Bid / Contract Manager

We are seeking a highly capable and seasoned, commercially astute Bid/Contract Manager to lead our bid development and contractual engagement processes. This role is pivotal in enabling growth, reducing contractual risk, and ensuring successful delivery across defence, public sector and commercial markets.  

The successful candidate will work closely with business development, legal, technical, operational and delivery teams to manage bid submissions, negotiate contracts, advise on commercial strategy, and oversee lifecycle contract management sometimes in highly regulated environments. 

 

Key Responsibilities 

Bid Management 

• Lead and coordinate the development and preparation of high-quality, technically complex bids and proposals for defence, aerospace, energy and other industry verticals, in response to customer solicitations (RFIs, RFPs, RFQs). 

• Establish and maintain bid processes, governance, and win strategies aligned with business objectives. 

• Collaborate with internal teams to develop clear, compelling and commercially sound proposals. 

• Conduct bid/no-bid analysis to inform decision on strategic opportunities. 

• Provide early-stage commercial and legal input to shape competitive and compliant responses. 

Contract Management 

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements including MSAs, supply contracts, framework agreements, and NDAs. 

• Own and manage the full contract lifecycle, from opportunity assessment through to contract execution, performance monitoring and closure. 

• Ensure contractual terms align with industry standards and internal risk appetite, particularly within defence, central government, energy, and regulated international markets. 

• Drive contracts change control processes, including variations and amendments. 

Risk & Compliance 

• Identify contractual risks and develop mitigation strategies collaborating closely with legal counsel and internal stakeholders. This includes advising on liabilities, indemnities, IP rights, and limitations of liability with balanced commercial recommendations. 

• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, including export controls, ITAR, defence procurement frameworks, and international trade obligations. 

• Monitor and improve internal compliance with contract governance and bid protocols. 

Stakeholder Engagement 

• Act as the primary point of contact for contractual matters with external clients and internal stakeholders. 

• Advise executive and senior leadership teams on commercial risk, strategic partnerships, and contractual structuring. 

• Contribute to commercial strategy development by shaping repeatable contracting frameworks, margin protection tactics, whilst supporting client relationship management through insightful contract performance analysis. 

• Provide training and guidance to operational teams on contractual best practices and risk awareness. 

• Build and maintain effective relationships with external legal advisors and partner organisations. 

 

Skills & Qualifications 

Essential: 

• Proven experience (8+ years) in bid and/or contract management within complex industrial sectors (e.g., defence, public sector, oil & gas, marine, energy). 

• Strong track record of working with law firms and internal legal teams on high value, multi-party contracts. 

• Deep understanding of legal and contractual principles, especially in regulated environments. 

• Demonstrated experience advising internal teams, including executive leadership, on commercial and legal risk. 

• Skilled in resolving complex commercial matters through pragmatic negotiation or informal resolution. 

• Expertise in managing contracts under UK and international defence procurement regimes (e.g., MOD, DEFCON, DSPCR, FAR/DFARS). 

• Ability to lead end-to-end bid processes and manage complex negotiations. 

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills. 

• High commercial acumen with a proactive, solutions-focused approach. 

 

Desirable: 

• Experience in additive manufacturing, advanced engineering, or emerging technology fields. 

• Legal or commercial qualifications (e.g., IACCM/WorldCC certification, law degree, MBA). 

• Familiarity with digital procurement platforms and bid management tools, such as MOD, DSP, Jaggaer, Ariba or Contracts Finder. 

 

What’s in it for you

Salary – Highly competitive

Bonus – Performance related bonus scheme

Annual Leave – 25 days, plus statutory holidays

Private Healthcare – Able to add family members at an extra cost

Working Hours – Monday to Friday on-site 

Lunch – Free lunch and breakfast provided onsite alongside snacks

Who we are

DEEP is an international design and engineering company on a mission to make humans aquatic. We’re doing this by advancing ocean exploration through the development of new technologies that will enable humans to live and work in underwater environments for longer periods of time.

95% of the ocean is unexplored. Countless discoveries are waiting to be made, and knowledge gained, that will benefit our planet and all of humanity. The challenge is access, and that’s where DEEP comes in. We’re building subsea human habitats to enable research at depth and increase our understanding of the ocean, so we can help protect it.

DEEP Manufacturing

DEEP Manufacturing, based in Avonmouth (Bristol) offers advanced manufacturing capabilities and expertise in large-format metal additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping and material testing. Our advanced manufacturing facilities include a state-of-the-art robotics suite, offering 3D printing services and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) capabilities which means we can deliver manufacturing projects in less time and at lower costs compared to traditional manufacturing processes.

Working at DEEP

We’re a team of highly experienced engineering, operations and safety experts, with a funding model that allows us the freedom to think long term and pursue our mission without traditional restraints. We want to drive progress at the forefront of deep-sea innovation and discovery to become stewards of the ocean and reshape our relationship with our planet.

As an organization with multi-generational objectives and ambitious goals, the values we bring to work every day are critical:

Be Curious – Find a better way and ask why not?”. Answers are easy, questions are hard – ask original questions and be a curiosity catalyst!

Be Exceptional – It will take the most intelligent, talented and creative people on the planet working together to achieve DEEP’s mission. Get it done, be relentless in your pursuit of excellence, and demand excellence from everyone.

Be Fearless – No one has done this on the scale we’re doing it before. Impossible things must be done for the first time. We are the team pushing boundaries!

Be Good – Cultivate passion and thrive together. Be safe, take intelligent risks, but never compromise the safety of the team – ever!

 

At DEEP, we celebrate and embrace diversity and inclusion and strongly believe that the best innovations come from diverse perspectives. We invite applicants from all backgrounds to join us in creating technology that makes a meaningful impact on humanity, our oceans and planet.