Bid Manager

This is a full-time permanent role to be based in any of our Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester, Oxford or Norwich offices

The role

Mills & Reeve is a highly reputable national law firm recognised for investing in its people. A number of recent high profile panel appointments has seen an increase in tender activity. Therefore, the firm is looking for a Bid Manager on a permanent basis to join the established bid team within the firm’s friendly marketing team to manage bid activity and help maintain the firm’s high win rate.  The team is led by a Head of Bids who really champions the growth and development of the Bid team and has actively supported progression and promotion of various team members over the last few years.

What does the role involve

You will be responsible for the production of tenders across the firm ensuring bid best practice and providing practical support on all aspects the bid process.  The role encompasses both managing the bid process and actually drafting the material, so skills in both areas are essential.

Within this specialist role, you will project manage the bid process, utilise the firm’s bid automated system to create and produce content, and support the legal team through to presentation and debrief. The role involves strategic input to improve the bidding process and manage projects to drive best practice. This role requires someone who has had significant bids experience, preferably in a professional services environment.

You must have managed the bid process as well as implemented new ideas to develop winning strategies. You will need to be able to liaise confidently with internal stakeholders, advising and guiding them through both private and public sector bids process. You must also possess strong writing, proofreading /editing skills and a keen attention to detail. You will need to have good IT knowledge / tender portal skills, proven project management and communications skills. The successful candidate will be proactive self-starter who is motivated to contribute on a strategic and operational level.

As a member of the bid team you will work across the entire range of sectors covered by this leading national law firm, producing business-winning tenders. You will interpret the requirements for bids, advise legal teams on approach, and prepare, coach and mentor them for presentations and pitches to clients. The bid team has thrived on a culture of individual and team development. A key part of your role will be to help develop other members of the team.  Other responsibilities strategic projects and input into the continuous development of systems and tender best practice.

Who will you be working with

You will be expected to manage your own workload but draw upon the support and guidance of the Head of Bids and assistance of the Senior Bid Advisers, Bid Advisers and Administrator. In addition, at various points of the tender process it is likely you will work with the Head of Client Care, Head of Business Development and various members of the Business Development Team, as well as a rang of partners, lawyers and business support specialists.

The person

Given this role, it is likely that your background and experience will include bids experience, preferably in a professional services environment.

The role additionally requires someone who has:

• At least 6 GCSEs (or equivalent) including C grade or above in English and Mathematics.
• Ideally a marketing qualification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing
• Commercial acumen: understanding of our business and clients / prospective targets businesses and their industries
• Client focus and the development of relevant ‘sales’ messages
• Project management
• A proactive self-starter who is motivated to contribute on a strategic and operational level.
• Ability to work under pressure whilst keeping your sense of humour
• Delegation and communication skills
• Flexibility
• Ability to draft in compelling, plain English style
• Research and analysis skills
• Balancing a demanding workload
• Ability to influence and persuade key stakeholders
• Confidence to talk to clients

The Mills & Reeve business services career structure

We have a firm wide business services career structure and a published career progression framework.  Within the firm wide career structure there are five career levels.  For the purposes of the framework, this role is at the Manager level and the role profile that details the outcomes and activities expected of across the firm will be made available as part of the interview process.  Further information on the firm’s Business Services career structure is available from the HR team.

Pre-employment screening

Please note that, in the event that we make an offer of the secondment, we will conduct pre-transfer screening that includes a disciplinary history recorded with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and a self-declaration to access your character and suitability.