Bid Lead

Company description

We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future.

As strategies, technologies and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity.

Our diverse teams of experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough use of technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results.

An innovation and transformation consultancy, we are over 4000 specialists in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport. Our people are strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers and technologists.

We operate globally from offices across the UK, US, Netherlands and Nordics.

Job description

Stuck in a rut, needing a new challenge?

PA is looking for exceptional Strategic Bid Leaders to lead bid teams to create powerful, compliant and differentiated responses to client challenges. In this role, you will be hands on, leading on the planning and management of all deliverables to ensure best practice is followed, at all times. 

Working within one of our sector teams, you will become a pivotal individual in the growth of those teams as you manage the biggest and most complex opportunities.

Sectors we operate in include:

• Financial Services
• Health & Life Sciences
• Defence & Security
• Public Sector
• Transport
• Consumer & Manufacturing
• Energy & Utilities

You will report to PA’s Head of Strategic Bids and be supported by the Head of Sales and the wider Central Sales team.

You will have opportunity to:

• Manage the bidding and tender process to best practice standards, including planning the bid timeline, identifying timing of key deliverables; calling/insisting on and preparing for critical meetings, managing deadlines & deliverables, keeping those responsible aware of what is required.
• Manage the approvals processes, required materials and sign offs, including organising gates and key reviews.
• Organise & mobilise bid teams.
• Liaise with authors to ensure materials are received, corrected and returned and contribute content, provide editorial control and quality assurance to written content.
• Compare the proposal with the requirement to ensure a compliant bid.
• Manage expenditure to achieve the agreed bid budget.
• Assist in developing, maintaining and improving bid management processes and challenging existing practices.
• Maintain robust client/target dialogue records, assumptions and competitor intelligence.
• Coach other Bid Managers on a variety of bids to achieve the same outcomes.
• Assist in developing, maintaining and improving bid management processes and challenging existing practices.

Qualifications

What strengths will you need to thrive in this role?

• People skills – build relationships quickly and bring groups together to form up as teams in hours, not days or weeks.
• Gravitas – know your strengths and how to bring your experience as actionable insight for the team to use.
• Curiosity – You are unlikely to know the client or the solution in depth, but your role is to probe the team to make sure that they can articulate the insight that they bring and then make sure that these insights are evident throughout the written response and in the pitch.
• Literacy – You love straight forward language and clarity. These skills will support the team throughout to simplify the way that they communicate complex solutions.
• Eye for detail – Being able to hone in on the smallest details to make sure that your bid is compliant, mistake free and accurate is key.
• Flexibility – You will need to be comfortable with change. Timelines are frequently adjusted, client demands shift and you need to be able to roll with these changes and feel energised by the changing landscape.
• Self-starter – You will work directly with the sector teams
• Proactive – You love fixing problems. If you see a challenge, first, come up with a solution or range of solutions and then get buy-in to fix it. PA is a wonderful place to get things done.

About You

• Ideally possess an APMP or PRINCE2 qualification.
• Be an expert in MS Project and Word
• Demonstrate excellent relationship and people skills, time management / prioritisation skills, strong written English language skills and good attention to detail.

We know the skill-gap and ‘need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today by completing our online application

Additional information

Life At PA encompasses our peoples' experience at PA. It's about how we enrich peoples’ working lives by giving them access to unique people and growth opportunities and purpose led meaningful work.

We believe diversity fuels ingenuity. Diversity of thought brings exciting perspectives; diversity of experience brings a wealth of knowledge, and diversity of skills brings the tools we need. When we bring people together with diverse backgrounds, identities, and minds, embracing that difference through an inclusive culture where our people thrive; we unleash the power of diversity – bringing ingenuity to life.

Find out more about Life at PA here.

We are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial well-being of our people. Check out some of our extensive benefits:

• Health and lifestyle perks accompanying private healthcare for you and your family
• 25 days annual leave (plus a bonus half day on Christmas Eve) with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
• Generous company pension scheme
• Opportunity to get involved with community and charity-based initiatives
• Annual performance-based bonus
• PA share ownership
• Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)

We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief veteran status, or other by any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We are on a journey towards ensuring our workforce is diverse at all levels and that our firm is representative of the world around us. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

Adjustments or accommodations - Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us at recruitmentenquiries@paconsulting.com