At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead complex bids and proposals to drive space missions and impact.
- Company: Join Open Cosmos, a mission-driven company making space accessible.
- Benefits: Work in diverse locations with a supportive team and career growth.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of space technology and solve real-world challenges.
- Qualifications: Experience in managing multi-stakeholder bids and strong organisational skills.
- Other info: Flexible work locations across Europe and a dynamic, ambitious environment.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 ÂŁ per year.
Aim high, go beyond! At Open Cosmos we are solving the world’s biggest challenges from space, providing businesses, governments and researchers access to more readily available information than ever before - ready for the challenge? Then read on… Our Chief Revenue Office (CRO) drives the commercial growth of Open Cosmos — bringing together business development, marketing, and customer success to connect with partners worldwide, understand their needs, and turn opportunities into real space missions. By aligning market insight with technical capability, the team expands our global reach and ensures we deliver meaningful impact for our customers and end users.
What will you be doing? As Bid Manager, you’ll play a key role in ensuring that Open Cosmos’s future mission opportunities are properly addressed through effective coordination, collaboration, and delivery. You’ll work closely with our Mission Concept Engineers and Business Development (BD) teams to manage complex proposals, while also supporting team reporting, workload assessment, forecasting, and opportunity pipeline analytics. Your role will have two major functions: proposal management and bid operations.
- Proposal Management
- Coordinate the full proposal process from go/no-go through submission — ensuring quality, compliance, and on-time delivery.
- Set up proposal templates and manage updates to shared documentation (company profiles, WPDs, CVs, and literature).
- Lead large and complex bids in collaboration with Mission Concept Engineers (MCE) and internal stakeholders across engineering, finance, and commercial teams.
- Liaise with external partners and suppliers to coordinate joint proposals and consortium responses.
- Support the definition of bid strategy with MCE and BDs, including win themes, partner alignment, and pricing structure.
- Produce analytics and summaries of the company’s opportunity pipeline to support team and leadership decision‑making.
- Track and report workload forecasts, ensuring visibility of resources and priorities.
- Maintain structured bid monitoring systems and digital tools for tracking opportunities, submissions, and outcomes.
- Contribute to the improvement of proposal processes and documentation efficiency.
What You’ll bring You’ll combine structured project management with creative problem‑solving — balancing technical understanding with commercial awareness. You’ll have:
- Proven ability to manage complex, multi‑stakeholder bids or proposals.
- Understanding of ESA/EU/national space or high‑technology procurement frameworks.
- Excellent organisational, analytical, and communication skills.
- The ability to manage large documentation sets with precision and consistency.
- Confidence working cross‑functionally and aligning diverse teams to deadlines.
For this role you can be based in any of our locations: Harwell, UK; Barcelona, Spain; Porto, Portugal; Athens, Greece. To apply, you must have the legal right to work in your chosen location. Please submit your application and CV in English.
Why Open Cosmos? Work at the cutting edge of space technology with customers around the globe. A mission‑driven company making space accessible to help solve real‑world challenges. A diverse, ambitious, and supportive team.
Bid Manager employer: Open Cosmos Ltd
Contact Detail:
Open Cosmos Ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Bid Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the space industry, especially those who work at Open Cosmos or similar companies. Use LinkedIn to connect and engage with them; you never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by understanding the company’s mission and recent projects. Dive deep into their work and think about how your skills as a Bid Manager can contribute to their goals. Show them you’re not just another candidate, but someone who truly gets what they’re about!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain how your experience aligns with the role of Bid Manager. Highlight your project management skills and your ability to coordinate complex proposals — make it clear that you’re the perfect fit for their team.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the Open Cosmos team and ready to tackle those big challenges from space!
We think you need these skills to ace Bid Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Bid Manager role. Highlight your experience with complex proposals and project management, as well as any relevant knowledge of space or high-tech procurement frameworks. We want to see how your skills align with our mission!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about working at Open Cosmos and how you can contribute to our goals. Be sure to mention specific experiences that demonstrate your ability to manage multi-stakeholder bids.
Showcase Your Organisational Skills: As a Bid Manager, organisation is key. In your application, give examples of how you've successfully managed large documentation sets and coordinated with diverse teams. This will show us that you can handle the complexities of the role!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of applications and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it’s super easy to do!
How to prepare for a job interview at Open Cosmos Ltd
✨Know Your Proposals Inside Out
Before the interview, make sure you thoroughly understand the proposal management process. Familiarise yourself with how to coordinate complex bids and the importance of compliance and quality. Being able to discuss specific examples from your past experiences will show that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Showcase Your Analytical Skills
As a Bid Manager, you'll need to produce analytics and summaries for decision-making. Prepare to discuss how you've used data in previous roles to track opportunities or improve processes. Bring examples of how your analytical skills have led to successful outcomes in bid operations.
✨Demonstrate Cross-Functional Collaboration
Highlight your experience working with diverse teams, especially in high-pressure environments. Be ready to share stories about how you’ve aligned different stakeholders towards a common goal, particularly in complex projects. This will show that you can manage the multi-stakeholder aspect of the role effectively.
✨Understand the Space Industry Landscape
Brush up on the latest trends and challenges in the space industry, especially regarding ESA/EU procurement frameworks. Showing that you’re informed about the sector will not only impress your interviewers but also demonstrate your genuine interest in the role and the company’s mission.