Bid Writer Jobs

Job Title

Graduate Commercial Bid Writer

Grade

GRADE 7

Reports to

Head of Commercial Bid Writing  

Responsible for

N/A

Job purpose

As part of the bid writing team be accountable for writing multi million pound winning bids for agreed contracts, tenders and frameworks in line with the agreed operating model, enabling United Response to retain and grow income in a sustainable way.

Key responsibilities

Bid writing

· Writing high quality and innovative responses in tenders and framework that are representative of United Response work in collaboration with Operation colleagues and Relationship Managers that will lead to winning multi million pound partnerships

· Working closely with the Principle Commercial Bid Writer, Heads of business development, operational subject matter experts to ensure that all tenders, are written to an excellent standard and meet necessary criteria within internal and procurement timeframes.

· Editing and copywriting content to provide consistent and engaging written submissions.

· To articulate and illustrate information provided to you as well as work up concepts into creative and innovative ideas, in line with The United Response strategy and brand. This will include research, example gathering, development of new initiatives and engaging internal and external stakeholders, to include in model development and submissions which will lead to significant increases in income.

· Working with the Principle Commercial Bid Writer to develop a library of sector leading stock responses ensuring tools, examples and information are kept up to date and properly represents the work we do

· Write excellent bids, that bring our offer to life and win UR the contracts

Budgets and Critical Analysis

· Develop comprehensive blue prints for each of our contracts, which will include:

o Rigorous and comprehensive cost benefit analysis for all of our services and bids.

o Experience of developing significant comprehensive budgets for bids to ensure that the ROI is met ensuring sustainable contracts.

o A full risk assessment for the contract to inform decision making for a bid no bid scenario.

Best Practice and Learning

· Keep abreast of latest innovations and research to include in responses.

· Work with colleagues in Operational, Quality and Practice teams to ensure the best practice is shared and knowledge and management information is both used in tenders and available to the organisation.

· Research and data collection for bids, contributing as actively to bespoke model design and innovation development.

· Evaluate and improve future submissions utilising bid feedback and good practice from successful bids, taking a lead and ownership of the Response Library.

Opportunities

· Develop strong and effective communication and relationships across the organisation to understand opportunities and requirements that will take key stakeholders on the bid development journey.

Information & Governance

· Ensure that all processes, procedures and systems to support income generation are followed in accordance with best practice and Information Governance Policies.

· Ensure that United Response and partner’s intellectual property and commercially sensitive information is protected and used appropriately.

· Ensure confidentiality of our people and the people we support is maintained at all times.

Service User Engagement

· Always act as a champion of United Response and local partnerships internally and externally, modelling appropriate behaviours.

· Engage in and instigate true co-production, devolved decision making and strengthening the voices of the people we support.

· Develop and/or build strong and positive relationships with key stakeholders and where required commissioners.

Person specification

 

 

Essential Criteria

 

Part One – Experience

We will be looking for evidence of your:

· Credibility in your potential to write multi million pound sector leading bids and frameworks in the social care sector.

· Credibility in building relationships with operational colleagues and other key stakeholders.

· Credibility in developing rigorous and comprehensive cost benefit analysis for multi million-pound contracts and tenders.

· Supporting colleagues to think differently, developing bids that are easy to read and impactful.

· Understanding of how to deliver social purpose in a business-like manner, good business and financial planning skills and proven track record in delivering against financial targets and managing business risk.

· Commitment to co-production with people we support and their families/advocates.

Part Two - Key Competencies

We will be looking for evidence that you:

· Exceptional writing and communication skills.

· Analytical with an eye for detail.

· Have strong & practical understanding of how to write powerful bids in personalised public services.

· Can critically appraise ideas, proposals, and operating models to ensure that the bids we submit are deliverable and achieve agreed operating margins.

· Ability to work at pace and can juggle competing demands, making reasoned decisions about priorities.

• Can apply project management techniques appropriately to the scale of the task in hand.

· Can harness creative thinking and innovative approaches both of your own and enable others to apply these to deliver practical outcomes.

· Can strike a balance between tried & tested approaches while being willing to take calculated risks in developing new ways of doing things.

· Can show resilience when needed for yourself and assist others to develop this.

· Can hold colleagues to account in an appropriate way to provide high quality information needed for the bids.

Part Three - Personal Style and Behaviour

We will be looking for evidence that you:

· Can describe what your commitment to the aims, values and goals of United Response looks like in practice.

