Overview
As Senior Bid Manager at Thales DMS ISR UK, you will lead end-to-end bid delivery for UK and international opportunities, establishing clear governance and high-quality proposals. You will work closely with Capture Leaders to shape compelling win themes aligned with customer needs and Thales strengths. You will manage cost estimation, budgeting, and business-case preparation to support winning pricing. This hybrid Crawley role offers broad impact across multi-site teams, contributing to Thales' growth in defence technologies and mission systems.
Pay / Benefits
- Performance-related bonus
- Friday half-day
- 28 days leave + up to 40 hours' paid leave
- Volunteering paid time
- Private healthcare
- Pension scheme
Responsibilities
- Provide structure, clarity, and governance to bid management activities with rigorous processes.
- Lead preparation, review, and submission of bid deliverables and proposals.
- Collaborate with Capture Leaders to develop win themes aligned with customer needs and Thales strengths.
- Oversee cost estimation and budgeting with stakeholders to ensure competitive pricing.
- Support Sales/Capture Lead in business cases, customer presentations, and negotiations.
Key requirements
- Proven track record in managing successful bids in defence, heavy engineering, or manufacturing contexts within a multi-site organisation.
- Ability to construct solutions that meet market needs both commercially and technically.
- Full business lifecycle management including capture, qualification, and capture plans.
- Extensive client and stakeholder management experience.
- Strong understanding of bid processes, Change Control, Risk Management, and Information Management.
- Experience across commercial, finance, and cross-boundary collaboration.
- Working knowledge of industry-standard bid management approaches (e.g., Shipley Capture Bench).
- Security Clearance: UK National with ability to achieve SC clearance; dual-national consideration possible; residence requirements apply.
- Stakeholder management
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Negotiation
- Shipley Capture Bench
- Bid management processes
- Cost estimation
Senior Bid Manager in Crawley employer: Thales Group
Thales is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration in the heart of Crawley. With a strong commitment to employee growth, we provide extensive training opportunities, competitive benefits including private medical insurance and annual bonuses, and a supportive environment where your contributions directly impact the future of technology. Join us to be part of a team that values diversity, encourages creativity, and prioritises ethical AI solutions.
