The posting
About the role
We are seeking an experienced Bid & Proposals Manager to enhance our approach to winning work across the firm.
This is a newly created role as part of a rapidly growing Marketing & Business Development team within the business. Focused on how we win work from new and existing clients, it’s a senior, hands-on role responsible for leading high-quality bids, proposals and presentations, improving commercial processes and bringing greater structure, visibility and consistency to how we pursue opportunities across the business.
Collaboration and influence are also essential. You will work closely with Partners, fee-earners, subject matter experts, colleagues in the marketing team and external suppliers to drive conversion of business development opportunities.,
A key part of the role will be leading major tenders and presentations from qualification through to submission and interview stage. You will help elevate the quality of our responses, strengthen our messaging and ensure we continue to differentiate ourselves in a competitive market.
This is an opportunity to help shape and evolve the commercial effectiveness of a growing professional services business, working across a wide range of sectors, service lines and high-profile client relationships.
What matters most in this role
Strong bid leadership and commercial awareness are critical.
You must be able to manage and improve the full bid lifecycle - bringing structure, creativity and consistency to proposals, presentations and interview preparation, whilst ensuring submissions remain commercially focused and aligned to client priorities.
Day-to-day, you'll
- Lead and manage the full bid and tender process from qualification through to submission and presentation
- Improve the quality, consistency and commercial impact of bids, proposals and presentations across the firm
- Coordinate and support fee-earners in their BD interactions with clients and prospects – introductory meetings, credentials presentations, pitches and interview preparation ensuring all supporting material is client-centred, commercially compelling and on-brand
- Manage and develop bid content libraries and knowledge management systems, including Loopio (the firm’s bid management platform)
- Help introduce greater process and rigour around the conversion of BD opportunities
- Develop and refine templates, collateral and presentation materials
- Coordinate lessons learned and post-submission reviews to continuously improve win rates
- Identify opportunities to streamline processes and improve the overall effectiveness of business development activity across the firm
What we expect of you
You will bring significant experience in a bids or proposals role, ideally within professional services, property, construction, legal or consultancy sectors.
You are confident leading complex bids and proposals and understand how to manage multiple stakeholders, competing deadlines and high-quality submissions without compromising attention to detail.
You are commercially aware and understand how professional services firms grow through relationships, reputation and consistent delivery.
You are comfortable operating in senior environments and able to work credibly with Partners and leadership teams - constructively challenging where needed and helping drive accountability and standards.
You will have experience improving systems and processes, particularly around bid management.
You are organised, proactive and solutions-focused, with the ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery.
Most importantly, you are collaborative and pragmatic. You look for ways to improve how things are done, strengthen commercial effectiveness and help teams work more consistently and efficiently together.
Experience
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in professional services business development, ideally bid management
- Demonstrable experience leading complex bids throughout the bid lifecycle, with strong project management skills
- Experience working with senior stakeholders and leadership teams in support of their BD activity
- Experience improving bid management systems, reporting or processes
- Strong presentation, writing and communication capability
Technical / systems
Ideally:
- Bid management/content systems experience (Loopio desirable but not essential)
- Strong presentation and proposal management capability
Why Workman?
- Hybrid working for better balance – minimum three days in the office.
- Core working hours (10am–4pm) for flexibility around your commute.
- Study support.
- Discretionary annual bonus and salary reviews.
- Healthcare, life insurance and wellness support.
- Long service additional holidays, your birthday off and an extra day between Christmas and New Year.
- Lifestyle benefits to suit you: gym membership, cycle to work, buy and sell holiday to name just a few.
- Social events throughout the year including a firm wide Christmas party!
- Generous referral bonus.
About Workman
We're the UK's largest independent commercial property management and building consultancy firm.
We're proud of our longstanding client relationships – some spanning over 25 years. Our clients include leading institutional and sector-specialist investors, private property companies, public sector bodies and a growing number of overseas investors.
For more information on working for Workman please visit our website: WORKMAN.CO.UK/OURPEOPLE
Our core belief
Great Workmanship starts with getting the fundamentals right.
Even though we're in the property business, we're all about the people.
Everything we do is built on collaboration, empowerment, autonomy, and integrity – not just words, but how we actually work.
We pride ourselves on the calibre of our employees and their unique skill sets.
Equal opportunities
We are an equal opportunities employer, and it is our policy to recruit a diverse workforce and follow the guidelines of the Equality Act 2010.
This job description does not form part of your contract of employment, and the duties may be amended from time to time.
