The Bid Manager Role at Inspire North
An insight into the role of a… BID MANAGER
Inspire North is currently recruiting for a Bid Manager!
This exciting role will allow you to manage, write and co-ordinate business development tendering activity to secure various funded contracts. You will support our continued growth through conducting research and work closely with a wide range of teams to support all of our business development initiatives.
To learn more about what a Bid Manager at Inspire North does, read on as we caught up with some of our colleagues within the Development Team to hear about what their role entails, what inspired them to join us and why they love their jobs!
We spoke to Louise, who has been a Bid Manager at Inspire North for three years now:
What inspired you to become a Bid Manager?
“In a nutshell, I wanted a career that would make a difference. I came here from a short stint working with refugees and asylum seekers and it inspired me to pursue a role that helps to improve the lives of vulnerable and marginalised people. I also wanted a role that would use my project management experience and enable me to develop my writing skills.”
What does a typical day in your role look like?
“No two days are ever the same, it’s a varied and challenging role. Typically, you’ll be juggling different priorities and tasks and things can change at short notice, so you need to be adaptable and organised. On any given day you may be running a workshop to design a new service, talking to partners, developing a new funding application, or speaking to clients and colleagues to find out about how our services operate. I also have line management responsibility, so I support our Development Officer to keep the team running efficiently.”
What is your favourite thing about your role and why?
“Talking to clients and working with operational colleagues. We are a really collaborative organisation and one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is seeing an idea come to life, and then being awarded the funding to deliver it!”
We also heard from Shahissta, who has recently joined Inspire North as a Bid Manager:
How are you finding your new role at Inspire North?
“I find the role extremely rewarding and everyone is really friendly and helpful. I am getting to know all aspects of the services we provide, and I am able to utilise my previous experience.”
Have you always worked in Development or is this a new department for you? If yes, what influenced you to make this change?
“Yes, I am experienced in Development within the technology sector, and I made the change because I was influenced by aspirations and values of Inspire North and the services it provides as a charity.”
What would you say are the top five skills someone would need to move into bid management?
– “Have some understanding or prior experience of how bids are written and what constitutes a good bid.”
-“Influential and engaging writing skills.”
-“Willingness to learn.”
-“Adaptable flexible and proactive, creating a compelling bid requires an understanding of the subject matter and this sometimes needs additional research and qualification; as a bid writer involved in business development sometimes there is the need to manage multiple aspects of a bid simultaneously.”
-“Collaborative, skills. Bid manager works independently and within a team so being able to liaise with, share and manage aspects of a bid with other team members is key.”
If you are now feeling inspired and would like to learn more about the Bid Manager role and how to apply, you can see the live vacancy here: Bid Manager Job Advert
Inspire North is a not-for-profit parent organisation of Community Links, Foundation, and subsidiaries. We provide mental health and housing support across the North of England.
View all our current vacancies on our Careers page.