Bid Writer

Location: Farnborough, Boscombe Down, Bristol or Malvern

Role Type: Full-time / Permanent, Hybrid working patterns available

Role ID: 18120

QinetiQ is looking for an experienced Bid Writer to join a team of focused and successful professional Capture Managers, Bid Managers and Bid Writers working in the Defence domain.

You will support bids within both QinetiQ’s UK Intelligence and UK Defence sectors. The role is pivotal in helping to secure new business, to support QinetiQ’s growth.

You will typically support our major complex bids and strategic captures—from pre-bid preparation through the bidding phase to proposal submission. These bids will usually be competitive bids, rather than single-source opportunities. This is a challenging and rewarding role that will give you the opportunity to work with a range of stakeholders across the business functions (Business Development, Technical, Project Management, Social Value, Supply Chain, Commercial, Finance, and People).

What you will be doing:

You will work under the direction of the Bid Manager to provide bid-writing support at each of the following stages of the bid management process:

• Pre-bid preparation
• Bid Kick off meetings
• Response storyboards/outline development
• Supporting colour team reviews
• Response writing and author support
• Response submission preparation

You will need:

• 3-5 years of bid writing experience, ideally in a technical sector (Defence an advantage).
• APMP, Shipley, or similar bid/proposal writing certification.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• A genuine aptitude for attention to detail.
• Highly developed spoken and written communication skills.
• Experience of using AI in the drafting of bid response
• Advanced MS Word skills.
• The ability to prioritise and manage a busy workload with competing demands.
• Experience of – and a preference for – hybrid working.
• The skills to work effectively with colleagues at all levels of seniority and technical ability.
• Confidence to navigate and challenge team dynamics in a high-pressure bid environment.
• Flexibility to visit other UK sites as required, which may occasionally require an overnight stay.

Personal attributes that will support success in the role:

• Good Leadership – Challenge the status quo where efficiencies could be improved.
• Relationship Builder – Establish collaborative working relations across bid teams.
• Proactive – Seeks out opportunities to over-deliver, adding value in every assignment.
• Resilient – Able to deal with challenging personalities during the bid process.
• Flexible – Adapts their approach in line with changing priorities in the course of the bid.
• Empathetic – Maintains awareness of individual author writing support needs.
• Positive – Displays a 'can do' attitude, seeks solutions rather than problems.
• Confident – As specialists in their field, the bid writers must make themselves heard in the bid process, to embed bid writing best practice from the start.
• Experienced – Have experience of working on complex, fast paced bids.

Why Join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experience enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential.Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture. www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq

Our Benefits:

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Competitive holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days
• Compressed working option with Friday afternoons or alternative Fridays off
• Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant
• Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community

Our Recruitment Process:

We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels value, heard and supported. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which mean factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.

Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)