Senior Bid Manager / Bid Director in Manchester

Bid Director / Senior Bid Manager– Justice & Custodial Services

Location: UK-wide / Remote with occasional travel

Sector: Justice, Custodial Services & Government Outsourcing

The Opportunity

We are working with a major UK support services organisation to appoint an experienced Bid Director to lead high-value, strategically important opportunities within the justice and custodial services sector.

With significant government procurement activity approaching, this is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in securing major, long-term contracts within one of the UK's most complex and highly regulated service environments.

We are particularly interested in speaking with individuals who have previously been involved in prison operator bids, although candidates with substantial experience in immigration, detention or other complex government outsourcing programmes will also be considered.

This is a senior, highly visible appointment offering genuine autonomy, influence and the opportunity to shape major bids from initial strategy through to contract award.

The Role

Reporting into senior commercial leadership, you will take responsibility for developing and delivering winning bid strategies across major justice and custodial services opportunities.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading complex, high-value public sector bids from initial qualification and capture planning through to submission, negotiation and contract award.
• Developing compelling bid strategies, win themes and commercially competitive propositions.
• Leading and coordinating multidisciplinary teams across operations, commercial, finance, legal, solutions and bid management.
• Translating complex operational requirements into credible, deliverable and commercially robust service solutions.
• Building relationships with senior internal stakeholders and government customers.
• Overseeing bid governance, risk management, pricing strategy and executive approval processes.
• Bringing market intelligence and competitor insight to support strategic positioning.
• Supporting the organisation's long-term growth ambitions across justice and government services.

About You

We are seeking an established bid, capture or business development professional with a strong track record of leading major outsourced public service procurements.

Ideally, you will bring:

• Previous involvement in prison operator bids, particularly within the UK custodial services market.
• Experience leading large, complex public sector bids or managing significant elements of the bid lifecycle.
• Strong knowledge of justice, custodial, immigration, detention or related government services.
• The ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and influence stakeholders at executive level.
• Commercial acumen, including experience of complex pricing models, risk allocation and contract negotiations.
• An understanding of operational service delivery within secure, regulated or mission-critical environments.
• A demonstrable record of developing competitive propositions and delivering successful bid outcomes.

Candidates may currently hold titles such as Bid Director, Capture Director, Business Development Director, Head of Bids, Solutions Director, Bid Manager or Senior Bid Manager.

While direct prison operator bidding experience is strongly preferred, we would also welcome conversations with accomplished senior bid professionals from adjacent government outsourcing sectors who can demonstrate highly relevant experience.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Take a leading role in major upcoming UK government procurement programmes.
• Influence the commercial strategy of an established organisation with significant growth ambitions.
• Work on substantial, long-term contracts delivering essential public services.
• Enjoy considerable autonomy and visibility with senior leadership.
• Benefit from a UK-wide remit with flexibility around location and occasional travel.
• Join an organisation committed to investing in its government services business.

Interested?

This is a particularly interesting opportunity for someone who understands the complexities of justice-sector procurement and wants to take ownership of major, strategically important bids.

For a confidential discussion, please apply or contact Whitestone Resourcing directly.