Research Bid Support Manager
Salary: £35,798 - £48,109
Slough, Berkshire
Do you have a social research, humanities or similar background? do you have experience in bids, funding, proposals? Are you looking for a supporting role where you can shape winning bids focused on improving the outcomes for children and young people in education? If so, read on…
As a Research Bid Manager, you will work closely with colleagues across the organisation to co-ordinate the development of high-quality, winning proposals relating to our research work.
Your role is a supportive role, meaning you will not be the overall lead for the proposals but will carefully manage stakeholders, internal and external, to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality proposal documents.
Typically, you’ll be working on proposals ranging from large international education surveys to complex evaluations of policy interventions to improve teaching and learning.
What does role involve?
- Planning and chairing proposal and pitch development meetings, steering decision-making
- Inputting ideas for our bid winning strategy, ensuring our proposals and pitches are robust, persuasive and cost effective
- Finding solutions to issues as they arise, liaising and negotiating with commissioners, colleagues and partners as needed
- Leading or supporting the project management of proposals
- Writing and editing sections of proposal text to client-ready standards
- Inputting to decisions about what NFER should and shouldn’t bid for
We have a very high bid success rate and once we’ve won a contract, we hand it over to research colleagues. Within this role, however, there will be opportunities to get involved with the bid team’s wider work, including driving forward NFER’s research methods work, building up our library of methods text and good practice examples.
Why is this a great role?
“I have enjoyed my bid management role with NFER and have learned a lot. It is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced social researcher to take on a strategically important, exciting and fast-paced role within the UK’s leading educational research organisation. You will get the opportunity to extend your methodological knowledge; develop your leadership, negotiation, numeracy and writing skills; and engage meaningfully with colleagues at different levels throughout all tranches of the business”. (Recent post holder)
Your background:
To be successful in this role, you will need:
- Extensive experience of leading, managing and writing proposals
- Considerable experience of developing/delivering pitches in competitive tendering situations
- Excellent writing and quality assurance skills
- The ability to challenge and support to ensure that we produce high-quality outputs
- Significant experience in writing winning, highly bespoke proposals to a client-ready standard
- To show you can develop strategies to win highly competitive research and assessment contracts
- To be solution-focused, flexible and collegiate, with excellent communication skills
- Expertise in a range of research methodologies and an interest in social research and/or assessment methods
- To work at pace
We are keen to hear from candidates who have worked in social research and are looking to move into a more strategic, business development-focused role. However, we will also seriously consider candidates from other sectors, who can demonstrate the ability to pick up new areas of expertise very quickly.
Other companies may call this role Bid Manager, Bid Writer, Business Development Bid Manager, Bid Co-ordinator, or Bid Support Co-ordinator.
Why NFER?
NFER has a worldwide reputation as a leading independent provider of education research and analysis. We are a registered charity that has contributed evidence, in-depth knowledge, and research expertise to support the creation of an excellent education for all children and young people for over seventy years. Improving the lives of children and young people is at the heart of everything we do.
- Competitive salary
- Generous pension scheme
- Free parking
- 42 days’ holiday per year including Bank Holidays + additional discretionary days
- Excellent support for professional development
- Great work/life balance (35 hours working week)
- Plus lots of well-being and social activities #NFERLife
NFER is a not-for-profit organisation and an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applications from all sections of the community.
Application closes on midnight on Sunday 1st March
So, if you are looking for a fresh, new challenge as a Research Bid Manager, please apply via the button shown.