Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.
Location: Crawley (Hybrid working, 3 days on-site per week based on full-time hours)
We're looking for a Senior Bid Manager to join our Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) team. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a range of UK and international business growth opportunities, managing bids from qualification through to submission and supporting successful business outcomes.
As a key member of the team, you'll bring structure, oversight and governance to the bid process, working closely with internal stakeholders, customers and multidisciplinary teams to develop compelling, high-quality proposals.
What you'll gain
Opportunities for career growth and professional development
Exposure to a diverse portfolio of UK and international opportunities
The chance to work with cross-functional teams on strategically important bids
Key responsibilities
Lead and manage bids through the full bid lifecycle, ensuring quality, governance and timely delivery
Manage pre-qualification submissions to secure invitations to tender
Facilitate bid reviews and meetings in line with company processes
Coordinate the development and review of proposal deliverables
Work with Capture Leads to develop win themes that align customer needs with the strengths of our solutions
Support the development and review of cost estimates to ensure competitive and commercially viable proposals
Prepare business cases and support governance activities for bid opportunities
Contribute to customer presentations and negotiations where required
Build strong relationships with customers and stakeholders across the business
About you
You'll have:
A proven track record of successfully delivering complex bids
Experience working within multidisciplinary, multi-site organisations
Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills
Experience managing the full business development lifecycle, including capture, qualification and win strategy development
A strong understanding of bid management methodologies, governance and best practice
Knowledge of risk, change and information management within a bid environment
Experience working with commercial and finance teams to develop successful business propositions
Familiarity with recognised bid management frameworks, such as Shipley
Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR)
From smart sensors (Electronic Warfare & Surveillance radars), to integrated collaborative mission systems for manned, unmanned and digital platforms, we enable the gathering, processing and interpretation of a vast range of critical information – sovereign, structured and open-source – the information which is trusted and used at the highest levels to help nations make the right decisions at the right time, and achieve the right outcomes.
ISR is part of A2IS and as such the successful candidate will need to be flexible to work across the other business areas within this area.
Security Clearance Requirement:
Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires Security Clearance (SC). It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment.
To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. In some circumstances, a minimum of 3 years’ residence in the UK over the last 5 years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks.
Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels.
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At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role. Read more about our benefits here.
We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.
If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities. Join the Talent Community here.
Join Thales in the UK – Innovate with us and shape the future!
Skills Required
- Proven track record of successfully delivering complex bids
- Experience working within multidisciplinary, multi-site organisations
- Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills
- Experience managing the full business development lifecycle, including capture, qualification, and win strategy development
- Strong understanding of bid management methodologies, governance, and best practice
- Knowledge of risk, change, and information management within a bid environment
- Experience working with commercial and finance teams to develop successful business propositions
- Familiarity with recognised bid management frameworks, such as Shipley
- Must undergo, achieve, and maintain UK Security Check (SC) clearance before commencing employment
Thales Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Thales and has not been reviewed or approved by Thales.
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Retirement Support — Retirement plans with employer contributions and matches, profit sharing, and share purchase opportunities are emphasized across multiple regions. These elements are positioned as competitive components of total rewards.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous PTO that increases with tenure, paid holidays, and paid military, maternity, and paternity leave are described. This breadth supports work–life balance across locations.
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Flexible Benefits — Hybrid work options, flexible schedules, and parental supports such as childcare benefits and leave for sick children are available in several markets. Flexibility is presented as a core part of the employee experience.
Thales Insights
What We Do
Thales is a global high technology leader investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations – connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technology – to build a future we can all trust, which is vital to the development of our societies. The company provides solutions, services and products that help its customers – businesses, organisations and states – in the defence, aeronautics, space, transportation and digital identity and security markets to fulfil their critical missions, by placing humans at the heart of the decision-making process.
