Bids Manager - Bristol (12 month FTC)

Job Introduction

DACBeachcroft is looking for a Bids Manager to join our Clients and Markets team on a fixed-term, full time, hybrid basis.

Reporting to the Head of Bids, the Bids Manager is responsible for managing bids activity in a nominated sector(s).  They play a key role in helping to achieve our growth plans by, managing the bids pipeline, provide guidance on win strategy, produce bids documents and coach presentation teams. They also play a key role in the continuous improvement of our bids process.

We are a Disability Confident employer and guarantee to interview anyone with a disability, long term health condition or neurodiversity whose application meets the essential criteria for the role.  If this applies to you and you feel you meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy as set out in this advert then please contact recruitment@dacbeachcroft.com in confidence, quoting the reference number for this vacancy in the subject box of your email, and a member of the Recruitment team will be in touch.

Role Responsibility

• Probing and challenging the tender invitation, working with the Sector Teams and partners to assess and anticipate client needs, providing practical guidance on how the bids will be scored and what further information we need to discover.
• Working with PG&R to identify possible risks to the business/comply with internal risk management and conflict checking procedures.
• Using project management techniques to ensure a well-planned, organised and controlled process, driving the bids forward making things happen through personal commitment.
• Forming a view on a solid commercial basis as to the win strategy for each bids and articulating to the team in a convincing way.
• Managing bids strategy meetings confidently, inspiring enthusiasm and support for the bids.
• Working with lawyers, finance and any other experts (in person and virtually) to formulate models for an attractive and profitable offer that meets the prospect's needs and backs up our agreed strategy for the bids.
• Creating a comprehensive first draft document that sets out the agreed strategy and offer clearly articulated responses aligned to the tender scoring criteria.
• Ensuring the bid document is compelling, well-written, attractive and accurate.
• Coaching and guiding lawyers (in person and virtually) on effective presentation techniques, both through ad hoc workshops and specific pitch rehearsals as part of the bids process, delivering feedback on performance.
• Ensuring client debriefs are undertaken on all bids, either personally or through our Client Listening Team, and that all messages are fed back to relevant parties.
• Working with the Brand and Content Team and Bids Executive/Apprentice to ensure that all sector material is effective and up to date.
• Demonstrating effective compliance with the firm's bids process.
• Working with Sector Teams, Client Listening Team and Client Engagement Team to manage the bids pipeline, maximising the chances of success when the bids invitation arrives.
• Maintain a high level understanding of key developments in your bids sector.
• Handle confidential information in line with the firms data security protocols.

The Ideal Candidate

• Significant in-depth experience of managing bids or equivalent sales processes, ideally within professional services environment.
• Strong strategic and commercial awareness required, coupled with industry and competitor knowledge, enabling them to develop winning strategies, viable/profitable offers and creative pricing ideas.
• Ability to understand sales theory and best practice, and have proven experience of applying that to successfully defend/win clients.
• Experience of using project management techniques and be able to create and manage complex project plans, with the determination and pace to make things happen.
• Proven experience of implementing best practice and initiatives for continuous improvement.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to influence others.
• Strong writing, proofreading and editing skills and the ability to adapt style to different audiences and channels.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of pitch presentation skills and best practice and experience of successfully coaching and guiding others
• Proven ability to influence, challenge and coach senior stakeholders.
• Degree educated or equivalent experience required.
• Strong numeracy and ability to analyse and  manipulate spreadsheets.
• Strong thirst for technical knowledge and application of knowledge to generate ideas.

About the Company

We are a leading international legal business with over 2,500 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Central America, the USA, Australia and Germany.

We are a broad-based commercial firm with a strong heritage in insurance, health and real estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory capability. We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for all of the UK’s top-ten insurers, we are market leaders in the provision of strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to providers and commissioners in the health sector, and in real estate we advise all of the UK’s top-12 housebuilders.

We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 142 Chambers UK 2021 practice area and individual lawyer rankings. In Legal 500 UK 2021, the firm received a top tier ranking for 37 of its practice areas, and 58 DACB lawyers were singled out in the ‘Leading Individual' rankings.

Our successes have been recognised by the legal industry and the markets in which we operate. These accolades include two top prizes in the ‘Excellence in Business Development’ and ‘Excellence in Technology & Innovation’ categories of the 2020 Law Society Excellence Awards – the highest accolade for law firms in England & Wales. Our health sector team won the ‘Crisis Management Team of the Year’ award at the 2020 British Legal Awards for its support to the NHS at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our Cyber & Data Risk team received the ‘Business Development Innovation Award’ at the 2020 Legal Innovation Awards, as well as ‘Cyber Law Firm of the Year’ at the prestigious Insurance Insider Cyber Rankings Awards, for its market-leading suite of digital tools to help our clients prepare for and respond to cyber and data risk crises.

Our vision is to be leading business advisers, recognised for our insight and our outstanding commitment to clients, and for being the place where talented people want to work. For further details on our work and our culture, please visit www.dacbeachcroft.com.

Application Details

At DAC Beachcroft, we don’t just accept your differences we celebrate them.  From bespoke solutions for our clients, to treating you like an individual.  Our strength comes from your diverse ideas and bringing the whole you to work. So if you’re good at what you do, come as you are.  We welcome direct applications and are happy to talk flexible working.

We also want you to be at your very best.  Please feel free to let us know of any changes we can make at any point in the recruitment process that will help support your application.  If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV.  Your application will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.

Note for Recruitment Agencies – the DAC Beachcroft recruitment team is responsible for managing all current vacancies through direct hiring and referrals wherever possible.  We do work with recruitment agencies and where we require external support we will formally release those vacancies to the agencies on our Preferred Supplier List deemed best placed to assist us.  Speculative CVs sent by any agency to any DAC Beachcroft employee without a specific request by the recruitment team will not be accepted and with no introduction fee applicable.  Our recruitment team can be contacted at recruitment@dacbeachcroft.com

DAC Beachcroft