Head of Bid Management & Commercial Operations

Imagine this. You are leading the team behind some of the most strategic defense bids at Destinus, turning complex technical capabilities and customer requirements into compelling, competitive proposals. As Head of Bid Management, you will own our end-to-end bid management approach, from opportunity qualification and bid strategy through submission, negotiation support, and post-bid analysis. 

Reporting to the Head of Commercial Operations, you will build and lead a high-performing Bid Management team and work closely with Business Development, Sales, Engineering, Finance, Legal, Operations, and senior leadership. Your goal is clear - create a disciplined, scalable bid function that helps Destinus compete effectively and convert strategic opportunities into contracts. 

At Destinus, we are revolutionizing the defense industry with cutting-edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Our innovative technologies are designed to meet the unique demands of modern defense operations, delivering unparalleled speed, precision, and cost effectiveness. Destinus partners with government agencies and defense organizations worldwide to provide advanced solutions for mission-critical operations, enabling a new era of efficiency and technological superiority. Join us in shaping the future of defense with groundbreaking aerospace innovations. 

• Own and continuously improve the bid management strategy, processes, governance, and tools across Destinus 

• Lead the complete bid lifecycle from initial opportunity assessment and bid or no-bid decisions through proposal development, submission, clarification, negotiation support, and post-bid review 

• Build, lead, and develop a growing Bid Management team, initially managing 2 to 3 team members with the potential to scale the function as the business grows 

• Coordinate cross-functional bid teams across Business Development, Engineering, Finance, Legal, Operations, Supply Chain, and other relevant functions 

• Translate customer requirements, tender documentation, and commercial priorities into clear bid strategies, responsibilities, timelines, and deliverables 

• Ensure proposals are compelling, accurate, compliant, commercially sound, and aligned with both customer requirements and Destinus objectives 

• Establish strong quality control across all submissions, ensuring consistency of technical, commercial, contractual, and supporting documentation 

• Manage resources across multiple concurrent bids, prioritizing critical opportunities and ensuring teams have the information and support needed to deliver under demanding timelines 

• Prepare bids for internal review and bidding committee approval, ensuring decision-makers have complete and reliable information 

• Develop reporting and performance models to understand bid costs, resource requirements, conversion rates, timelines, and overall effectiveness of the bid function 

• Provide regular bid pipeline and performance updates to the Head of Commercial Operations, CCO, and relevant senior stakeholders 

• Lead structured reviews of unsuccessful tenders to identify lessons learned and translate findings into concrete improvements for future submissions 

• Analyze competitor positioning and tender outcomes to identify opportunities to strengthen Destinus proposals, commercial positioning, and overall competitiveness 

• Manage relevant external suppliers and partners supporting proposal development while maintaining control over the bid management budget 

• Create scalable processes, templates, documentation standards, and best practices that allow the bid organization to grow without slowing down 

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Aerospace, or a related field. A Master's degree or MBA is a plus 

• 10+ years of relevant experience in bid management, proposal management, business development, commercial operations, or similar roles within defense, aerospace, or another highly regulated technical industry 

• Significant experience leading complex, high-value bids and tenders involving multiple technical and commercial stakeholders 

• Strong understanding of defense procurement processes and tender frameworks, including RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, and government procurement procedures 

• Proven experience building, managing, and developing bid or proposal teams 

• Ability to understand complex technical products and translate technical capabilities into clear and persuasive customer value propositions 

• Strong commercial awareness, including experience working with pricing, contractual requirements, risk assessments, and bid economics 

• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders under demanding deadlines 

• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use bid data, competitor intelligence, and tender outcomes to improve future performance 

• Experience with UAVs, autonomous systems, aerospace platforms, or mission-critical defense technologies is a strong advantage 

• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills. Additional European languages are a plus 

• Experience engaging with government agencies, defense organizations, prime contractors, or other institutional customers is highly valued 

• Willingness to travel when required to support strategic bids, customers, and internal teams 

You know how to bring structure to complexity without creating bureaucracy. You are comfortable taking ownership of high-stakes bids, challenging assumptions, and making decisions when timelines are tight. You combine commercial thinking with enough technical curiosity to understand what makes a solution competitive. You set a high bar for quality, communicate clearly, and know how to get different teams moving toward the same deadline. Most importantly, you are ready to build, improve, and scale rather than simply maintain an existing process.