· Have integrity and display courage in tricky situations.

· Work collaboratively with the Business Development team to help deliver exceptional results.

· Are articulate, able to transform complex and often technical subjects into clear messages, and with strong presentation skills, able to create concise yet robust bids.

 

Desirable criteria

 

· Volutary or employed bid writing experience

· Certificate in Bid Management or similar

Dandelion Time’s pioneering nature-based therapy seeks to rebuild the confidence and self-belief of children and families impacted by trauma, enabling them to take the necessary steps to move forward.  To support our expansion across Kent, we have an exciting opportunity to join our close knit and hugely supportive team as the Bid Manager.  We have just launched our five-year plan and need an experienced, confident and collaborative individual who will be able to hit the ground running.

Reporting to the Director of Finance and supported by an experienced part-time Bid Writer you will be lead on the development and implementation of the income generation strategy for bids, primarily from Trusts and Foundations. Your focus will be to identify a diverse range of high value opportunities to build a pipeline of sustainable income.

To excel in this role you will demonstrate significant experience of researching and writing detailed and compelling proposals for trusts.  You will have a proven track record of meeting and exceeding income targets, securing one-off or multi-year grants of five-figure sums or above and multi-year funding.  

Your excellent communication skills will enable you to cultivate and manage relationships with key decision-makers, including the day-to-day management of both new and existing funders.

Please be aware that your cover letter will be assessed as part of your application and should clearly set out how and why you meet the person specification for this job.

What can we offer you?

At Dandelion Time we always strive to achieve a happy and healthy work-life balance for all.  Where practicable we offer flexible working arrangements to allow you to work in a way that suits your individual lifestyle. 

• Hybrid working and flexibility in work patterns
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time staff) with the opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Generous enhanced sick pay
• Excellent communication and technology processes
• Skilled, supportive, collaborative and caring colleagues
• Working in and with nature and animals at our rural based settings
• Opportunity to enjoy be actively involved in our beautiful sites

You will be based at our West Farleigh (Maidstone) site but will on occasion visit our other sites including Shadoxhurst (Ashford) and Shorne (Gravesend) and new ones as we grow. Please note that public transport is limited at all our sites so you will need your own transport.

Safeguarding

Dandelion Time is committed to a culture that safeguards and promotes the welfare of children and their families with robust recruitment procedures that deter and prevent people who are unsuitable to work with children from applying for or securing employment within the charity.  All individuals working in any capacity at Dandelion Time will be subject to safeguarding checks in line with the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education.  This will include a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check against both the Adult and Child Barred List service.  Evidence of ID, your right to work in the UK, your relevant qualifications, current address and satisfactory references are also a requirement.

Equality and Diversity

Dandelion Time is committed to creating a more inclusive organisation which benefits from a variety of perspectives and better reflects the communities we serve, to make smarter decisions and better support our families.  We expect all our people to be accountable for equality, diversity and inclusion at Dandelion Time. It is only by working together in unity that we can ensure that everyone can perform at their best. We warmly welcome applications from all sectors of the community and from a diverse range of genders, backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations and physical abilities.

As part of our Safer Recruitment procedures, we proactively remove bias by ensuring whenever possible, the recruiting panel only receive anonymised applications to complete the shortlisting process.

#trustandfoundations

#grants

#multi-yearfunding

Role: Partnerships Account Manager 

Location: Hybrid - London/home with regular UK travel

Salary: 36k-45k dependent on experience

Demand for our specialist tutoring programmes for Children Looked After, those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) continues to increase and we are seeking an excellent addition to our team to support the increased demand for our provision and to support the continued scaling of our organisation.

The Organisation

Equal Education is a social enterprise working to improve outcomes and narrow the attainment gap for disadvantaged and vulnerable learners, including Children Looked After, those with SEND, and unaccompanied asylum seeking children. We have 12 years’ experience delivering 1:1 tuition, working with schools and Local Authority partners across the country, reaching hundreds of pupils annually. 

As a member of the Fair Education Alliance, we believe in providing meaningful educational provision to students whose needs may not be best met within a traditional classroom environment, those who aren’t currently accessing education, or who benefit from additional 1:1 support. We work with over 200 qualified teachers to provide academic, subject specialised and individual tutoring and mentoring for children of all ages. Tutors provide pastoral care and work with pupils to increase engagement and attainment. Our programmes will help the students to overcome barriers to learning, help them build trusted relationships, increase their aspirations, and fulfil their potential. We are passionate about our cause and are looking for people who are motivated by a strong desire to address educational inequality and improve outcomes. 

