Bid Director

Bid Director
Home-based with UK Travel       
Full Time, Permanent    
£70,000 - £85,000 (dependent on experience)    

Here at Serco, we are seeking a Bid Director with proven experience in structuring, leading and winning bids of significant complexity and scale, with a specific focus on bidding and winning work with key government departments.

We are currently expanding our team. In this brand-new role, you will focus primarily on Justice & Immigration (J&I) opportunities, leading a team of bidding professionals in this sector. As a senior member of the bidding community, you will play an active part in team development, continuous improvement and cross-portfolio challenge and support.

Your time will be well utilised with great opportunities for personal development, owing to a strong pipeline with a range of complex large-scale bids ahead. You will join a team who are focused on work winning, as well as ensuring we work in a way that prioritises wellbeing and developing the growth leaders of the future. We take pride in making a difference, to each other and the citizens that we serve.

As part of this you'll:

• Lead and Deliver Bids: Take charge of structuring, leading, and winning complex and large-scale bids, with a focus on Public Sector engagements within the J&I domain
• Team Leadership: Manage and inspire a team of bidding professionals, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and cross-portfolio support
• Strategic Planning: Develop and maintain effective bid plans aligned with the business strategy, ensuring high-quality outcomes and improved win rates
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with operational business units, ensuring their support throughout the bidding process
• Customer Engagement: Lead customer engagement activities, including negotiation, presentations, and clarification questions
• Governance and Compliance: Manage resources through the bid lifecycle (Gates 3-5) and ensure robust qualification processes are in place to increase win rates
• Commercial Strategy: Lead the commercial team's activities within bids, balancing risk and reward in line with customer requirements and affordability
• Team Collaboration: Foster collaboration and knowledge transfer within the team and across the business unit to achieve growth targets
• Mentoring and Coaching: Provide coaching and mentoring to junior team members, supporting their growth and development
• Innovation: Actively contribute to the development of new propositions to support innovative solutions for bids
• Continuous Learning: Ensure lessons learned are incorporated into future activities, promoting a culture of ongoing improvement
   

What you'll need to do the role:
 

• Proven experience in successfully leading and winning complex bids
• Strong assessment skills to measure capture performance and resolve issues effectively
• Proficiency in commercial and financial understanding, ensuring a balanced risk/reward/price approach in qualified opportunities
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to engage with stakeholders at various levels
• Goal-oriented, creative problem-solving and business development skills
• Adaptability to operate effectively in a dynamic, high-profile and changing market
• Proficiency in bidding methodologies and the flexibility to ensure execution excellence
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate customer needs effectively
• Numerical and commercial acumen
• Self-motivation and self-management skills while providing leadership to a diverse team
• Resilience and the ability to work in a pressurised environment while prioritising team effectiveness and wellbeing
• Experience in promoting diversity within teams and creating an inclusive environment

Why Serco:

Meaningful and vital work: In this position, your work is vital to the business, in terms of decisions and growth. You will gain a world of opportunity working for a globally operating business delivering essential services across 5 vital sectors, personal growth, achievement and development won't be hard to find. You'll also work with great people. You'll find yourself working in a highly motivated, supportive environment where no two days are the same, with experienced colleagues who strive for excellence.

What we offer:

• Company car / £4200 cash alternative
• Bonus scheme - 10% on target, 20% exceeding targets
• Private healthcare
• Flexible working considered
• Pension - 6%
• A company passionate about diversity and inclusion
• Growth and development opportunities - Serco will support with a range of qualifications
• A range of benefits to support the health and wellbeing of you and your family such as Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, Thrive App, Simply Health Plans and more
• Access to a huge range of discounts and exclusive deals such as Merlin Attractions, Mobile Phone discounts, Cinema discounts, Leisure and Hospitality discounts
• Up to 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase more
• Life assurance

*Please note the internal job title for this role will be Principal Bid Lead due to internal gradings 

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.  We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks - SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. 

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Silver Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.  For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.
 

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the 'Ban the Box' pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.