Bid Manager

Role: Bid Manager

Location: Warrington, Birmingham or London with travel as required (we offer Hybrid working supported by a Smart Working Policy)

Full Time or Part Time: Full Time

Directorate: Corporate Services (Operations)

Company Overview:

Ardent is the UK’s leading provider of land, consent management and stakeholder engagement services to support major infrastructure and regeneration projects from concept to delivery.

We are Project Managers, Chartered Surveyors, Transport Planners and Land Referencers, based in London, Birmingham, Warrington, Leeds, Glasgow and Dublin and supporting projects throughout the UK and Ireland.

Established in 1992 to provide a 'one stop shop’ for land and property matters for major infrastructure projects, our client portfolio includes some of the biggest players across our four core sectors of transport, renewables, utilities and regeneration.

We are passionate about delivering life-improving change for communities and future generations and we are proud to play a key role in facilitating and delivering the UK and Ireland’s net zero agenda, improving connectivity, enabling the repurposing of high streets and town centres and delivering new homes for the people who need them most.

We are problem-solvers, can-doers and solution-drivers working collaboratively with our clients to provide proactive and strategic advice to identify and mitigate risks, deliver efficiencies and, ultimately, achieve deliverable consents and build projects that positively impact people’s lives and the world that we live in.

Directorate Overview: (Operations)

As a growing business, with currently 170+ employees, we are looking for a Bid Manager to lead the end-to-end bid process to support the increase in opportunities we are bidding for. This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing and exciting business. Ardent operates a collaborative environment, and this person will have the opportunity to continuously broaden his/her exposure and develop a rewarding career through working with our Sector Leads and commercial leads.

Key Objectives of the role:

• Coordinating the end-to-end bid process, including opportunity identification, qualification and proposal submission.
• Developing and executing bid / proposal strategies that align with the company’s goals and client requirements.
• Coordinating with various teams, including Heads of Strategic Growth, Directorate technical authors, General Counsel, and Finance to ensure all aspects of a bid are addressed.
• Managing bid budgets, resources, and timelines to ensure on-time and high-quality proposal submissions.
• Identifying new business opportunities by monitoring public and private sector tender portals.
• Monitoring and evaluating bid performance metrics to identify areas for improvement.

Key Roles and Responsibilities of the role:

• Lead and coordinate the entire bid management process, including reviewing bid invitations, conducting bid/no-bid analysis, and establishing timelines.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, such as Heads of Strategic Growth, Corporate Services, and subject matter experts, to gather information and develop bid strategies.
• Coordinate and facilitate bid review meetings, ensuring key stakeholders provide input and address concerns or issues.
• Work with Heads of Strategic Growth, Managing Directors, and Finance team to develop competitive pricing strategies that align with bid requirements and profitability targets.
• Work with marketing team to ensure bid documents and graphics are on brand and consistent in appearance.
• Coordinate with General Counsel and Operations team to ensure bid proposals meet all legal and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor and track bid performance metrics, analysing win/loss data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Conduct post-bid analysis and debrief sessions to identify areas of improvement and implement lessons learned for future bids.
• Continuously refine and improve bid processes, templates and best practices to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and success rates.
• Stay updated on industry trends, market insights and emerging best practices in bid management.

Knowledge, Experience & Skills Required:

The ideal candidate for this Bid Manager role will have demonstrable experience in bid management and have held similar positions in other consultancy businesses. You will demonstrate an eagerness to learn and develop in a varied role that will require you to adapt and manage in a changing environment.

The successful candidate will have:

• Experience in managing bids, preferably for complex projects or large-scale contracts.
• Demonstrated success in winning bids through effective proposal management.
• Strong understanding of the bid lifecycle and proposal writing.
• Proficiency in using bid management software and MS Office.
• Attention to detail and high accuracy in bid preparation and review.
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders at various levels.
• Ability to create visually appealing and engaging bids.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks, meet deadlines and manage multiple bids simultaneously.
• Some knowledge and experience of AI and other forms of technology to streamline bid processes and improve data analytics to inform decision-making.
• Exceptional organisational and time management skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills to assess bid opportunities and develop winning strategies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and persuasively.

Behavioral Skills Required (Based on our Values) :

• Thirst for Knowledge (We embrace opportunities to learn and improve for personal and professional growth) - Demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of yourself, and your people, for your role in a growth company and future role. Coach and mentor others (or actively engage with your Coach) to have a deep understanding of their knowledge and experience. Actively supporting with areas of development and career goals, extending beyond a technical remit and actively developing your business knowledge on an on-going basis.
• Own It (We do what we say we will. We own our individual actions, are accountable for them and take pride in adding value) - Act like it matters, take pride and caring about the outcome of people in your team, or who you work with, and your clients objectives.

• Be the Difference (Focus energy to make things happen. Be beyond process. Stand up, Stand out) - Be confident in your decisions and implementing them, taking into account the wider structure and objectives of the business, working with or alongside peers across the business. Be more than any other competent person in your role.

• Enjoy the Journey (Have fun, be engaged and be proud to be Ardent) - Translating goals and visions of the business into meaningful objectives for your team in a positive and engaging manner (delivering excellence in your own objectives), demonstrating your commitment to Ardent and the wellbeing and development of your team and colleagues. Understand the needs of your people and colleagues to have, purpose/fulfilment, personal growth, engagement, team culture and fair pay.

• Adapt (We drive change and innovation to deliver growth and new opportunities in an ever-changing world) - As a growth company Ardent is all about change. You must be a change maker. Demonstrate ability to drive and/or implement change to enable Ardent to continue to excel. Listen to your team and people you work with to actively search for opportunities to create change. Exhibit a resilient attitude, communicate key information in a clear and engaging way to influence others.

Ardent is an equal opportunities employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of race, colour, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability status or other legally protected characteristics.

With people at the core of our business, we offer employees an unrivalled career opportunity rather than simply a job. In a fast growing organisation, we train, develop and support our staff to grow and achieve their career goals. This is supported by a number of initiatives to look after the wellbeing of our employees whilst allowing employees to work flexibility and maintain a positive work life balance.

We offer an attractive benefits package to include :-

• Hybrid working
• Healthcare plan
• Career progression
• Coaching
• Cycle to Work
• Electric Car Scheme
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

For more information, please see our services page on our website at www.ardent-management.com

Interested? Get in touch!

Should you be interested in hearing more about the position or wish to send your cv in to people@ardent-management.com or contact Stuart Thomas stuartthomas@ardent-management.com