Bid & Governance Manager - 12 Month Maternity Cover
We have a standout opportunity to join Zenith, the UK's leading independent leasing and fleet management business, supporting some of the biggest blue‑chip customers in the UK.
This 12‑month maternity cover position is a high‑profile opportunity for a Bid Manager to work on large, high‑value, high‑impact tenders spanning both our Corporate and Commercial divisions. You'll be at the centre of how Zenith competes and wins, shaping proposals that influence major national contracts and multi‑service solutions.
If you're currently working in vehicle leasing, fleet management, or finance leasing, or you understand contract hire and asset‑based funding, this role gives you the chance to broaden your commercial exposure, increase your visibility across the business, and take real ownership. You'll partner directly with our Sales Director, CRM Director and senior leaders on complex commercial deals, blue‑chip tenders, and cross‑functional strategic work.
You'll lead a talented bids team, bring structure and pace to our tender pipeline, and play a pivotal role in securing high‑value, multi‑stakeholder contracts that shape Zenith's continued growth.
Your Role & Impact
You will lead a team of experienced bid professionals and take ownership of Zenith's end‑to‑end tendering process - from opportunity qualification right through to submission, governance, presentation support and post‑submission insight.
You will shape high‑quality, compelling, fully compliant tender responses and support our Sales Director, Customer Relationship Director, and wider commercial teams to ensure we track, prioritise, and deliver against the right opportunities.
This is not a transactional writing role -our bids are complex, multi‑team, multi‑discipline proposals, and you'll coordinate across the business to ensure responses are strategic, bespoke, and commercially robust.
You'll also play a central role in our contract governance cycle, including Deal Forums, AML reporting, and keeping our bid library and contract documentation audit‑ready.
What You'll be Doing
* Managing and coaching a team of three bid professionals, including 1:1s, performance management and day‑to‑day oversight.
* Leading multiple tenders at any one time - often large, complex bids that span multiple departments.
* Running kick‑off meetings, building timelines, facilitating reviews, and ensuring all stakeholders deliver to deadlines.
* Writing and editing high‑quality tender responses, ensuring all content aligns with Zenith's proposition, brand and compliance requirements.
* Managing bid portals, coordinating clarifications, and escalating risks or delays.
* Supporting both Corporate and Commercial tenders, including large blue‑chip bids.
* Leading Deal Forums as part of our internal contract governance process.
* Running and interpreting quarterly AML reports, ensuring compliance and escalating findings appropriately.
* Ensuring contract governance is maintained, including accurate documentation, tracking and audit readiness.
* Completing a quarterly audit of the Salesforce contract matrix to ensure all customers have active contracts.
* Maintaining and improving the bid library - case studies, model answers, slide decks, templates and up‑to‑date content.
* Working closely with the Sales Director and CRM Director to track opportunities and ensure alignment with business priorities.
* Supporting sales teams with tender slide decks, presentations, and customer‑facing materials.
* Collating win/loss feedback, sharing insights, and driving continuous improvement across the tendering process.
* Coaching stakeholders and influencing teams across the business — a blend of direct leadership and strong matrix management.
What You'll Bring
* Proven experience managing end‑to‑end complex bids - ideally across fleet, vehicle leasing, contract hire, or asset finance.
* Strong understanding of finance leasing, funding structures, or the financial principles behind vehicle leasing or asset‑backed products.
* Leadership experience - managing direct reports
* Experience managing multiple tenders at pace, coordinating input from cross‑functional teams.
* Effective stakeholder management to build relationships with senior stakeolders
* Strong presentation skills and ability to feedback key information to senior stakeholders
* Ability to write clear, persuasive, customer‑focused tender responses.
* Experience with governance, compliance or risk processes
* Proficiency using bid systems, portals and CRM tools
* APMP qualification (desirable)
What's in it for You
* Base salary of up to £55,000 per annum + car allowance and annual bonus
* 24 days annual leave plus your birthday off, with the option to buy more
* Private Medical Insurance, Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover, Dental and Health Cash Plan
* Tech Scheme, Car Sacrifice Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loans
* Development opportunities through our MyGPS personal development framework
* Perks at Work - discounts on everyday essentials
* Onsite GP, Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders
* Sports and social clubs, company activities, and team events
* Inclusive culture with colleague-led equality networks
* Free onsite parking
* Agile working
Why Zenith?
We're proud to be:
* Award‑winning - with recognition for leasing excellence and diversity: Leasing Company of the Year (Fleet News 2023) Large Business of the Year Award (Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards), winners of the Diversity and Inclusion Award (Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards), and winners of the Wellbeing Award (Fleet News 2025).
* Sustainability‑led - with 41% of our fleet made up of BEVs and carbon‑neutral operations.
* Innovators - Investing £25 million in transformation, with a thriving fleet of 169,910 vehicles and consistent revenue growth.
* Inclusive - with colleague‑led diversity networks and a culture where every voice matters.
* A place to develop - with access to clear learning pathways through our MyGPS personal development framework
Sound Like the Right Opportunity for You? Apply Now!
We want to positively encourage differences in Zenith and believe it is critical to our success as a company. Zenith is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace that seeks to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.