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Bid Manager

Rowden

Job Location:

Bristol - UK

Yearly Salary: £ 40000 - 60000

Posted: 15 May 2026 (30+ days ago)

Application Deadline: 11 September 2026

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

Were building the UKs next generation engineering powerhouse providing critical technology that strengthens national security and resilience.

We specialise in turning advances in sensing AI and communications into operational capability for the edge where connectivity may be degraded or denied. Our work focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology improving decision-making for frontline teams and protecting people and critical assets in demanding environments.

Headquartered in Bristol Rowden employs around 160 people and operates over 20000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities. We have a growing international footprint and are one of Europes fastest-growing engineering businesses.

About the role

To power our continued growth were looking for a Bid Manager to take ownership of our end-to-end bidding process. From pre-qualification through to contract signature youll play a pivotal role in securing the opportunities that matter ensuring every submission reflects our strengths differentiators and commitment to end-users. As part of our continued growth youll get exposure to various customer groups across Defence Emergency Response and National Security.

The role is not a traditional Bid Manager role. It requires someone who thrives in fast-paced high-stakes environments willing to contribute in areas beyond just bid management. Youll need to navigate complex procurement landscapes drive internal collaboration and apply relentless focus to improving how we bid ensuring we continue to grow learn and deliver impact.

While this role offers hybrid working options it requires a minimum of 3 days per week on-site at our Bristol HQ.

Candidates must be eligible for SC clearance.

More information about security clearance is available here: Key areas of responsibility

As Rowdens Bid Manger your core responsibilities will be to:

Lead bid submissions from opportunity qualification to final submission managing timelines responsibilities and outcomes.
Develop and refine bid strategies aligning closely with capture teams to define compelling win themes and customer messaging.
Monitor and manage responses to UK government frameworks ensuring consistent and high quality submissions.
Own and update our bid/content library ensuring reusable material (e.g. case studies CVs rate cards social value statements) is current and easily accessible.
Facilitate go/no-go decisions helping the business qualify opportunities quickly and with the right data.
Drive continuous improvement analysing win/loss data gathering lessons learned and evolving our bid approach.
Keep up-to-date with industry trends and standards incorporating new technologies into our bidding systems where needed
Champion process and knowledge management from maintaining a clear audit trail to archiving outdated materials.

Key skills experience and behaviours

We are looking for someone who is passionate about bid or project management. Youll gain loads of experience in this role but before you do you should have:

Proven experience managing bids from opportunity assessment to submission ideally in public sector tenders.
Excellent project management skills with the ability to handle multiple bids balance priorities and meet tight deadlines without compromising quality.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate and organise stakeholders both internally and externally.
Strong copywriting and editing skills with a rigorous eye for detail.
Familiarity with UK government procurement processes and frameworks is beneficial.

About you

The ideal candidate will show a strong balance of the following behavioural competencies that we believe are key to success in the role:

Ownership & Accountability - Take full responsibility for the end-to-end bid process. Driving progress anticipating challenges and ensuring that deadlines and standards are met without needing constant oversight.
Structured Communication - Conveys complex information clearly and persuasively tailoring written and verbal communication to suit both technical and non-technical audiences. Brings clarity to ambiguity.
Attention to Detail - Demonstrates a meticulous approach to reviewing and compiling bid documentation ensuring accuracy compliance and consistency while working at pace.
Adaptability & Resilience - Remains calm and focused in dynamic and time-sensitive environments able to reprioritise quickly and respond positively to changing requirements feedback or constraints.

Working at Rowden

We are committed to building a flexible inclusive and enabling company. Our aim is to create a diverse team of talented people with unique skills experience and backgrounds so please apply and come as you are!

We also recognise the importance of flexible working and support this wherever we can. We typically operate a flexible hybrid-working model with an average 3 days in the office each week (dependent on the role). We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility part-time working requirements and/or workplace adjustments with all our applicants.

Rowden is a Disability Confident Committed company and we actively encourage people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for our roles. Please let us know your requirements early on so that we can make sure you have everything you need up front to help make the recruitment process and experience as easy as possible.

Finally if you feel that you dont meet all the criteria included above but have transferable skills and relevant experience wed still love to hear from you!

Required Experience:

Manager

Apply Now

About Company

Rowden

Rowden designs and builds systems, infrastructure, and applications to deliver mission advantage to those working to protect the security of the UK and its allies. We are setting a new standard in government technology provision: hyper-efficient engineering, better customer relationsh ... View more

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