At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the bid process for global defence shipbuilding opportunities and negotiate contracts.
- Company: Join a dynamic UK arm of a global shipbuilding group with ambitious growth plans.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, shareholder opportunity, private health insurance, and flexible working hours.
- Other info: Be part of a growing team with real autonomy and career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Take ownership of bids and shape the future of shipbuilding in a high-impact role.
- Qualifications: Experience in bid management, strong negotiation skills, and a degree in relevant fields.
SLR Recruitment is currently seeking a Bid Manager for Advanced Shipbuilding in Southampton. Bids don't win themselves. We need someone who refuses to let them slip. We're the UK arm of a global shipbuilding group known for high-performance vessels built for defence, government, and commercial clients around the world. Backed by serious international scale and a growing order book, we're building our UK presence from the ground up, moving fast, and punching well above our size.
That means real autonomy, real ownership, and a genuine seat at the table as we scale. If you're ambitious, restless, and ready to prove what you can do, if you've already had a taste of defence or government contracting and you're itching for more responsibility than your current role gives you, then this is your chance to stop being a cog in someone else's machine and start building something that's actually yours.
The Role
You'll own the end-to-end bid process for global defence shipbuilding opportunities — from tender review through to contract award. Working across legal, finance, engineering, and operations, and alongside external advisors, suppliers, and government partners, you'll shape submissions that are compliant, competitive, and, above all, profitable. Alongside bid leadership, you'll understand real commercial acumen: reviewing and negotiating contracts, drafting key clauses, running risk assessments, and making sure requirements flow through cleanly 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.
This isn't a role where you wait to be told what to do. We want someone who spots the problem before it's a problem, chases the margin relentlessly, and has the confidence to make the call and own the outcome.
What you'll be doing
- Leading bids through the full lifecycle, tender review, governance, clarifications, internal approvals, submission
- Negotiating commercial terms with customers and suppliers in line with our risk appetite
- Drafting and finalising contractual clauses, keeping contracts profitable and risk tightly managed
- 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 push win rates higher
- Feeding lessons learned from past bids back into the business to build long-term capability
What we're looking for
- At least two years' experience in a commercial or bid management role, with a track record of getting bids over the line
- A degree in business, law, engineering, maritime studies, or similar — or equivalent hands-on experience that proves the point just as well
- 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 real commercial and legal awareness
- Comfortable managing stakeholders across technical, commercial, and operational teams
- Strong analytical and organisational skills, confident with Microsoft Office and bid management tools
- Eligible for UK security clearance (SC minimum)
- Up for occasional international travel, including to group shipyards and customers
- Most importantly: dynamic, driven, unapologetically ambitious, and genuinely excited by the idea of building something rather than just running it
Why join us
- Shareholder opportunity — build equity in a business that's going somewhere, not just draw a salary
- A genuine growth story — join early, grow with us, and help shape what this business becomes as we push toward global leadership
- Private health insurance, incentivisation scheme, flexible working
The Package
- £40,000–£60,000 depending on experience
- Shareholder / equity opportunity
- Private health insurance
- Incentivisation scheme
- Flexible working hours
Bid Manager in Southampton employer: SLR Recruitment
SLR Recruitment offers an exceptional opportunity for a Bid Manager in Southampton, where you can take ownership of the bid process in a dynamic and ambitious environment. With a focus on employee growth, you'll have the chance to build equity in a rapidly expanding business while enjoying benefits like private health insurance and flexible working hours. Join us to be part of a genuine growth story and help shape the future of global shipbuilding.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Bid Manager in Southampton
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We think you need these skills to ace Bid Manager in Southampton
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Analytical Skills:In the business intelligence field, showcasing your analytical skills is a must. Make sure your CV includes relevant experience with data analysis tools, programming languages like SQL or Python, and any projects where you've interpreted complex data sets to drive business decisions.
Showcase Your Business Acumen:Don't just focus on data; show us how you can apply your insights to real-world business problems. Highlight projects where you made a tangible impact on company performance, and be prepared to explain your thought process in your cover letter.
Tailor Your Documents for Us:When applying for a full-time role at SLR Recruitment, tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect our organisational goals and strategies. Mention specific tools and methodologies that align with what we do—this shows you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in our mission!
Include Relevant Certifications:Certifications like Google Data Analytics or similar qualifications can really make you stand out in business intelligence. Include these in your application, as they demonstrate your commitment to the field and your willingness to stay current with industry standards.
How to prepare for a job interview at SLR Recruitment
✨Show off your analytical skills
In a business intelligence role, you're going to need to demonstrate your analytical prowess. Be prepared to discuss specific tools you've used, like SQL, Tableau, or Power BI. Have real-world examples ready where you’ve turned data into actionable insights – this is what makes us shine in interviews!
✨Practice your technical know-how
Expect some technical questions during the interview that dive deep into your understanding of data modelling and analytics frameworks. Brush up on your knowledge of data warehousing concepts and be ready to tackle any real case scenarios they might present. They’ll want to see how you approach problems using your BI toolkit.
✨Portfolio of Projects
Since it's a full-time role, having a strong portfolio is key! Compile case studies demonstrating your previous projects, preferably showing how your insights led to business improvements. This can help us display how you think through complex datasets and your problem-solving process, which is what employers are keen on seeing.
✨Know their business model
Get familiar with SLR Recruitment’s business model and recent data-driven decisions. Be prepared to discuss how your skills can specifically support their objectives or challenges. Understanding their landscape shows that you’re not just a data buff, but you’re also genuinely interested in how BI can impact their bottom line.
