Proposals Manager

About the role

Balfour Beatty has an exciting opportunity for a Proposals Manager to join our Major Projects Work Winning team based in Canary Wharf, London.

As part of our Major Projects Bids and Proposals Team, you'll work on the largest infrastructure opportunities across the UK. The role will have flexible working arrangements, although a minimum number of core days is expected to be based in Canary Wharf, London.

What you'll be doing

As a Proposals Manager you will mainly be accountable for proposals management, including line management duties, but you will also be expected, where needed, to undertake bid writing duties to support the development of world class tender submissions.

Proposals Management will include:

• Assisting the Head of Bids and Proposals to support all work winning activities;
• Ensuring our PQQ and ITT quality submissions are managed and planned out effectively and efficiently using our suite of standard work winning tools;
• Supporting the Head of Bids and Proposals to ensure the workload is adequately resourced with the right levels of expert support, including the necessary reviewers and question owners;
• Providing oversight and support to all writers contributing to our submissions;
• Line management duties for writers within the wider work winning team;
• Management of external third parties, such as graphical design teams, behavioural consultants and external proposals writers as required;
• Ensuring compliance with our preferred ways of working, agreeing any deviations with the Head of Bids and Proposals;
• Managing the final production and formatting aspects of the proposal – including ownership of the 'look and feel' of submissions, working closely with in-house or external graphics teams;
• Playing a key role in reviewing the developing proposals submissions – from storyboarding through to final responses. This includes ensuring all submissions fully address the scoring criteria, meet all technical requirements and are fully proofed;
• Contributing to the early planning stages of major pursuits in terms of developing the Win Strategy and undertaking Competitor Analysis;
• Proactively seeking to look for opportunities to make the bid process more efficient, bespoke to the unique requirements of each bid;
• Setting up the SharePoint site for the effective management of the bid and managing access to the site, including security provisions and ensuring appropriate members of the team have access to the right information;
• Ensuring any bid-related external spend is approved by the Head of Bids and Proposals;
• Responsible for all PQQ compliance information, (with support from the Legal, Finance, Commercial and Procurement Leads), delegating as necessary – or agreeing an alternate plan for compliance information with the Head of Bids and Proposals.

In addition to proposals management, the Proposals Manager will support capacity in the team and undertake writing duties when required. In general, bid writing includes:

• Ensuring a deep understanding of the customer's requirements for pre-qualification questionnaires and tender submissions, to gather, collate and develop responses that meet requirements;
• Developing storyboards, answer plans, first and final drafts for tender responses – based on tender strategy meetings and engagement with subject matter expertise;
• Owning the full written delivery of the final technical responses, focused on our client's requirements by selling our value propositions in accordance with the scoring criteria;
• Maintaining regular communication with the Bids and Proposals Team, wider Work Winning Team and any necessary subject matter expertise in the development of tender submissions;
• Identifying and writing up project innovations and best practice for case studies to support future proposals.

Who we're looking for

The following qualities/experience are essential:

• Previous experience of working on long-term, strategic tenders with a thorough knowledge of the techniques and methods of proposal writing;
• Ability to project manage complex tenders using a range of tools;
• Ability to collaborate across all tiers of the organisation;
• Excellent bid and report writing skills;
• A thorough knowledge of Office365 and the use of SharePoint and Microsoft Teams;
• Strong presentation skills with excellent attention to detail, spelling, punctuation and grammar;
• Attention to detail and the ability to see tasks through to completion;
• A self-starter who can manage their own time effectively and who proactively seeks and executes better ways of working operating with minimal oversight;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to liaise with subject matter expertise outside of the core team;
• A laser focus on answering the technical requirements of client tenders;
• Experience of publishing and formatting submissions;
• Works well in a team with good interpersonal and influencing skills;
• Ability to manage time effectively, proactively seeking activities that will add value to their function.

The following qualities/experience are desirable:

• Knowledge of the construction industry, ideally with experience of working for a Tier 1 Main Contractor;
• Proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop (in this order);
• Line Management experience;
• Ability to utilise AI where AI helps provide efficiencies, without sacrificing the accuracy of information.

Why work for us

Our people are our biggest asset and we focus on recruiting, training and developing the people who can apply innovation to deliver the infrastructure of the future. We nurture these talents, offer a great benefits package in addition to a competitive base salary and continually invest in developing the skills of our people at every level.

Some of our key benefits are:

• An attractive/negotiated salary;
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays;
• Pension savings schemes;
• Enhanced maternity/paternity and family friendly policies;
• Access to our Refer and Earn scheme;
• Discretionary annual salary reviews.

About us

Balfour Beatty's Major Projects business is delivering some of the UK's most complex and iconic infrastructure projects. Using the latest technology, we're driving productivity and creating a lasting legacy by delivering sustainable solutions that strengthen communities.

From consultancy and design, to all aspects of construction and maintenance. We have the proven expertise to deliver large-scale projects safely and successfully.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit

We are a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit:

Job Reference: BBUK14433