Bid Writer

HSO are a leading Microsoft Dynamics Gold partner who were founded in 1987 specialising in sectors such as Retail, Rental, Manufacturing, Professional Services and Local Government. With a head count of over 280 employees in the UK, winning multiple awards such as 2020 Microsoft Partner of the Year, Best Tech company 2021 and Top 3 Large Companies to work for 2021 our reputation in the Dynamics Market is higher than ever.

Prioritising customer satisfaction, our expertise and pragmatic approach to each customer’s business needs enable us to provide a 100% reference-able solution, supported by award winning 24-hour support. Our recruitment moto has always been – ‘We don’t want good people to just join us, we want them to stay with us’. Ensuring our employees are challenged, supported and engaged in our wider family is key to our continued success – we have a designated Learning and Development Team who are continuously offering the best training on the market, combined with an Engagement Team who are creative in ways we can have social activities virtually. From online chess tournaments to coffee mornings, to Netflix and book clubs, virtual singing classes, online yoga – the list is endless!

Reason for vacancy
Due to the continued expansion of the UK business, we have an exciting opportunity for a Bid Writer in the Pre-sales team to ensure that our prospective customers receive the best attention we can give them, and to enable HSO UK to deliver against ambitious growth targets.

The Role
Bid Writer

Industry Sectors: - we are open-minded about the industry experience of the candidate, but knowledge of and experience of Public, Charity and Private sectors in one or more of the following: Retail; Distribution; Manufacturing; Rental; Service Management, would be an advantage.

Technology Experience: - a sound knowledge of IT and ERP implementations.

Purpose of The Role
The Bid Writer is responsible for the effective and efficient creation of response materials for Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ), Invitation to Tender (ITT), Request for Proposal (RFP) and other commercial proposals for a wider range of current and prospective customers, on time and within budget.

In addition, the Bid Writer will be responsible for the continuous development of the bid library including writing new case studies, model answers and development from bid feedback.

Responsibilities
Reporting to the Head of Bid Management, you will need to demonstrate drive and enthusiasm with a willingness to learn and succeed.

The Bid Writer will work closely with the Bid Manager and wider Sales team (Sales Director / Account Manager / Engagement Director) in support of providing a full, timely, positive and clear response to any request for information in the sales domain.

The Bid Writer’s knowledge, attention to detail, enthusiasm and strong communication skills ensure that all the customer or prospective customer’s questions have been answered as fully as possible and has given HSO the best possible chance of success.

The Bid Writer will work closely with a core team while bringing in subject matter experts when required.

The Bid process may be drawn out, attending to different requests from the customer, or may need to be written and delivered at speed. The demands on time may require long working hours which could encroach on personal time to meet short deadlines from the customer, or in researching new aspects.

The Bid Writer will be responsible, within the HSO template, for delivering high quality content, the presentation of the material, and ensuring that it can be used and re-used efficiently.

From time to time, as the demands of the business dictate, the Bid Writer will be required to act in the role of Bid Coordinator. In this role, under guidance from the Bid Manager, they will have responsibility for the overall management and status reporting of the bid, including identifying and managing other contributors and ensuring their contributions are appropriate and timely.

Location
The HSO offices are in Manchester, Glasgow and Reading but the individual can be based anywhere – and must be prepared to travel to client sites.

Additionally, for training purposes and to remain in touch with business and technical developments in HSO and to build a relationship with your team, you will need to be able to work in one of the HSO offices on a regular basis.

Requirements
Experience and Skills

Proven hands-on experience as a Bid Writer working in a bidding/business development role
Proven experience writing high quality successful tender and proposal responses (e.g., to RFPs, ITTs, etc) for Clients across Public, Charity and Private sectors, with strong understanding of at least one HSO industry vertical e.g., Finance, Retail, Manufacturing
Proven experience of the end-to-end bid process and supporting multiple bids at different stages of the bid lifecycle
Proof reading and reviewing wider team’s bids offering critical insightful analysis
Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Able to articulate, engage and respond to requests for information, always finding a positive approach and responding in a manner which secures the customer’s confidence in our knowledge and skills from the outset
Proven stakeholder management skills with the ability to effectively communicate with individuals at all levels, both internally and externally
Proactive approach to workload and performance when working to tight deadlines whilst managing customer requirements in a professional manner
Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to prioritise against deadline, customer demands, workload, and complexity
Excellent time-management skills, able to deliver on time and ensuring that all parties are kept updated on progress
A strong working knowledge of information technology and ERP Implementations
Experience with Bid knowledge bases/content repositories, or a willingness to master
Must have a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.