Bid Manager

SLR Recruitment is currently seeking a Bid Manager — Advanced Shipbuilding

Southampton | Full-time, On-site | £40k–£60k + Incentives

Bids don't win themselves. We need someone who refuses to let them slip.

We're the UK arm of a global shipbuilding group known for high-performance vessels built for defence, government, and commercial clients around the world. Backed by serious international scale and a growing order book, we're building our UK presence from the ground up, moving fast, and punching well above our size.

That means real autonomy. Real ownership. And a genuine seat at the table as we scale.

If you're ambitious, restless, and ready to prove what you can do, if you've already had a taste of defence or government contracting and you're itching for more responsibility than your current role gives you then this is your chance to stop being a cog in someone else's machine and start building something that's actually yours.

The Role

You'll own the end-to-end bid process for global defence shipbuilding opportunities — from tender review through to contract award. Working across legal, finance, engineering, and operations, and alongside external advisors, suppliers, and government partners, you'll shape submissions that are compliant, competitive, and, above all, profitable.

Alongside bid leadership, you'll understand real commercial acumen: reviewing and negotiating contracts, drafting key clauses, running risk assessments, and making sure requirements flow through cleanly to suppliers and subcontractors. This is a high visibility role reporting into the Head of the Defence Business Unit, with genuine ownership over how bids are won and contracts are shaped.

This isn't a role where you wait to be told what to do. We want someone who spots the problem before it's a problem, chases the margin relentlessly, and has the confidence to make the call and own the outcome.

What you'll be doing

· Leading bids through the full lifecycle, tender review, governance, clarifications, internal approvals, submission

· Negotiating commercial terms with customers and suppliers in line with our risk appetite

· Drafting and finalising contractual clauses, keeping contracts profitable and risk tightly managed

· Maintaining bid schedules, risk registers, and supporting documentation

· Ensuring compliance with export control regulations and security requirements throughout the bid process

· Driving continuous improvement of bid processes and tools to push win rates higher

· Feeding lessons learned from past bids back into the business to build long-term capability

What we're looking for

· At least two years' experience in a commercial or bid management role, with a track record of getting bids over the line

· A degree in business, law, engineering, maritime studies, or similar — or equivalent hands-on experience that proves the point just as well

· A reputation as a finisher someone who drives bids to completion under pressure and to deadline

· Experience in marine, shipbuilding, defence, or engineering sectors highly beneficial

· Strong contract negotiation and drafting skills, with real commercial and legal awareness

· Comfortable managing stakeholders across technical, commercial, and operational teams

· Strong analytical and organisational skills, confident with Microsoft Office and bid management tools

· Eligible for UK security clearance (SC minimum)

· Up for occasional international travel, including to group shipyards and customers

· Most importantly: dynamic, driven, unapologetically ambitious, and genuinely excited by the idea of building something rather than just running it

Why join us

· Shareholder opportunity — build equity in a business that's going somewhere, not just draw a salary

· A genuine growth story — join early, grow with us, and help shape what this business becomes as we push toward global leadership

· Private health insurance, incentivisation scheme, flexible working

The Package

· £40,000–£60,000 depending on experience

· Shareholder / equity opportunity

· Private health insurance

· Incentivisation scheme

· Flexible working hours