Commercial and Bid Manager

This is a senior, commercially focused and customer-facing position.

You will report to the Business Development Director, taking ownership of:

• Commercial review and negotiation of defence contracts
• Compilation and leadership of complex bids and tenders
• Commercial risk management and margin protection
• Customer engagement with defence primes and Tier 1 contractors

The role combines strategic input with hands‑on delivery. It is ideally suited to someone operating at Senior Commercial Manager / Bid Lead level who is ready to step into a broader, director‑facing position

Commercial & Contract Review

• Review and negotiate NDAs, subcontracts and framework agreements
• Analyse flow‑down clauses, liabilities, IP provisions, LDs and export controls
• Assess commercial exposure and develop mitigation strategies
• Support redlining and contractual negotiation with primes
• Lead the end‑to‑end bid compilation process
• Coordinate technical, engineering, procurement and finance inputs
• Develop pricing strategy in line with margin objectives
• Ensure compliance with defence procurement standards
• Manage clarifications and post‑bid negotiation
• Act as commercial interface with defence primes
• Attend customer meetings and programme reviews
• Support long‑term capture planning and relationship development
• Identify follow‑on and growth opportunities

You will bring:

• 8–15 years’ experience in defence, marine or complex engineered systems
• Strong contract review and negotiation capability
• Proven experience managing and submitting high‑value bids
• Experience working with defence primes and understanding flow‑down risk
• Commercially confident, analytical and relationship‑focused
• Comfortable operating within an agile SME environment
• Familiarity with defence contract conditions (e.g. DEFCONs)
• Experience with in electrical systems, control systems, switch gear or integration
• Degree in Engineering, Business or similar
• Security clearance (or eligibility to obtain)