Bid Manager

Are you looking for a new opportunity to take your career to a higher orbit? To join an international group with a successful track record in Space Engineering? A job adapted to your career ambitions and in which you could have an impact for the years to come?

We are looking for an experienced and proactive Bid Manager to lead and oversee the end-to-end bidding process at Starion.

In this role, you will guide bid/no-bid decisions, oversee bid preparation, submission, and follow-up, and ensure proposals are competitive, compliant, and meet client needs.  This position is key to our growth and requires strong project management skills, effective stakeholder coordination, and a thorough understanding of business needs. The ideal candidate will have expertise in the space and/or cybersecurity sectors, a deep knowledge of bid management best practices, and a proactive approach to continuously improving proposal quality and efficiency.

The position reports to the Director of Sales and Proposal Management and can be based in any of our European offices.

Tasks and activities

The scope of work will include:

• Bid Management: Lead and manage the end-to-end process of creating, submitting, and tracking high-quality bids and proposals.
• Bid Strategy: Work with senior leadership and business development teams to develop bid strategies, set win themes, and align with company objectives.
• Tender Review: Critically analyse tender documents to ensure accurate, high-quality responses that align with client expectations and company capabilities.
• Proposal Writing: Work with subject matter experts to craft tailored, high-quality proposals that maximize competitiveness and align with client expectations and company capabilities.
• Stakeholder Coordination & Pre-sales Support: Collaborate with internal teams (Sales, Legal, Finance, Operations) and external partners to gather information and ensure timely, high-quality bid submissions. Support to the sales team in strategic pre-sales activities, facilitating client engagement to drive successful outcomes and deal closure.
• Compliance, Risk Management & Quality Assurance: Ensure all bids comply with company policies and client specifications, identifying potential risks and developing strategies to mitigate them. Review proposals for consistency, accuracy, and alignment with client needs.
• Timeline Management: Develop bid plans, manage milestones and deadlines, proactively monitor progress, address delays or bottlenecks. Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely completion of each phase, aligned with strategic priorities.
• Client and Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain relationships with clients and partners throughout the bidding process. representing the company in meetings to foster collaboration and successful outcomes.
• Negotiations: Lead and manage negotiations with clients, subcontractors, and suppliers to secure favourable terms and agreements, ensuring alignment with company objectives and risk management policies.
• Post-Submission Activities: Oversee the submission and follow-up of bids, attend debrief sessions and analyse feedback to improve future bidding.
• Continuous Improvement: Stay informed on bid management best practices and proactively propose process improvements, enhancing proposal quality, efficiency, and overall effectiveness.

Skills and experience

The following skills and experience are mandatory:

• University Degree or equivalent in a relevant technical field (e.g., telecommunications, aerospace engineering, cybersecurity) or in business.
• At least 5 years proven in bid management, proposal writing, or a related field, preferably in international environment.
• Core Expertise: Knowledge of procurement processes, legal/compliance requirements, and the bid/no-bid decision process. Ability to assess risk, profitability, and strategic alignment for each opportunity. Ability to understand the company’s products or services, including their technical features, benefits, and potential applications.
• Management & Organizational Skills: Proven competence in managing multiple projects and bids concurrently, prioritizing tasks effectively, and maintaining excellent attention to detail. Systematic approach to organizing workflows, ensuring delivery of high-quality, on-time results.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to identify potential challenges and provide innovative solutions to ensure successful bid submissions. Ability to adapt quickly to changes and resolve issues under tight deadlines.
• Software Proficiency: Experience with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, foster a collaborative team environment, and actively support colleagues in meeting deadlines and achieving shared goals.
• Solution oriented mindset, with a customer focused communication skill.
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken. Another European language (preferably French and/or Spanish and/or Dutch) is an asset.

The following skills and experience would be highly desirable:

• Proven experience collaborating with industry partners and European institutions on tenders, grants, or contracts within the space and/or cybersecurity sectors.
• Familiarity with reviewing contracts and understanding key terms related to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.

Why should you apply?

• You will have the opportunity to work within leading space organisations across Europe.
• We encourage everyone to think outside the box and to push the boundaries of traditional knowledge. This role is an opportunity to join a forward-thinking company and allows for a deeper understanding of the industry.
• To be part of a company that values integrity, inspiration, care and collaboration.
• Benefits include: competitive remuneration packages; unique career opportunities, including working in other countries; access to training and development programmes; flexible relocation support.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, all genders, LGBTQ+ individuals and ex-service personnel.