Bid writer jobs

Salary: £44,511 per annum (£43,761 per annum + £750 Homeworking Allowance per annum) + £4,082 London Weighting p.a. (if eligible)

Hours: 35 Hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Homebased anywhere in the UK with some travel required

As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. We are a homeworking organisation, and we pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, available from day one, an extensive wellbeing programme and our benefits package, all curated to nurture a healthy work life balance for all our employees so they can give an excellent service to our carers and the young people and children we care for.

As a foster care charity, TACT invests all surplus income into services, staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to invest unique projects like TACT Connect, our unique and ground-breaking scheme for TACT care experienced young people and adults,  as well as our expanding Education and Health services. All our activities are built on our commitment to becoming a fully trauma informed organisation, in line with our key values and ethos.

In 2024 TACT became one of the top 5 charities to work for in the UK, placing 5th in the UK Best Companies Work For survey results , and a top 25 mid-sized company to work with across the whole of the UK.   97% of our people feel proud to work with TACT and think that TACT cares about their wellbeing, while 92% of our people would say they “ love working for TACT”.

If you want to be valued as a professional, be appreciated at work and contribute to better outcomes for the children and young people connected with TACT, apply now.

Overall Duties of the Commercial Bid Writer & Fundraiser  will include:

• Taking the lead in identifying, coordinating, and managing tendering opportunities, processes, and contracts for TACT.
• Overseeing the commissioning and contractual tender portfolio, which will involve ensuring high-quality submissions, and maintaining compliance with all relevant procedures.
• Contribute to fundraising efforts by developing and managing grant applications, securing corporate partnerships, and coordinating annual fundraising events.

The main requirements for this role include:

• GCSE grade C or above in Maths and English or equivalent qualification.
• Proven experience in bid and tender writing with a strong track record of successful submissions.
• Experience in fundraising, particularly in grant applications, corporate partnerships, and donor engagement.
• Knowledge of fundraising legislation, regulations and record-keeping.
• An understanding of the children’s social care system.
• Familiarity with trusts, foundations, corporate fundraising, and major donor funding mechanisms.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong research and analytical skills to identify tender and funding opportunities.
• Highly organised, with the ability to track and manage multiple contracts and funding streams.
• Exceptional writing skills with the ability to craft compelling and accurate documentation.
• Competent using MS Office Suite including Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc

 TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:

• 31 days paid holiday plus 8 annual bank holidays.
• Flexible working arrangements (including compressed hours, flexibility around core hours, volunteer days policy).
• Family friendly policies.
• Homeworking ‘bundle’ including annual allowance, IT equipment and a loan for home office set up.
• Help@Hand Employee Assistance Programme (including CBT counselling, 24/7 remote GP appointments, physiotherapy, mental health support and second opinions on serious diagnosis).
• An hour a week of live, expert led activities through the Annual Employee wellbeing Programme.
• Menopause Policy and free Menopause Clinician Appointments.
• Stakeholder Pension Scheme (salary sacrifice).
• Fantastic learning and development opportunities for all roles.

The  Commercial Bid Writer & Fundraiser may be homebased within England, Scotland or Wales but will be required to travel to face-to-face meetings, training and team wellbeing events as and when required.

A Standard DBS clearance is required for this role and will be processed by TACT on your behalf.

Closing Date: Wednesday, 30th April 2025

• Interview Date: Monday, 12th May 2025 (via Microsoft Teams)

Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work.  As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children.  We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people.  All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies.

We reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than advertised if the volume of applications is excessive, you are therefore advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies, nor the fees associated with them.

Are you an experienced bid professional with a proven track record of securing contracts and crafting winning proposals? If so, we want to hear from you! 

Job Title: Bid Manager and Writer 

Salary: £42,000

Location: Islington, London with hybrid working structure. You will also be expected to travel across our services which include London, Luton, Bedford, Brighton, and Kent, as well as our other locations to attend market engagement and bid related activities and attend regular service visits. 

Shift Pattern: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00

About the Bid Manager and Write Role: 

We are seeking a skilled and experienced Bid Manager and Writer to join our dynamic Bid Team within the Development, Marketing, and Communications Department. This role is critical to driving our growth, securing new opportunities, and retaining existing contracts.

In this hands on role, you will hit the ground running, using your previous experience and knowledge to gather information and will utilise this to write competitive bids and proposals which can help secure new opportunities for the growth of our charity. SIG is a complex, growing organisation, supporting those with various complex needs in residential and non residential settings. Our Business Development team are vital in securing new and existing contracts to grow the services that we can offer to our residents and participants.