What is the Role?

The Partnerships Account Manager will drive business growth by securing new partnerships and managing key client accounts across designated regions. With a focus on building and sustaining long-term school and local council relationships, the Partnerships Account Manager will work closely with clients to understand their needs, expand our service offerings, and ensure the highest levels of satisfaction. 

The post holder will manage two administrators who will provide essential bid-writing and administrative support to facilitate efficient and effective client management.

The post holder would benefit from experience or an understanding of working in a small, high-growth organisation. 

The role will be suited to those who have held the title: SENCO, Head of Department, Advisory Teacher, Inclusion Coordinator or Designated Teacher. 

This role is ideal for an ambitious, client-focused individual, passionate about creating positive outcomes for vulnerable students. If you’re ready to contribute to a growing organisation that’s making a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Client Acquisition and Relationship Management

   • Proactively seek new business opportunities within assigned regions to grow the client base.

   • Develop and maintain strong, positive relationships with key clients, ensuring their evolving needs are met and service offerings are aligned.

   • Lead regular client review meetings to discuss progress, gather feedback, and identify additional service opportunities.

   • Manage internal relationships to ensure what matters to clients is communicated internally using the proper channels, to allow for effective delivery by our Operations teams. 

   • Maintain good internal stakeholder relationships with our Operations teams to ensure high client demands are balanced with our processes and team capacity. 

2. Strategic Planning and Development

   • Collaborate with Senior Leaders to develop strategies for client retention and growth.

   • Work closely with the wider partnerships team to align on strategic objectives and ensure seamless service delivery across functions.

   • Participate in client and industry events to represent the organisation, expand networks, and identify new business opportunities.

3. Performance Monitoring and Reporting

   • Monitor client engagement, satisfaction levels, and service outcomes; produce regular progress reports for management.

   • Oversee tracking and analysis of client-related statistics to ensure targets are met and clients receive impactful, value-driven service.

   • Manage and track client data and prospect pipelines using CRM systems, ensuring accuracy and up-to-date information.

   • Report to SLT on accounts, Tenders, Bids, client meetings on a regular basis

   • Be curious to explore our Salesforce system data, understanding and interpreting delivery and impact data 

4. Team Management and Support Coordination

   • Lead, mentor, and manage two administrators focused on bid-writing, tender management, and client-related administration.

   • Support administrators in producing and reviewing high-quality bid documents and responses that align with client requirements and enhance our partnership outcomes.

   • Provide oversight to ensure that administrative tasks are completed efficiently, supporting smooth client interactions and consistent follow-through.

   • Work with other leads like allocations and recruitment to ensure we can fulfil referrals

   • Foster a strong working relationship between bid writers and recruitment to ensure we can find tutors and go for the right bids. 

5. Bid Management and Process Improvement

   • Oversee the preparation and submission of tenders and bids, working closely with administrators to ensure high-quality and timely submissions.

   • Continuously review and improve internal processes to optimise bid management, client onboarding, and service delivery.

   • Report on bid submission performance, review client feedback to continuously improve. 

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Detailed knowledge of the UK Education Sector.

• Proven track record in client relationship management, with experience in sales or partnership development roles.

• Strong communication skills, particularly in face-to-face and telephone interactions, with the ability to build rapport quickly and maintain long-lasting relationships.

• Experience managing a small team, providing leadership, direction, and support to ensure high-performance standards.

• High level of empathy and commitment to supporting vulnerable and underserved communities.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet both short- and long-term deadlines effectively.

• Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) for tracking client data, leads, and progress.

• Proactive, problem-solving mindset, able to address issues independently and provide client-focused solutions.

• Able to work in a high pressure environment, whilst taking initiative, we would want the postholder to ask for support when needed.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Experience working in the education sector or with local authorities, particularly in roles involving SEND or children’s services.

• Knowledge of safeguarding requirements and best practices for handling sensitive information.

• Experience in bid-writing, tender management, or grant applications.

General

The job is subject to having the right to work in the UK, two professional references and a basic DBS check.

Why Equal Education?

• Competitive salary

• Staff wellbeing benefits such as ClassPass membership, access to discounts via Perks at Work, eyecare vouchers, regular wellbeing sessions and team social events.

