Location
London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
Negotiable

About the Role
What if you could do the kind of work the world needs? At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

The Senior Proposals Manager plays a pivotal role in driving the growth and success of the Water business unit by orchestrating the creation and delivery of high-impact bid submissions. You will be responsible for managing and motivating multidisciplinary teams, including business leaders, technical experts, and proposal specialists, to produce tailored, persuasive proposals that not only fulfil client requirements but also showcase the strengths and ambitions of the organisation.

Through the design and execution of robust win strategies, meticulous tender planning, and clear communication, the Senior Proposals Manager ensures that every submission is compelling, competitive, and aligned with both client objectives and business goals.

This role demands expertise in establishing and guiding bid teams, fostering productive relationships with partners, and overseeing the entire proposal lifecycle from initial opportunity through to successful handover. The Senior Proposals Manager is instrumental in embedding best practices into the work-winning process, continually enhancing performance through coaching, mentoring, and the development of team members. Their leadership ensures that each bid not only stands out in a competitive marketplace but also contributes to the ongoing development and reputation of the Water business unit.

Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage complex and high value strategic bids as Bid Manager or other senior support roles as required depending on size and complexity of the bid
- Ensure that the appropriate bid governance and bid review processes are followed
- Provide input to the strategic bid capture planning process
- Work with the Opportunity Director to develop customised solutions that meet the client's specific needs and help them achieve their objectives
- Assist in prospect qualification throughout
- Understand internal and external customer requirements and provide resource expertise, supporting, managing and leading strategic bids
- Provide challenge to operational, technical, commercial and financial proposals to facilitate development of solutions that provide greatest benefit for the business while delivering customer requirements
- Work with bid authors and solution architects to convert knowledge from operational and business development staff into winning solutions and proposals
- Support lessons learned from bids
- Analyse each bid, including customer feedback, to identify and share good practice with operational, bid and business development staff across the business and suggest improvements to process and team dynamics
- Train and coach colleagues on the bid process and associated skills
- Collate market and competitor information useful to WSP in the future

Experience
- Significant relevant bid management experience
- Good experience of producing tenders in the markets that WSP operates in
- Demonstrable record of success in winning bids as a senior proposals manager
- Good awareness and understanding of bid governance and bid review processes
- Strong bid writing, management and commercial skills

About you
- Strong and effective verbal and written communication skills
- Robust project management skills with meticulous attention to detail and quality
- Strong time management skills and ability to prioritise
- Pro-active approach, initiative and responsibility for own actions
- Ability to assimilate large volumes of information and manage associated workflows
- Ability to develop strong relationships and rapport with partners and internal colleagues
- Excellent people skills to lead, encourage, motivate and enthuse others
- Passion for quality and continuous improvement with a focus on delivery
- Confidence to delegate to all levels where required
- Ability to present complex ideas in a straightforward and simple way
- Exhibit behaviours and attitudes in accordance with WSP core values to create a team culture and promote excellent communications
- IT literate
- Support and promote a culture of continuous improvement

Qualifications
- Qualified to degree level in an appropriate subject
- APMP Foundation qualification as a minimum
- Thorough understanding of procurement processes