Senior Bids Manager

Job Title: Senior Bids Manager Shape winning strategies. Influence major opportunities. Help drive the future growth of Foot Anstey. We’re one of the UK’s most forward-thinking law firms, built on a foundation of innovation, collaboration, and ambition. Join us, and let’s shape the future together. Being refreshingly human starts with how we hire. We believe a diverse mix of perspectives makes us stronger - not just as a business, but in creating a culture where we all feel we truly belong and can thrive. That’s why we’re committed to removing barriers and creating fair opportunities for everyone. * We are in a period of exclusive direct sourcing for this role and are not currently accepting applications from recruitment agencies. ________________________________________ The role in 60 seconds • Role: Senior Bids Manager (Legal) • Team: Client Development • Location: Hybrid working from Bristol or Exeter • Reporting to: Executive Director, Business Development • Working Pattern: Full time • Why this role matters: Delivering the firm's growth ambitions requires focus on the opportunities that matter most. As Senior Bids Manager, you'll lead our strategic pursuits activity, helping identify, shape and convert high-value opportunities across priority sectors, clients and markets. Working closely with partners and Business Development colleagues, you'll ensure that our most important pursuits receive the right level of challenge, support and investment to maximise our chances of success. ________________________________________ What you’ll do As a senior member of the Client Development team, you will lead the firm's strategic pursuits activity, working with partners and Business Development colleagues to identify, qualify and convert high-value growth opportunities. While overseeing major bids, tenders and panel appointments, your focus will extend far beyond the submission process, helping shape pursuit strategy, strengthen opportunity management and improve conversion of the firm's most important opportunities. In this role, you'll: • Work with partners and Business Development colleagues to develop pursuit strategies, win plans and value propositions that strengthen our competitive position and improve conversion of priority opportunities. • Lead the delivery of the firm's most significant bids, tenders, panel appointments and pitch opportunities, ensuring a consistently high standard of quality and commercial focus. • Facilitate opportunity qualification and pursuit review discussions, challenging stakeholders to focus effort and investment on the opportunities most likely to deliver long-term value to the firm. • Work closely with the Executive Director of Strategic Communications to ensure consistent and compelling messaging, positioning and differentiation across strategic pursuits, bids, pitches and client-facing materials. • Analyse pursuit performance, win rates and client feedback, using insight to continuously improve the firm's approach to opportunity management and pursuit excellence. • Act as the firm's centre of excellence for strategic pursuits and bids, embedding best practice, coaching colleagues and helping build a culture of commercial discipline and winning together. ________________________________________ What we’re looking for We're looking for an experienced legal bid professional who combines strategic thinking, commercial awareness and exceptional writing skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels. You'll bring: • Significant experience managing successful bids, tenders and proposals, ideally within a legal environment. • A proven ability to lead complex opportunities from early-stage capture planning through to submission and debrief. • Experience navigati