• Investment in you - we believe in developing from within and offer our team training opportunities and personalised development plans, as well as the chance to get involved with lots of projects across the organisation.

• Flexible, hybrid work environment with regular opportunities for in-person client engagement.

• Working alongside a passionate team working to make a positive impact in the lives of under-resourced children and young people across the UK

At Equal Education, you are the expert. We give you the space, the support and the technology to be your best. The rest is up to you.

Being you at Equal Education 

Every young person we support is unique and our team isn’t any different. Our differences are our strength when it comes to providing a tailored, human approach to education. We are proud of our people and provide an environment where everyone can bring their most authentic self to work. 

Our recruitment practices are carried out in line with equal opportunities and all candidates will be reviewed fairly regardless of age, gender reassignment, sex, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic.

Director of Business Development and Income

Location: Flexible, work from home
Contract: 12 months – to start in January 2025
Working Hours: 22.5 hours per week
Salary: £50,000 - £55,000 per annum pro rata

Key Responsibilities:

Corporate partnership strategy

- Develop and lead a strategic plan to build sustainable corporate partnerships, especially in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Focus on achieving ambitious financial targets through various income sources, including grants, sponsorships, and direct corporate funding.

Income target achievement

- Drive initiatives to meet or exceed income goals, adapting strategies based on performance insights to maximise revenue growth. Regularly monitor income metrics and report transparently on progress, challenges, and successes.

Relationship building

- Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders in the corporate, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and biotech sectors. Ensure these partnerships align with our clients mission and income goals to foster mutually beneficial, long-term engagement.

Grant and proposal leadership

- Lead major funding applications and proposals, collaborating with internal teams and external bid writers to secure substantial grants and sponsorships. Ensure applications are aligned with income goals and present a compelling case for support.

Compliance and contract management

- Oversee compliance for all grant and sponsorship agreements, ensuring contractual obligations are met, funds are allocated accurately, and reporting is clear and accountable. Maintain high standards of transparency in partnership activities.

Revenue stream expansion & Engagement and Marketing

- Identify and assess new corporate revenue streams and innovative partnerships, particularly within pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, to sustainably expand income generation and support organisational growth.
- Develop a focused external engagement and marketing strategy to effectively communicate our mission, value, and impact to potential corporate partners, particularly in pharma and healthcare. Enhance brand awareness and reputation through strategic outreach.

Candidate Profile

Ideal candidates will have proven experience in income generation within corporate and pharmaceutical partnerships, a strategic approach, and a record of exceeding financial goals. They should excel at building high-level relationships, driving results, and aligning efforts with their mission to maximise impact.

Essential Skills:

- Proven background in corporate income generation and business development, ideally within healthcare or pharmaceutical sectors, with a strong record of consistently meeting or exceeding income targets.
- Thorough understanding of the charity sector and income generation, including experience in securing, managing, and monitoring grants and corporate sponsorships.
- Strong financial skills, with experience in setting, monitoring, and achieving income targets.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills, particularly with senior corporate stakeholders.

Personal Qualities:

- Entrepreneurial and proactive, with a forward-thinking approach to identifying and pursuing partnership opportunities.
- Results-oriented, with a strong commitment to achieving and exceeding income targets.
- Analytical and detail-oriented, with the ability to interpret complex information and report progress effectively to a range of audiences.

You may have experience of the following:, Senior Business Development Executive, Major fundraising, Fundraising officer, Grants Officer, Giving's fundraising Officer, Fundraising Manager, etc

REF-218 121

The Job

Tiko is a fast-growing and ambitious African non-profit linking vulnerable girls and women to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence support services in Sub-Saharan Africa via our innovative digital platform. A recent transformational multi-million pound grant is kick-starting us on our way to taking our fundraising and our organization to the next level. As such, we are looking for a experienced, driven New Business Development Lead with a solid track record in personally securing 6 – 7 figure grants from new donors, whether government, institutional, INGOs and/or large trusts and foundations, to join our NBD team.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate a proven ability to:

