Bid Manager

Do you have experience of bid writing and managing bid processes?

Are you interested in identifying, developing and pursuing tender opportunities across different public sector markets?
Consider the role of a Bid Manager / Business Development Manager at Reed in Partnership!
We are on a mission to be the partner of choice for developing people and their communities. Reed in Partnership is a public service provider specialising in skills training for the long-term unemployed, increasing employment opportunities by working with employers and providing youth services.

What is the role about?

Working in the Reed in Partnership Business Development Team the Business Development Manager will be responsible for managing new business development opportunities to support our continuing growth and expansion.

This role will focus primarily on delivering the strategy for growth and expansion of our business across our 5 Business Divisions (Reed Employability, Reed Wellbeing, Reed Assessment, Reed Citizens Services and Reed Environment), as well as into new markets and sectors.

Reed In Partnership has an ambitious plan for growth and ongoing diversification, as well as retaining and strengthening business within our core markets. This will include all aspects of bid writing and bid management for tendered for business (with support from the team), as well as partnership development to secure new contracts.

This is not an exhaustive list and a Business Development Manager will be expected to carry out any other duties as may be specified by their manager from time to time and may involve temporary secondments to other teams to support the growth of the business. Reed in Partnership is a privately owned company with over 1200 staff in the UK.

Our mission is to positively transform people and their communities. We do this by delivering high quality public services, including employment, skills, youth, education, training, business support, e-assessment and wellbeing services, that improve the lives of tens of thousands of people each year. Reed in Partnership requires the full commitment and cooperation of its employees to strictly adhere to company policies and procedures, which includes quality standards, data protection, health and safety, diversity and safeguarding.

Just some of your day-to-day responsibilities will include

The Business Development Manager will be required to:

• Provide leadership to bid development projects.
• Engage effectively with commissioners to promote Reed in Partnership and ensure our tender proposals effectively respond to their needs.
• Take a role in working with internal stakeholders and external partners to identify, develop and pursue tender/sales opportunities.
• Foster productive relationships with competitors/partners whilst retaining commercial sensitivities for both parties.
• Work collaboratively with Commercial Finance colleagues to provide financial assumptions to inform commercial bid models and present commercial models to internal stakeholders.
• Undertake research to contribute to briefings and assessment of potential markets and provide research summaries to inform entry to new markets identified as a priority.
• Use analytical, communication and influencing skills to make recommendations to pursue/not pursue new business opportunities.
• Develop high quality, logical, tender responses and proposals to time and to meet sufficient quality, which respond effectively to the requirements of tender specifications.
• Consult and evaluate supply chain relationships at all levels and to make recommendations to support proposals, bearing in mind current operational relationships across current contracts.
• Lead, coach and develop team members on specific projects to assist with delivery of the above responsibilities, clearly delegating work within tight timelines.
• Effectively handover winning tenders to the implementation teams charged with delivery.

What’s in it for you?

Alongside a generous base salary (pro-rata for part time), and great flexibility with your working schedule, we offer training, development and progression opportunities. You will have access to the range of Reed in Partnership benefits, which include:

• 25 days annual leave (pro-rata for part time) plus statutory bank holidays
• Reed Pension Scheme
• Award Winning Management & Leadership training
• Professional & Personal Development Funds
• Bi-annual pay reviews
• Plus much more that can be found Here

With the chance to dramatically make a difference to the local community, this role offers immense job satisfaction.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for someone with

Essential Attainments:

• At least two years experience working within allied or demonstrably relevant sectors or industries or sectors for example (though by no means limited to) bidding and proposals, complex supply chain management or government services or social policy development.
• Experience in the presentation of business processes to both critical and high level audiences.
• A minimum of 2 A-Levels or an equivalent Level 3 Diploma. GCSE English Language at a minimum of a Grade B (or equivalent Level 2 qualification). OR achievement of a Level 2 in Literacy Assessment at interview stage.

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of networking and influencing skills with Senior Management and stakeholders across multiple organisations and agendas.
• Translating networked and other market intelligence into digestible reports and actionable business communications.
• Experience of coaching and supporting small teams and working with them to achieve specific projects to demanding and tight timescales maintaining a short term focus on quality of outputs while also building the capacity for quality to improve.
• Highly developed analytical skills. Superlative written and verbal communication skills demonstrated in the compelling and persuasive communication of complex business concepts, operational delivery models or process solutions.
• Consultancy skills enabling the rapid self-directed assimilation of organisational processes and business drivers and their refashioning to create winning propositions to third parties.
• A very high degree of commercial awareness constantly focusing on the cost and bottom line impacts of process and organisational design.

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