Senior Bid Manager

As the UK's leading Social Enterprise, we move lives forward every day by building, managing and supporting thriving Communities. From new homes, social housing and student accommodation to leisure, education and Community initiatives, our work makes a positive difference to millions of People across the UK. And that takes People who care about doing the right thing. People who are ambitious, ready to grow and motivated to make a difference through the work they do.

We're looking for Colleagues who bring energy, curiosity and ownership. People who enjoy being challenged, support those around them and want to keep raising the bar. Because when we perform at our best, we create more opportunities to invest in our Customers, our Communities and each other.

Experience matters, but it's only part of the story. If you share our values and want to build a career where your work has real impact, we'd love to hear from you.

As part of Places for People Group, PfP Students are experts in providing facilities management solutions for university campus buildings and student accommodation. Our service is focused on our partnership approach with our clients and the student experience.

More about the role

As our Senior Bid Manager, you'll play a key role in driving business growth by leading the end-to-end tender and bid process for PfP Students. Working closely with the Head of Business Development and key stakeholders across the business, you'll develop compelling, high-quality submissions that differentiate our offering and support the delivery of our growth strategy.

You'll manage multiple bids simultaneously, identify new opportunities through procurement portals and sector intelligence, and ensure all submissions meet client requirements, company standards and branding guidelines. You'll also lead bid reviews and debriefs, monitor bid performance, maintain an up-to-date tender pipeline and help shape future bidding strategies through continuous improvement and market insight. You may also provide leadership to temporary bid writers during periods of high activity.

This is a national role and you would be expected to attend meetings on client sites as required.

At Places for People we are committed to a safe working environment so a basic DBS check is mandatory.

Essential criteria

• Proven experience operating at Bid Manager level within a competitive tendering environment, with a track record of successfully managing bid submissions.
• Strong knowledge of public sector procurement processes and local government procurement portals.
• Demonstrable experience managing multiple complex bids and tender opportunities simultaneously.
• Experience building and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships across a large organisation, including influencing senior stakeholders.
• Experience within Property/ Student Accommodation is preferred though not essential.

More about you

You’ll be an experienced bid professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys taking ownership of complex opportunities from identification through to submission. You’re highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and have a strong eye for detail.

You’ll be confident presenting proposals and influencing stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally. Experience within facilities management, property management or a related sector would be beneficial, as would experience working across large, matrix organisations. You’ll be comfortable challenging constructively, using insight and evidence to shape winning solutions, and you’ll have strong written skills supported by the ability to use a range of IT systems and bid management tools.

What you’ll get

We know rewarding work deserves rewarding benefits. That’s why, alongside a competitive salary, you’ll have access to a package designed to support you at work and beyond.

You’ll receive:

• Pension with matched contributions up to 7%
• Bonus scheme for colleagues at 2%
• 35 days holiday (including bank holidays) with the option to buy or sell days
• Healthcare cashback plan for everyday medical costs, with private GP and health support services available
• Comprehensive wellbeing support including counselling, flu jabs, our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and access to our Wellbeing Hub, supporting your mental, physical and financial wellbeing
• Access to Our Place Rewards, offering discounts and savings on groceries, travel, shopping, home products and other lifestyle purchases
• Ongoing training, professional qualifications, internal development programmes and career progression opportunities
• Recognition programmes including Star Awards and Colleague Awards, celebrating achievements and recognising great work
• Strong focus on inclusion, wellbeing and