You will lead on competitive tendering processes, crafting high-quality bids and proposals that align with our mission and values. You will take ownership of the end-to-end bid process, from market engagement to submission, ensuring compliance and quality at every stage. You will work closely with senior directors, commissioners, and internal stakeholders to develop compelling submissions that meet financial targets and organisational goals. You will work independently but also part of the wider bid team, collaborating with subject matter experts as required. 

Overview of key responsibilities:

• Lead on the development and submission of competitive bids, ensuring they are delivered on time and to the highest standard.
• Collaborate with senior directors and internal teams to secure approvals and budgets for bids.
• Produce high-quality, engaging proposals that clearly articulate SIG’s vision, services, and value to commissioners and funders.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders and commissioners.
• Conduct market research and stay informed about trends in social care, healthcare, and procurement to inform bid strategies.
• Work closely with the Bid Coordinator to draft, review, and finalise submissions.
• Attend market engagement events, service visits, and approval meetings to gain insights and represent SIG.  

What are we looking for?

• Proven experience in bid and proposal writing and management, with a track record of securing new contracts and retaining existing ones.
• Exceptional writing and proofreading skills
• A keen eye for attention to detail
• Ability to produce high-quality, engaging content.
• Ideally, we would love someone who has experience within securing bids and proposals within the voluntary, social care, or healthcare sector.
• A good understanding of social care, healthcare, or procurement, with the ability to translate complex needs into compelling bids.
• Confidence in liaising with senior stakeholders, including directors and commissioners, and leading approval meetings.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks, meet deadlines, and work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and experience using tender portals.
• A self-motivated, proactive individual who can take ownership of bids and drive them to successful completion.
• Alignment with our values of Ambition, Empowerment, Transparency, and Inclusivity

Please refer to the JDPS attached for more details on the vacancy and our requirements/key criteria.

What we offer

• 25 days (Full time equivalent) annual leave, increasing with the length of service
• Training and Development, including access to courses, upskilling, and progression plans
• Employee Assistance Programme, including counselling
• Reflective Practice regular sessions with a therapist provided by an external provider to support Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Eligibility to register with Blue Light Discount Card
• Life Assurance Scheme
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Annual Staff Awards
• Be part of an organisation which believes good care and support improves lives.
• Join an organisation with a mission to empower people who are marginalised by building powerful partnerships and creative solutions that bridge gaps in provision and aid recovery, reablement and resettlement.

We are committed to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). We value and celebrate the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all our employees. We have a team of ambassadors who are staff volunteers and actively support us in fortifying our organisational value of Inclusivity. SIG actively encourages applications from individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds, particularly lived experience; Naturally, we approach any emerging issues with empathy and sensitivity. As an organisation, we’re proud to mention that our staff Ambassadors career aspirations generally benefit from embracing this unique opportunity to develop their respective skill sets in spaces that exist outside of their daily roles. 

Want to know how we work? Watch our short Theory of Change video to see how we support people towards a brighter future: Theory of Change

Further details can be found on our website here: Theory of Change - Social Interest Group - Social Interest Group.  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please note that this job advert may close early due to screening applications on an ongoing basis. We advise applying as soon as possible for your application to be taken into consideration at the early stages.

Please note that as part of our process, we complete an enhanced DBS check, some roles may require further vetting. We are an inclusive employer and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact us on the details below.

Additional information on our company policies including Gender Pay, Equality and Diversity, Company Benefits and our Candidate Privacy Policy can be found on our website.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship, please ensure you have full right to work in the UK prior to applying to our positions. 

Bid Manager | Proposal Writer | Bid management | Proposal Writing | Stakeholder Management | Strategic Planning | Market Research | Partnership Building | Organisational Growth | Innovation | Attention to detail | Business Development | Proofreading | Bid Writing 

About the role

We are looking to bring on board a new Bid Manager who is passionate about Changing Lives’ mission and want to make a real difference to peoples’ lives. As a member of the Business Development Team, you will make the case to our funders so that we can secure existing and new business, in order to further support the communities we work with.

Together the Business Development Team work across all our delivery areas; Homelessness, Recovery and Addiction, Women and Children, and Employment. You will work closely with our operational teams to help design and develop life-changing services. You will seek to involve people in services as much and as deeply as possible to ensure their needs, aspirations and views are the foundations of our thinking and model development. And as the world never stands still, you’ll continually review and develop our offers to reflect best practice and innovation.

