Bid Director

Responsibilities

• Bid Strategy & Leadership – Own the overall bid strategy, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives, market positioning, and win themes.
• End-to-End Bid Governance – Lead the full bid lifecycle from opportunity qualification (led by Business Development) to submission and contract award, ensuring robust governance and decision-making at all stages.
• Cross Functional Coordination – Direct and align internal stakeholders (sales, commercial, legal, finance, delivery, partners) to deliver high quality, integrated bid responses.
• Commercial & Risk Management – Ensure bids are commercially viable, competitively priced, and compliant, with clear identification, mitigation, and approval of risks and assumptions.
• Quality & Compliance Assurance – Maintain high standards of bid quality, ensuring responses fully meet customer, regulatory, and internal compliance requirements.
• Stakeholder & Executive Engagement – Act as the primary escalation and reporting point for senior leadership, providing clear insights on bid status, risks, and recommendations.
• Capability & Performance Improvement – Drive continuous improvement in bid processes, tools, and team capability, using lessons learned to improve win rates and efficiency.

• CLT
• Growth Enablement Director
• Strong relationships required with Operations & Central Functions, in particular Finance

• Major government department customers

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent professional experience)
• Demonstrable senior level bid leadership experience (5 years+), in public sector / outsourcing
• Strong commercial and contractual understanding, gained through practical experience managing high value or complex bids.

• MBA or postgraduate qualification in Business Administration, Strategy, Finance, or a related field.
• Formal bid management training or certification, such as APMP (Association of Proposal Management Professionals) Foundation/Practitioner/Professional
• Shipley or equivalent structured bid methodology training
• Leadership or executive development programmes, demonstrating commitment to senior leadership capability.

• Strategic Thinking & Market Insight
  • Shapes winning bid strategies aligned to corporate goals and market positioning
  • Anticipates customer drivers, competitive dynamics, and future opportunities
• Bid Leadership & Governance
  • Provides decisive leadership across the end-to-end bid lifecycle
  • Applies robust governance, assurance, and clarity of accountability
• Commercial Acumen
  • Demonstrates strong financial, pricing, and contractual judgement
  • Balances value, risk, margin, and competitiveness in complex bids
• Stakeholder Influence & Collaboration
  • Builds credibility and alignment with senior stakeholders and delivery teams
  • Influences decisions across sales, finance, legal, operations, and partners
• Risk & Decision Management
  • Identifies, evaluates, and mitigates bid, delivery, and contractual risks
  • Makes timely, evidence based decisions under pressure
• Customer & Relationship Focus
  • Understands client needs and strategic priorities
  • Drives customer centric solutions and compelling value propositions
• Communication & Executive Presence
  • Communicates clearly and persuasively at senior and executive level
  • Produces high impact bid messaging and recommendations
• Quality & Compliance Orientation
  • Sets and enforces high standards for bid quality and compliance
  • Ensures submissions are accurate, consistent, and compelling
• Leadership & Talent Development
  • Motivates, coaches, and develops bid professionals
  • Builds high performing, resilient bid teams
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
  • Embeds lessons learned and best practice into bid delivery
  • Drives improvements in tools, processes, and win rate performance

• MAXIMUS is committed to developing, maintaining and supporting a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the recruitment process. We know that feeling included has a dramatic impact on personal wellbeing and are working to ensure that no job applicant receives less favourable treatment due to any personal characteristic.
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