VodafoneThree
VodafoneThree - Bid Lead
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Location: Farnborough (Onsite)
Salary: Excellent basic salary plus bonus and Vodafone benefits
Working Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week – Monday to Friday
Security Clearance: This position requires you to hold or the ability to obtain a UK Developed Vetting (DV) clearance.
Who We Are
We’re here to build a network the UK can count on – one that connects people, places and potential. Because no matter where you live, what your background is, or how you get online – we think everyone deserves the same chance to stay connected, and with VodafoneThree, that future’s being built – today.
We’re creating more than the UK’s best network. We’re helping close the digital divide, empower communities and drive meaningful progress.
We believe that everyone should feel they belong. Whoever you are and whatever your story, there’s space for you here. We’re building a workplace where different perspectives are welcomed, voices are heard, and everyone feels safe to show up as themselves.
You’ll join a team that genuinely cares – about each other, about our customers, and about the future we’re building. From day one, you’ll be welcomed, valued and encouraged to bring your whole self to work.
Why VodafoneThree
Join us and you’ll be at the heart of change. That means building responsibly, investing sustainably and creating opportunities that last.
We’re not just expanding connectivity; we’re reimagining what a connected nation looks like. With £11bn invested in 5G and digital infrastructure, your work will directly power businesses, services, and communities across the country.
You’ll work on real challenges, with real impact, across every corner of the country. Wherever you join us, whatever your role, you’ll be helping to build a future that works better for everyone.
We move at pace, because what we’re building matters – and we’re learning as we go. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we’re just getting started.
Join Vodafone Business Security
Enhanced and strengthen the cyber security of the UK's Critical National Infrastructure and public sector organisations.
What You’ll Do
Within this environment of transformation, the Bid Manager is responsible for delivering a best in class end to end bid response for VBSE customers, ensuring every opportunity is managed with precision, commercial insight, and strong governance. As a central figure within the Pre Sales Commercial function, the role works cross functionally with Sales, Commercial, Legal, Finance, Operations and technical teams to create compelling, high quality tender responses that clearly articulate our value and differentiation.
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The Bid Manager leads the bid process from qualification through to submission and negotiation, ensuring clarity of win strategy, coordination of virtual bid teams, and adherence to VBSE governance at every stage. The role also contributes to continuous improvement, helping to build a centre of excellence in bid management and strengthen our capability as we scale in a newly unified organisation.
Operating in a fast-paced and commercially complex environment, the Bid Manager must balance risk, quality, customer requirements and organisational priorities. Success in this role requires exceptional communication, commercial acumen, stakeholder engagement and the ability to navigate strategic, technical, and operational inputs to deliver robust, high impact bid submissions.
- Lead the end to end bid lifecycle, from qualification through to submission and negotiation, ensuring clarity of win strategy and alignment with business objectives
- Coordinate and manage virtual bid teams across Sales, Commercial, Legal, Finance, Operations and technical functions to deliver cohesive, high quality tender responses
- Develop and support commercial proposals in collaboration with Account and Bid teams, ensuring commercially robust and competitive bid responses
- Conduct and manage risk assessments, ensuring risks are identified, mitigated, escalated and aligned to governance requirements
- Ensure compliance with VBSE governance, commercial policies, and pre sales processes, maintaining auditability and quality throughout the bid
- Lead internal bid strategy sessions, gather competitive intelligence, and ensure bids clearly articulate value, differentiation, and customer outcomes
- Build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships, acting as a key point of contact and driving effective cross functional collaboration
- Complete lessons learned reviews post submission and award, to ensure the business stays agile
Who You Are
- Experience in commercial and contract management within Defence, ideally the Ministry of Defense
- Strong understanding of commercial principles and risk management
- Analytical competence and proficiency with Excel and contract tools
- Degree in Business, Law, Finance, or related discipline
- Professional commercial qualifications (e.g., CIPS, WorldCC)
- Must hold or be eligible for DV Clearance
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Worried that you don’t meet all the desired criteria exactly?
We know that everyone is unique, with multiple aspects to their identity and different experiences behind them. We are passionate about Inclusion for All and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, whatever their personal or professional background. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align exactly with every part of the job description, we encourage you to apply as you may be the right candidate for this role or another role, and our recruitment team can help you see how your skills fit in.
What We Offer
We care about our people’s success by offering great pay, bonuses, up to 28 days off plus bank holidays, and paid time for charity work. You can personalise our benefits for you and your family, like discounts, vouchers, a pension plan and loads more. We help with your career through our amazing learning tools and top-notch parental leave policies.
Need to Know
We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and all offers of employment for this role are subject to background checks, including criminal (DBS) and financial checks to meet the regulators standards.
If you require any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request as part of your recruitment journey, for example, extended time or breaks in between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, or assistive technology, please refer to the Accessibility section of our Careers website (https://careers.vodafone.com/uk/reasonable-adjustments/) for guidance.
We use AI in different parts of our business to boost innovation, improve efficiency, and create new opportunities. We know many candidates use AI to fine-tune their CVs or prepare for interviews, but what we really care about is your unique experiences and achievements.
During the interview, we want you to rely on your own knowledge and skills to show us who you really are—your personality, creativity, and abilities. Above all, we’re looking for authenticity and can’t wait to get to know the real you.
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