Senior Bid & Commercial Manager

Position: Senior Bid & Commercial Manager (Permanent)
Senior Bid & Commercial Manager

📍 North Yorkshire

A globally recognised engineering and technology organisation operating within defence and safety-critical markets is seeking a Senior Bid & Commercial Manager to join its Defence Business Unit.

The Role

You will take ownership of the full bid lifecycle for high-value defence opportunities, leading cross-functional teams to deliver compliant, compelling and commercially robust submissions.

Alongside bid leadership, you will play a key role in contract negotiation, commercial risk management and post-award compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Bid Leadership

Lead complex, high-value defence bids (e.g. UK MoD, NATO, defence primes)

Develop winning strategies and coordinate cross-functional bid teams

Manage bid governance processes (Bid/No-Bid, solution reviews, pricing reviews, Red Team)

Ensure compliant, high-quality submissions delivered on time

Maintain and develop reusable bid content and continuous improvement processes

Commercial & Contract Management

Support and lead contract negotiations (terms & conditions, pricing, SLAs)

Manage commercial risk and contractual obligations across the project lifecycle

Ensure compliance with defence procurement regulations (e.g. DEFCONs, ITAR, DSPCR, SSRO)

Flow down contractual requirements to suppliers and subcontractors

Lead contract review and ensure post-award compliance

About You

We are seeking an experienced bid and commercial leader with a strong track record in defence or complex engineering environments.

Essential

5+ years' experience in bid management, commercial or contract negotiation roles within defence, aerospace or similar regulated industries

Proven delivery of end-to-end bids for projects valued £1M+

Strong understanding of defence procurement regulations (e.g. DEFCONs, ITAR, DSPCR, SSRO)

Experience negotiating and managing contracts in regulated environments

Excellent project management skills with ability to manage multiple concurrent bids

Strong commercial awareness including risk, liability, pricing and SLAs

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills

Ability to obtain Security Clearance

Desirable

Degree in Business, Law, Engineering, Procurement, Project Management or related field

Legal/commercial contract qualification or background

APMP Practitioner or Professional certification

Experience with NATO or international defence tenders

Familiarity with CRM or tender tracking tools (e.g. Salesforce)