Water Capture Lead / Bid Director

About the Role

The Water business in the UK and Ireland is hiring a Capture Lead / Bid Director for the Strategy and Growth team. The role is accountable for capturing, positioning, and bidding major contracts, typically exceeding £35 million in revenue, and shaping winning solutions across regulated water, strategic resource options, and climate resilience sectors. The position drives growth by shaping and capturing key opportunities, leading a holistic capture approach that incorporates client listening, win‑strategy development, solution shaping, marketing, answer planning, and lessons learned. It collaborates with bid, marketing, technical, operational, and commercial teams to develop robust capture plans, builds a diversified pipeline using data‑led insights, and owns pursuit strategies from early capture through post‑bid debriefs. In partnership and consortium leadership, the role identifies, selects, and leads strategic partnerships, joint ventures, and consortiums, defining partner roles and value contributions. It acts as the senior representative in partner negotiations and builds trusted relationships with delivery partners, designers, contractors, technology providers, and supply‑chain organisations. The Capture Lead maintains senior‑level client relationships across water companies, regulators, and public‑sector bodies, leading executive engagement during pre‑procurement and procurement phases and crafting a clear client narrative that positions AECOM as the partner of choice. Commercially, the role sets strategic direction for major pursuits, including delivery models, risk appetite, pricing, and value proposition, while providing senior challenge and assurance to ensure solutions are deliverable, differentiated, and commercially sound. It leads bid teams, influences internal stakeholders, and guides technical writers to produce dynamic, compliant, and persuasive content. • Lead capture and bid strategy for £35m+ water sector contracts, from early positioning through post‑bid debriefs. • Develop and execute holistic capture plans, integrating client insights, win strategies, solution design, and marketing communications. • Build and manage strategic partnerships, joint ventures and consortiums, defining partner roles and delivering integrated solutions. • Cultivate senior‑level relationships with water utilities, regulators and public‑sector bodies, shaping client narratives and positioning AECOM as partner of choice. • Set commercial direction for pursuits, overseeing risk, pricing, delivery models and ensuring differentiated value propositions. • Provide strategic leadership to bid teams, align resources across functions, and guide technical writers to produce compelling content.

Key Responsibilities

• ▸capture strategy
• ▸bid leadership
• ▸partnership management
• ▸client relations
• ▸commercial pricing
• ▸technical writing

What You Bring

Candidates must have a proven track record of leading large‑scale bids ($35 million+ net service revenue) in water utilities or the public water sector, strong technical and delivery expertise, excellent communication skills, and experience with partner‑led delivery models. Executive‑level credibility, sound commercial judgement, knowledge of the UK water regulatory environment, and experience in matrix organisations are also required. • Demonstrate track record of winning multi‑disciplinary bids >$35m, with strong technical, delivery and commercial acumen in the UK water sector. • Possess executive‑level communication skills and experience operating within matrix organisations and partner‑led delivery models.

Requirements

• ▸technical expertise
• ▸delivery expertise
• ▸commercial acumen
• ▸executive communication
• ▸matrix organisations
• ▸partner‑led

Benefits

AECOM celebrates diversity, including neurodiversity, and offers a hybrid work model, comprehensive compensation, benefits, and well‑being programs. The company is a Disability Confident Employer and provides reasonable accommodations throughout the application process. • Enjoy hybrid work flexibility, comprehensive compensation and well‑being programs, and an inclusive culture that supports neurodiversity and disability confidence.

Work Environment

Hybrid