Mears Group Plc
Provider of UK housing repairs, maintenance, care services, development and facilities management
Principal Bid Lead
Lead end-to-end public sector bids, from strategy to contract mobilisation.
Job Highlights
About the Role
As Principal Bid Lead you will own the end‑to‑end bidding lifecycle, from pre‑procurement strategy and market engagement through tender development, dialogue, contract signing and mobilisation hand‑over. Working with internal experts, senior leadership, external partners and clients, you will ensure proposals are innovative, competitive, commercially aligned and meet customer needs. You will set tone, define strategy, coordinate delivery and provide governance for multi‑million‑pound opportunities. Key duties include leading pre‑tender planning, market intelligence and SWOT analysis; developing compelling bid strategies that balance client requirements, commercial drivers and operational capability; and acting as the voice of the customer throughout the process. You will build and motivate virtual teams across commercial, operational, finance, mobilisation, legal and marketing functions to deliver high‑quality proposals on tight timelines. You will manage bid governance, risk, budgets and resourcing, lead client dialogue and negotiations, and oversee contract close‑out and hand‑over to mobilisation. • Lead full bid lifecycle from strategy to contract mobilisation. • Conduct pre‑tender planning, market intelligence and SWOT analysis. • Develop and present innovative, commercially‑aligned bid strategies. • Coordinate and motivate cross‑functional virtual teams to meet tight deadlines. • Manage bid governance, risk, budgets and resource allocation. • Lead client dialogue and negotiation sessions to influence outcomes. • Oversee contract close‑out and ensure smooth hand‑over to mobilisation. • Analyse bid performance and embed lessons learned for continuous improvement. • Ensure compliance with UK work entitlement and driver licence requirements.
Key Responsibilities
- ▸bid management
- ▸pre‑tender
- ▸market intel
- ▸swot analysis
- ▸risk governance
- ▸client negotiation
What You Bring
The ideal candidate has a proven track record of winning complex public sector contracts of more than £10 million per annum, ideally within central government, and has led bids from pre‑procurement through to award and mobilisation. They are confident, energetic, self‑driven, with strong influencing and communication skills at senior level, and excel at problem‑solving, challenging assumptions and shaping innovative solutions. Strong organisational, analytical, and collaborative abilities are essential, as is an understanding of commercial drivers and pricing. All candidates must have the right to work in the UK; Mears does not sponsor visas, and drivers must be over 21 with a licence held for at least three months and less than nine points. The company is committed to diversity, disability confidence, the Armed Forces Covenant and social mobility, offering optional background questions to improve inclusion. Applications can be directed to Vickie Rudge ([email protected]) and the organisation’s values focus on customers, innovation, teamwork and responsibility. • Demonstrate a proven track record of winning public sector contracts worth over £10 m. • Exhibit strong influencing, senior‑level communication and problem‑solving skills.
Requirements
- ▸public contracts
- ▸£10m contracts
- ▸senior communication
- ▸problem solving
- ▸bid leadership
- ▸commercial acumen
Benefits
Annual salary up to £85,000 plus a £4,800 car allowance and company benefits. The role is remote, permanent full‑time. Mears Group delivers high‑quality housing and public services and seeks a Principal Bid Lead to own significant public sector bids.
Work Environment
Hybrid