Head of Bids and Frameworks

We are looking for a Head of Bids and Frameworks whose primary focus is to iterate and evolve the skills, operating model and organisational structure required to win strategic public sector work at scale. You will grow and lead a high-performing bid function (process, capability and capacity) that consistently delivers compelling, compliant submissions and enables our growth in central government. You will form part of the Public Sector Senior Leadership Team. You’ll report to the Director of Public Sector and will have the opportunity to contribute to the Public Sector strategy. Collectively, this team is responsible for a portfolio of £30m+, with an expectation of significant, well‑managed growth in future.

You will provide governance and oversight to the bid management function within the organisation, including line management, recruitment and career progression for bid staff. It is expected that you may be directly involved in the management and success of major (£5m+) bids. Success in this role will be measured against the bid win rate, revenue supported and positive employee experience of the bid/presales pipelines.

You Will Be Responsible For

• Frameworks: Monitor and understand the structure and requirements of UK government procurement frameworks. Work towards securing positions on new frameworks and ensure legal and commercial compliance with existing ones. Foster relationships with key stakeholders within public sector procurement to stay informed of changes and upcoming opportunities. Manage the process of monitoring frameworks for new opportunities. Work with account and delivery colleagues, and your own relationships, to maintain awareness of upcoming tenders. Develop knowledge of tenders, buyers and competitors to support triaging of bids. Monitor internal bid resource availability to ensure that we prioritise strategic bids and maintain a manageable level of workload in our sales and delivery teams. Provide accurate reporting on pipeline status.
• Bids: Set overall bid management strategy, including the processes, tools and resources that we need to deliver compelling bids to the public sector. Oversee the bid management process, including liaising with the resourcing team to identify and staff the right team with the necessary resources and skills for each bid. Overall ownership of the quality of Public Sector bids, including supporting best practices in bid writing and presentation. Analyse post-bid reviews to gather insights and improve future strategies.
• Process and improvement: Enhance knowledge management processes to efficiently capture and utilise insights from successful bids and completed projects. Streamline operations to speed up the handling of standard bid components, reducing repetitive work. Develop training programmes for those contributing to presales, ensuring updates on the latest bidding techniques and compliance requirements. Utilise technology for automation to enhance efficiency and accuracy in bid preparation. Ownership and management of a centralised database for all bid-related documents and templates to ensure consistency and accessibility.

About You

You are a strategic thinker with a deep understanding of the UK public sector procurement landscape, particularly in relation to government frameworks and large‑scale bids. With a proven track record of winning substantial (£5m+) bids and securing positions on key frameworks, you possess both the expertise and team skills needed to drive success in a fast‑paced, high‑stakes environment.

You have prior experience leading and coaching bid management teams in professional services sales, where bids involve significant tailoring of the offer. You have a good understanding of best‑practice approaches, tools and processes for bids, and the leadership skills to help drive their adoption. You are organised and have a strong eye for detail. You have experience in moving at pace, without sacrificing quality. Whilst able to work creatively, you will also ensure that we remain compliant with the client’s requirements. You are collaborative, and your default approach is to work as a team, openly sharing information, resources and communications. You are comfortable in a culture which values and rewards collective success over personal attribution and that takes a “One Team” approach to everything we do. You take a can‑do approach and don’t mind getting your hands dirty and leaning into issues and opportunities that you identify. You don’t need a perfect environment to thrive, and where there are problems, you take a positive approach to making them better.

About Softwire

Softwire is a leading UK technology and strategy consultancy. From enterprise to government, we help visionary organisations turn strategic ambitions into results at scale. Our practices cover AI transformation, data platforms, systems engineering, advanced CX and experience design. Softwire was founded on one simple idea: if we can create the best possible culture and working environment, then everything else will fall into place. And it seems to be working - we were recently voted number 1 company to work for in the UK at the Best Company awards, and we are a successful and growing supplier to the UK public sector with a great track record creating high‑quality services that cater for everyone. We’ve worked across government, in Trade (UKEF), Healthcare (OHID), Climate Change (DESNZ), National Security, Elections, and Grants (MHCLG). We deliver full‑lifecycle projects from Discovery, through Alpha, Beta, and long‑term support. We have a mature and successful offering with strong relationships across several departments and successful £multi‑million engagements delivering high‑quality outcomes for citizens and government. We plan to expand both our capabilities and our scale, and we are looking for someone to support this growth and provide the structure to enable us to scale. We are currently on the Digital Outcomes and Specialists (DOS) framework, Digital Capability for Health 2 (DCfH2), GCloud, TS4, and the DALAS framework. We plan to expand to other frameworks in the future.

Culture

We focus on creating a great culture and working environment, and we are looking for people who share our core beliefs about what makes a great place to work: that if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly; that work should be both fulfilling and fun; that kindness matters and should be extended to employees and clients alike; and that by being trusting and trustworthy as an organisation and as individuals, we can dispense with tedious bureaucracy and rules.

When you work with Softwire, you’re not only becoming part of a team with in‑depth skills and delivery expertise – you’ll be working in a high‑trust environment alongside skilled, kind, fun people who are passionate about creating amazing services and experiences that solve real problems.

What We Offer

Softwire operates transparent pay scales and a profit share scheme based on role and overall company performance. Base salary is based on experience in a similar role and ranges from £92,100 - £103,700. You can expect to receive an average of between £15,000 and £20,000 in profit share, depending on your experience and company performance. Pension: Additional 5% of salary. 25 days annual leave (with the option to buy up to 10 more days). Time off for company‑wide morale events, time off for charitable activities. Free annual eye test, income protection, cycle to work, electric vehicle lease schemes, and payroll charity donations.

Flexibility

We are a flexible employer who understands that being committed to a job is not the same as sacrificing everything for it: a holiday is a holiday; if you need flexibility for life stuff, that’s not a problem; and we don’t expect (or want) long hours - we believe in a good work/life balance.