• Conduct prospect research to identify and qualify high quality new donor leads for Tiko and proactively track and respond to large funding opportunities and RFPs, helping us continuously build and enhance our prospect pipeline
• Carry out detailed research and mappings to identify existing links with potential donors, whether through our leadership, Board, donors etc. and recommend pathways to relationship building
• Lead and manage the full proposal development process - from identification of the funding opportunity and detailed review of eligibility/suitability to assess our likelihood of success, through to creating buy-in around responsibilities and timelines, motivating and organizing internal stakeholders, guiding players through every step in the proposal process, gathering inputs from technical leads, working with finance teams on budget development, creating supplementary materials, to rolling up your sleeves and writing the proposal and supporting documents as required (Theories of Change, Risk Matrices, Log Frames etc.).
• Deliver significant funding from new donors (candidates will be expected to show evidence of winning funding of a minimum of 6 figures)
• Create high quality fundraising materials tailored to the needs of specific donor audiences e.g. concept notes, slide decks etc.
• Support the systematization and increased efficiency of fundraising at Tiko through timely updating of Salesforce, and general best practice usage of our tools and project management system (Asana).

We are open to remote work for this position and will happily accept applicants from the UK, Kenya, and South Africa, with a preference that the postholder joins their team in their local office one day a week.

About You

You have a deep passion for using your skills in leveraging funding to make the world a better, more equitable place, and an ability to balance big picture, strategic thinking and design with getting tangible activities operationalised. Specifically:

• You are an exceptional writer, with an ability to produce compelling proposals, tailored to the specific needs and interests of different donors. These might be technical, institutional bids, requiring ToCs, logframes etc, ‘Big Bet’ pitches which will rely on powerful storytelling or applications to large foundations, among others.
• Sitting within the small but growing NBD team, you are nonetheless comfortable working autonomously (with the role being majority remote), while building the connections needed across our global team to get the information you need to raise funds for Tiko.
• You are comfortable working in an organisation that is fast-paced and experiencing significant growth. You show flexibility and resilience as structures, processes and ways of working evolve.
• You are confident in managing competing priorities while meeting both internal and external deadlines and flexible enough to juggle your work where opportunities come in at the last minute.
• You are an excellent communicator, able to effectively tell our story and market our offerings in a compelling way, engaging partners, and donors, and inspiring them to support Tiko.

Experience and Eligibility Criteria

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a fundraising role(s), with a preference for experience in institutional, trust/foundation and/or Big Bet philanthropy, and evidence of personal track record in bringing in new funding.
• Experience working for an international development NGO is desirable, particularly in the space of SRH, SGBV and/or women and girls’ rights more broadly.
• Willingness to join the team in the local office ideally one day per week and for occasional international travel (1 - 2 weeks per year)

About Tiko

Tiko believes in a world where all youth have the power to choose where, when, and how they meet their sexual reproductive health needs. Our digital platform delivers scalable and verifiable sexual reproductive health services for young people in 6 main markets in Sub Saharan Africa - Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Zambia. We work together with local communities and use nudges like reminders, discounts, and reward points to encourage our users to access and use sexual and reproductive health services. We also support our users in becoming micro-entrepreneurs and adding value to their economies.

Tiko has offices in South Africa, Zambia,  Kenya, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Uganda, the Netherlands, UK and Portugal. Globally, our team consists of +180 enthusiastic, international colleagues. Whether you are working from our biggest office in Nairobi, the fast-growing office in South Africa, or from home, our people are young and our culture is global and dynamic. Our work environment is fast-paced, informal, and friendly. You can learn more about what being part of Tiko is like here.

The Rewards

At Tiko, we believe in being open, especially when it comes to salaries. The gross salary brackets for this position are £40,000 - £60,000/year in the UK, R710,694 - R1,066,040/year in South Africa, and Ksh4,534,542 - Ksh6,801,813/year in Kenya. We will offer you a salary in this bracket depending on your level of experience and how it relates to your future colleagues. 

In addition to your monthly salary, we offer you:

• Great secondary benefits
• A personal development budget
• Unlimited holidays, if you can make it work with your team you’re good to go
• Growth opportunities
• A product to help shape as we grow, to leave your mark on how we do things
• A vision that we trust that you will do your job without us having to invent unnecessary rules and regulations

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Tiko prioritises integrity in our workplace and respects your privacy

Tiko is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour by its employees at work, including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct. This is why we will do reference and background screening checks on successful candidates before hiring. Tiko also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. As part of this scheme, we will request information from your previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during your employment, or incidents under investigation when you left employment. By applying for this position, you confirm you have read and understood these recruitment procedures.

We value your privacy and understand the importance of safeguarding your personal data. We invite you to review our privacy notice for the recruitment process to understand how we collect, use, and protect your personal data during the recruitment process. Click here to view the document. By applying for this position, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our privacy notice.