Senior Bid Manager (m/f/d) – Space & Defence [26177]

Shape Europe's Next Generation of Space and Defence Programmes

We are looking for an experienced and driven Senior Bid Manager to join our growing Space & Defence business in Germany.

In this strategic role, you will lead the preparation and delivery of high-value, complex proposals for institutional, governmental, and industrial customers across the space, defence, security, and aerospace sectors. You will work closely with technical experts, project managers, commercial teams, and senior leadership to deliver compelling and compliant bids that secure critical business opportunities.

This position offers the opportunity to contribute to programmes involving satellite systems, mission operations, command and control systems, Earth observation, cybersecurity, defence digitalisation, and space domain awareness.

Your Responsibilities

Bid Leadership & Management

• Lead and manage the complete bid lifecycle from opportunity qualification through proposal submission and contract award.
• Develop and implement win strategies aligned with customer requirements, company capabilities and competitive strengths.
• Establish bid governance, schedules, review plans and resource allocation for major opportunities.
• Manage multiple simultaneous bids while ensuring quality, compliance and timely delivery.

Proposal Development

• Analyse customer requirements, tender documentation, evaluation criteria and contractual conditions.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams including engineering, operations, finance, legal, procurement and programme management.
• Develop proposal structures, compliance matrices, executive summaries and customer-focused value propositions.
• Ensure submissions meet technical, commercial, legal and quality requirements.

Commercial & Strategic Support

• Support pricing strategy, business case development and risk management activities.
• Contribute to capture planning and pre-sales activities alongside business development teams.
• Assess competitor positioning and identify differentiators and win themes.
• Support contract negotiations, clarification processes, customer presentations and best-and-final offer submissions.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive proposal excellence and bid management best practices.
• Contribute to process improvements, lessons learned activities and proposal knowledge management.
• Mentor junior bid managers and proposal coordinators.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Aerospace, Defence Studies, Project Management or a related discipline.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in bid management, proposal management, capture management or business development.
• Proven experience delivering successful bids within the space, defence, aerospace, security, IT or engineering sectors.
• Strong knowledge of European public procurement and competitive tendering processes.
• Fluent German and English language skills at C2 level, written and spoken.
• Excellent proposal writing, project management, stakeholder management, commercial awareness and risk management skills.
• Experience managing cross-functional and international teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, SharePoint, CRM systems and proposal management tools.

Desirable Qualifications

• APMP Certification.
• Knowledge of defence procurement regulations and security frameworks.
• Experience with large framework agreements, service contracts and system integration programmes.
• Familiarity with space systems, satellite operations, mission planning, command and control systems, cybersecurity or defence digitalisation projects.
• Eligibility to obtain national or European security clearance.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to work on challenging space and defence programmes.
• International and multicultural working environment.
• Competitive salary and attractive benefits package.
• Flexible working arrangements and hybrid work options.
• Professional development and certification support, including APMP training.
• Clear career progression opportunities.

This job can be located in Darmstadt, Bremen or Munich, Germany.

Please send your CV in English, in Word or PDF format, quoting job DE-HP-26177.

Last apply date: 31/10/2026.