You will build excellent, trusted relationships with our partners and commissioners, so you’ll be well placed to generate partnerships, spot and assess potential opportunities and ultimately convert them into new business. You’ll manage the tender process from start to finish, from identifying opportunities through to submission of bids to Local Authorities and other statutory bodies, as well as managing grant applications to charitable Trusts and Foundations. Key to this will be writing clear and persuasive bids that meet the requirements of our funders, represent our vision and values and showcase our excellent services.

Flexible working

At Changing Lives we want you to be able to work flexibly to suit your needs as well as the needs of the job. That means you have the option to work from home and and/or from our buildings and to work flexible hours, including condensed hours.

What we’re looking for

• You will have direct experience of business development or commissioning, ideally within a charity or the public sector
• Great networking and relationship-building skills which you’ll put to good use both internally and externally
• Excellent writing skills, with the ability to develop compelling proposals
• A passion to help people and combat social exclusion.

Overview

Change Grow Live are looking for an Assistant Business Development Officer (Bid Writer) to join our national business development team. As one of the UK’s largest charities, Change Grow Live supports people in making positive changes in their lives.

Location: London (You could also be based in our Manchester or Brighton Regional Business Unit)

Salary: £27,861.26 − £32,002.35 per year Dependent on experience (Based on full time hours, pro rata for part time).

Contract Type: 12 month Fixed Term Contract

Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week

Allowances: £4,133.14 per year Inner London Weighting, pro rata

Dates for Interview are 6th-8th of May 2025

Closing Date   27/4/2025

Role overview

You’ll help to prepare for, write and support on developing bids and proposals, helping Change Grow Live secure contracts and run high-quality health and social care services. These services support adults, children and young people, including around drugs and alcohol, homelessness and criminal justice.

Your day-to-day will include:

• Writing and editing bid responses
• Working with colleagues across Change Grow Live
• Completing online research, analysing data and working with partner organisations
• Creating presentations, diagrams and reports
• Helping improve how we do things.

This role is designed to support you through the beginning of your business development and bid writing career. We’ll provide you with support and training to develop and progress.

About you

You are:

• Clear and concise writer
• Motivated to develop your skills
• Open to feedback
• Curious and analytical
• Solution-focused and tenacious
• Kind and committed to helping people make positive changes.

Previous experience in business development is not needed, but skills or experience in health and social care, writing, sales, research, or data are beneficial.

Benefits:

• Working a successful team
• Structured training, development, mentoring and progression opportunities
• The option to work from home for some of the week
• Wellbeing support, including an employee assistance programme and an hour each week for wellbeing activities of your choice (find out more here).

We want our workforce to represent the diversity of the people and communities we work with. We pride ourselves on an inclusive and supportive workplace, evidenced through our Investors in People Silver Award and Stonewall Silver Award 2023.

We’re happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that you need to be successful. We do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including compressed or part-time hours, job shares and other arrangements. Please let us know in your application or at any stage of the process if you would like to explore these options.

Before you apply

In the application portal, there’s a section called ‘how you meet the criteria for the role’. This is your chance to tell us about why you’re a good fit for this job – we won’t be able to consider your application unless it’s filled in. Please explain how you meet each of the person specification criteria (listed at the end of the job description). You can group multiple criteria together where you think it makes sense. Use clear examples of your experience (this link contains some useful guidance). As guidance, written statements should not exceed 1,000 words. 

We encourage applications from individuals who may not meet every requirement but are excited about the role. We value lived experience of substance use, homelessness, and/or multiple disadvantages.

We’re a Disability Confident Committed employer. We’ll offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for this job. Please confirm in the ‘how you meet the criteria for the role’ part of the application if you are applying under this scheme.

Check out the job description and team explainer for more information.

If you require sponsorship, please note that this role is not eligible for a Health and Care Worker visa. You may be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route but must meet the minimum salary requirements for the role.

Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours

If you have any questions on this opportunity that you would like to talk through please contact us

We have two offices, one based in London and one in Birmingham. We are open to candidates across both of those locations. Our CEO is based in London. Day to day it's a mixture of being in our office, working from home and visiting our prisons. We can also look to make the role 4 days for the right candidate. 

Who We Are:

Beating Time have been going since 2014. Originally running music groups in prison and since 2021 an employment through the gate service called Inside Job. Both programmes now run across, London, Birmingham and the Northeast. Our aim is simple, helping prisoners survive their sentence and thrive on release.

The Role:

As the COO you’ll be the right-hand person to our CEO Liv Wicks. She’s a right laugh (she may or may not have written this herself).

