses that align with the agreed storyboards, writing plans, tone and style.
• Working proactively with key stakeholders in the bid process to develop compelling and persuasive written responses that articulate OCS’s value proposition, the benefits of our solution and the differentiators and discriminators of our offer.
• Fully understanding and capturing subtleties and nuances within our solutions to present features, benefits, added value and social value in a clear and compelling way, in line with customers' evaluation criteria.
• Where working with bid writers, reviewing draft storyboards and written responses to provide constructive feedback to authors in line with the win strategy and storyboard requirements, prior to formal reviews.
• Contributing to regular solution progress status meetings and updating on individual actions as required.
• Describing (to internal stakeholders) the competitiveness of our soft service and catering solution, how the solution meets customer needs and requirements, and the win probability of the solution against OCS’ competitors.
• Liaising and collaborating with bid leads to ensure that the integrated solution support is presented in a timely manner as part of the overall bid process.
• Contributing to the development and production of client and internal presentations, as required.
• Contributing to the risk and issues register, to ensure risks and issues are recorded with mitigations and impacts.
• Supporting an effective handover to the mobilisation and transition team that explains the solution thoroughly and allows the account team to launch, run, and use the solution that has been designed.
• Ensuring clear record-keeping of all bid documentation including client documents, working and final submission documents and governance documents.
• Identify insights to inform continuous improvement in bidding, proposition development and customer relationship development.
• Play a leading role in creating and be responsible for maintaining OCS’ bidding collateral, bid library, best practice tracker, high-quality sample answers, templates and materials.
• Drive initiatives to develop or improve soft services and catering bid services, including being a Subject Matter Expert, upskilling other bid colleagues and stakeholders as needed.
• Be the Subject Matter Expert for OCS Healthcare division on all soft service and catering procurement requirements.

Working within a high-performing bid team, the role requires close working with Bid Leads, Bid Managers and other bid team members, as well as colleagues in finance, commercial, legal, HR, other divisions and operations, including suitably qualified and experienced subject matter experts.

If you are interested in joining a business that encourages professional development, career progression and the chance to work with inspirational people then please click apply and register your interest! You can also sign up to our job alerts when registering which will notify you when other suitable vacancies are available.

We are an equal opportunities employer and rely on a diverse workforce with a broad range of knowledge, skills, and backgrounds to deliver our goals. We offer an inclusive and welcoming environment and actively encourage applications from all individuals regardless of race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age.