Proposal Bid Manager - Mott MacDonald
Location: All UK office locations considered
Recruiter contact: Pranjali Ahuja
Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.
We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.
Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee‑owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.
Overview of the Role
Be part of our award‑winning win community. Over the last three years Mott MacDonald has invested in its win teams and approaches to enable our Europe and UK (EUNA) region to meet exciting growth ambitions across the full breadth of its engineering, management and consultancy offering. We have introduced visibility and rigour around opportunity planning; built and restructured our professional win capability; led by example whilst supporting a diverse pipeline of pursuits through capture and bidding phases; trained and coached technical colleagues in pursuit best practice; and embedded a roadmap of win‑based improvements.
This targeted approach to capturing future leads and convincing clients through compelling proposals has underpinned a number of major pursuit successes and led to our win community being recognised as the Association of Proposal Management Professional’s ‘Bid and Proposal Team of the Year’ in the 2024 to 2025 Global Gala. We’re rightly proud of the journey we are on and our achievements – but we know that we need to maintain momentum and build on what we have started.
Our existing professional win resources are structured through five unit‑facing teams which support pursuits across our advisory, buildings, energy, transportation and water and environment sectors. We have several vacancies for proposal bid managers to join these established unit teams. The individual will report to a Win Team Lead who oversees the day‑to‑day management of the unit’s bidding professionals, and be an integral part of a likeminded community of bid managers, co‑ordinators and graphic designers who lead proposals, share best practice and drive improvement. As an experienced hire, line management and coaching responsibilities are anticipated in due course.
Key Responsibilities
* Working with unit teams to support capture planning in advance of pipeline pursuits
o Supporting capture planning on specific pursuits to maintain momentum, develop customer‑focused solutions and build preparedness
o Undertaking research and intelligence gathering (internally and externally) to identify competitors and opportunities for differentiation
o Working with those who will be involved in bid and project delivery stages to develop clear bid strategies, storyboards and win themes
o Suggesting appropriate bid team structures for each pursuit – working with technical leads and win teams to assign suitable individuals
* Taking a hands‑on role as Proposal Bid Manager to drive rigorous and professional processes on a diverse range of pursuits
o Ensuring appropriate proposal governance, best practice and review processes are understood, embedded and followed
o Agreeing and promoting a clear proposal plan to drive delivery of each submission (incl activities, programme, deliverables etc)
o Ensuring communication across the proposal team to maintain understanding (incl kick‑off, workshops, stand‑ups etc)
o Managing proposal team performance and delivery – taking early actions where necessary to overcome concerns
* Overseeing and contributing to the writing of compelling responses which convince the client
o Ensuring a clear plan is in place for compelling high‑quality responses – through storyboarding, templates and review cycles
o Taking ownership of the authoring of specific answers – leading by example to demonstrate the expectation for written responses
o Managing and participating in storyboard, draft and production reviews to ensure responses are clear, compelling and high scoring
o Supporting post‑submission activities to capture lessons and knowledge – ensuring these are used and shared to benefit future pursuits
* Supporting the regional win community in identifying and embedding best practice approaches throughout our win activities
o Joining up with other proposal bid managers across the community to share best practice and learn within job families
o Working with region‑wide colleagues in small teams to identify and implement improvements to existing win approaches
o Actively participating in the region‑wide win community by joining monthly webinars and annual forums as required
o Supporting the development of bid co‑ordinators and wider ’safe hands’ within our technical teams
Candidate Specification
Essential Qualifications
* Experience of managing pursuits within the infrastructure industry
* Understanding of public and/or sector procurement processes (incl frameworks, open competition tenders, design and build etc)
* First‑hand knowledge of implementing techniques for planning, managing and controlling bids in line with evolving best practice
* Collaborative behaviours in diverse team settings – ability to build and manage strong relationships with internal stakeholders
* Strong and effective verbal and written communication skills – produces quality deliverables with attention to detail
Desirable Qualifications
* APMP qualification and membership – ideally at (or working towards) foundation
* Wider proposal and behavioural training – eg Shipley, Miller Heiman, Mindflick etc
* Proficiency in relevant software / systems (CRM, knowledge management, AI etc)
* Persuasive and persistent – able to communicate their views and approach in a way which wins over stakeholders
UK Immigration
Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.
Agile Working
We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces well‑being, flexibility, and trust.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.
Accessibility
We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will discuss how we can support you.
Benefits
Financial Wellbeing
* We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
* Life assurance equal up to 4x your basic salary, with an option to increase the cover to 6x.
* Income protection scheme providing a financial benefit and return‑to‑work support due to long‑term illness or injury.
* Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
* Annual bonus schemes tied to the business’s financial success.
Employee Ownership
* Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us.
* Employees have a stake and a voice in the business, with personal and group performance bonuses.
* Career growth increases ownership stake, recognising long‑term impact.
* Opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels.
* Senior roles have a direct pathway to ownership from day one.
Health and Wellbeing
* Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
* Health cash plan to support everyday health costs and treatments.
* Access to Peppy, providing free menopause support for all UK colleagues.
* Comprehensive wellbeing program offers support for you and your family.
* Ability to flex salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many extensible to family.
Lifestyle
* A minimum of 33‑35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays; ability to buy or sell leave.
* Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
* Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high‑street retailers.
Enhanced Family and Carers Leave
* 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and 2 weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
* Shared parental leave matches maternity leave – up to 24 weeks at full pay.
* Up to 5 additional days leave for significant caring responsibilities, 2 paid.
Learning and Development
* Primary annual professional institution subscription.
* Opportunities to enhance technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self‑development options.
Networks, Communities, and Social Outcomes
* Wide range of groups including Advanced Employee Networks supporting LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
* Opportunities to contribute to our social outcomes.
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