What You'll Be Doing:

✨Supporting our two part time fundraisers with applications.
✨ Occasional frontline support within our prisons.
✨ Helping to streamline our tech and processes.
✨ Working with the CEO to shape and develop the overall Beating Time strategy.
✨ Joint oversight of our charity finances and forming part of our finance committee alongside the trustees.

✨Supporting governance and regulatory compliance for the charity.
✨ Signing off our monthly reports for our funded prison contracts.
✨ Line management responsibility of the wider team.

Who You Are:

We’re not big on box-ticking, but here’s the sort of person who we think thrives in this role:

✨Willing to be comfortable working in Prisons and Young Offender Institutions (you’ll need to pass vetting, of course!)
✨ Empathetic, non-judgemental, and a brilliant listener
✨ Aware of the barriers facing people with convictions, and ready to help smash them
✨ Resilience to work within a sector with many hurdles
✨ A natural relationship-builder who can talk to anyone — from CEOs to candidates
✨ Organised, IT-savvy (MS Office etc.), and able to keep good records
✨Strong writer –  bid writing experience is a big help

Bonus points if you’ve got fundraising or financial experience. 

Even bigger bonus points if you’ve got lived experience of the criminal justice system — we value it highly.

Why Join Us?

This isn’t just another job. It’s an opportunity to be part of something genuinely groundbreaking. I know I know, It’s a cliché but we mean it.

Our team is proudly diverse. Many of us — including our amazing Community Consultants — have lived through the criminal justice system. Your background and story matter to us.

You’ll get:
✔️ Real impact: you’ll change lives every day
✔️ Supportive, inspiring colleagues who care about what they do
✔️ Flexibility: the role has hybrid and part time potential
✔️ A warm, welcoming team coffee catch-up to cap off the process

Do you have razor sharp news sense, a flair for storytelling, experience of working in PR or as a journalist and a real desire to play your part in bringing positive change to one of the country’s biggest social issues? Then join Shelter as Media Manager and you could soon be playing a linchpin role in our fight to end the housing emergency.

About the role

This is your opportunity to play a big part in the day-to-day running of our busy press office, and a central role in developing both proactive and reactive media strands. As well as engaging with senior management and journalists on a daily basis, we’ll rely on you to deputise for the Head of Media when needed, and to provide invaluable support on reputational and crisis communications. Planning strategically vital campaigns – including our Winter Appeal, acting as reputational gatekeeper, and contributing to the management and ongoing development of the media team – are just some aspects of this challenging, high reward role that will see you thrive.

Role specifics

Creative, results driven, and politically savvy, you are comfortable with leading change and initiating action even under difficult circumstances. You are an excellent writer and totally at home with translating complex research and policy into pithy soundbites and key messages – a skill you’ll be eager to share with your colleagues who want to learn from a pro.

You don’t just sit back and contemplate. You spot risks and opportunities, and challenge when you need to. Crucially, you already have senior level experience of public relations/press management, ideally gained at a charity/think tank/political party/PR agency or working as a journalist. As a result, you understand the inner workings of the media, what makes a story and how to influence the ever-changing news agenda.

You have extensive knowledge of different media channels and tactics, and your communication and relationship building skills are second to none. You’re confident influencing and negotiating at all levels – including with external partners, including handling crisis communications with diligence and sensitivity.

When it comes to empowering your line recruits and colleagues to deliver to the highest standard, your approachability and expertise all come to the fore. Finally, while prior knowledge of housing and homelessness isn’t a must have, you’ll need a passion for social justice. After all, there’s a huge amount we need to achieve together, and you’ll be playing a big part.

Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society. 

Benefits 

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme. 

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About the team 

Operating in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, our media team responds to emerging news stories in a politically charged environment. Sometimes that means pulling a group of key stakeholders together and getting our message out the door within the hour. But the team also generates their own engaging and attention-grabbing headlines through our proactive campaigns and big brand moments.

Our work needs to be top-notch because Shelter’s reputation is at stake. But despite the profile and speed of our work, we’re a really friendly, open team where your input, ideas and questions will always be welcomed. A place where you needn’t be afraid to put your point across or challenge the status quo. We’ve achieved some great results too, with recent campaign successes including the Social Housing Regulation Act becoming law, persuading the government to unfreeze Housing Benefit from April 2024, meaning more families can afford their rent, and last but not least pushing forward the Renters’ Rights Bill, ensuring it is as strong as possible to protect renters as it passes through Parliament. In short, no matter what we’re faced with, we get things done.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

Safeguarding statement 

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free of harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies. 

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs or work with external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.