Bid Manager - Aviation

Bid/Proposals Manager

Location: Crawley, West Sussex
Working Pattern: 4 days onsite per week
Salary: Competitive + Bonus
Employment Type: Full-time, permanent

We are seeking a commercially astute and technically capable Bid/Proposals Manager to lead global aftermarket opportunities for advanced aviation training and simulation equipment.

You will manage bids for equipment upgrades, modifications, obsolescence solutions, technology refresh, enhancements and in-service support. Leading opportunities from qualification through to proposal, negotiation, contract award and delivery handover, you will ensure solutions are technically deliverable, commercially competitive and aligned with customer requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead global aftermarket bids from customer enquiry through to contract award and handover.
• Translate customer requirements into clear, costed and deliverable technical and commercial solutions.
• Coordinate bid inputs across Sales, Engineering, Solutions Architecture, Programme Management, Supply Chain, Finance, Commercial and Service teams.
• Develop scopes of work, including deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, dependencies and acceptance criteria.
• Prepare estimates, schedules, pricing inputs and high-quality proposals.
• Manage technical, commercial and delivery risks, including integration, obsolescence, suppliers and customer-site constraints.
• Lead bid reviews, governance approvals, customer clarifications and contract negotiations.
• Improve bid performance through reusable content, estimating data and lessons learned.

Skills & Experience

• Experience in bid, capture, proposal or complex commercial management.
• Experience leading opportunities from qualification through proposal, negotiation and contract award.
• Strong technical understanding of integrated hardware and software systems.
• Experience within aviation, aerospace, simulation, defence, engineering or another regulated technical environment.
• Ability to define practical solutions, evaluate system dependencies and develop robust scopes of work.
• Strong commercial judgement across cost, schedule, profitability, feasibility and risk.
• Excellent proposal-writing, customer-management and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Strong Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint capability.

Desirable

• Knowledge of electro-mechanical/software products.
• Experience in upgrades, modifications, obsolescence management, technology refresh or in-service support.
• Engineering, Systems Engineering, Aerospace, Computing or similar technical qualification.
• APMP, Shipley or other bid-management training.

If you are a technically credible Bid Manager who enjoys developing compelling customer solutions and leading complex bids in a fast-paced environment, we would like to hear from you.

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