Bid Director

Job Title

Bid Director

Job Description Summary

Cushman & Wakefield is looking for a dynamic Director of Bid Management to spearhead our sales-driven initiatives targeting the occupier + Investor audience within the commercial real estate sector across Asia Pacific. Our Bid Managers play a key part in achieving our objectives and this pivotal role will focus on driving revenue by supporting high value pitches through a client-focused approach.
The Director of Bid Management is expected to drive the development of a market-leading platform, actively support the growth of Cushman & Wakefield’s strategic direction and enhance our client offer & win percentage. This will involve the management of complex global and regional bids and support of less complex bids where appropriate, as well as the development of outstanding bid practices. This role is also responsible for the supervision and development of staff and development of good practices across the APAC Bid Team plus connecting the wider APAC Bid community.
To work closely with the strategic marketing team, with a particular focus on bottom-of-the-funnel strategies to enhance client conversion rates, and drive significant sales outcomes.
The Director of Bids supports the business by strategic insight to improve our ability to win work through bids, and by planning and managing the bid response process to deliver documents in line with the company’s brand. The focus of this role is to support business development activities, working with the Sales + Service line teams, and to manage the response process by engaging with all parts of the business to ensure a professional, compliant and compelling proposal is submitted. The role involves project managing the response and bid writing.
This role is expected to develop win strategies and bid plans as well as bring ideas and fresh thinking to the department. This role demands a strategic thinker with a strong sales orientation, able to lead the charge in using innovative bid tactics to drive sales and secure a competitive edge for Cushman & Wakefield in the commercial real estate industry.

Job Description

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Core Responsibilities:

Vision

• The role must identify and strategically plan for the further development of a market-leading and successful pursuit management operation
• The individual will have the experience and knowledge to actively contribute to shaping our business, by (a) influencing the construction of pursuits and (b) supporting the development of services (and where applicable, products) from the business through identification of trends, challenging & influencing solutions development activities, collaborating on bid opportunities and developing successful sales propositions

Leadership

• Leadership role of the APAC bid function, providing active support and insight to the Enterprise sales teams
• Strategic insight on improvements to our opportunity generation process, including positioning, qualification and pursuit;
• Management of a change program to aid the development on a highly successful Enterprise Solutions team;
• Champion market-leading processes;
• Serving as an ambassador for best practice bid management;
• Maintaining a high level of market intelligence;
• Collaboration and alignment with regional counterparts to develop a global approach & pursuit platform

Management

• Accountability for bid standards and guidelines;
• Contributing to the total effectiveness of the department, communicating openly, solving problems proactively, offering creative ideas and working as a positive, engaged team member;
• Developing and managing the Bid pipeline through attendance and integration with Directors and attendance at Management Meetings;
• Supporting the development of new systems for ensuring on-going quality and consistency;
• Alignment of processes and systems at a global level, operating in close partnership with colleagues & corresponding regional Proposal Development Leaders;
• Responsibility for bid data capture and sharing lessons learnt across the department;
• Coaching & mentoring the development & career growth of current & future staff;

Delivery

• Planning & managing the bid from opening to closure
• Producing flawless pre-qualification questionnaires of the highest standard;
• Working on wide-ranging tenders, producing winning, persuasive bids;
• Developing and managing the bid plan to support the activity and resources required
• Owning and managing the bid process, including pre- & post-bidding phases
• Managing relationships including internal and external team members, subject matter experts,
• Developing standard bid responses for the information library, ensuring its timeliness, access, clarity and consistency.
• Collaborative Sales Strategy Enhancement: Work closely with Business Development and Sales (BDS) teams to integrate sector and market strategies, emphasizing a comprehensive and cohesive approach to achieving sales goals.

Key Success Metrics:

• Increase in regional win rates and successful conversion of high-value pursuits.
• Team development, engagement, and retention.
• Positive feedback from internal stakeholders and clients.
• Establishment of best practice frameworks and bid innovation.
• Contribution to revenue growth and strategic client wins.

 

Decision-Making Authority:

☐ Freedom to determine the methods and policies for other positions; authority to approve major decisions affecting the company.

☒ Freedom to determine the methods to be used to fulfill the position’s responsibilities and how to accomplish desired goals and objectives

☐ Freedom to select the methods or procedures to be used from among several established alternatives

☐ Follows established methods and procedures, but may have freedom to determine priorities for completion of tasks

 

PEOPLE LEADER RESPONSIBILITIES

What positions does this job supervise?

☒ Leads/Assigns/Delegates tasks to direct reports and manages a team

☐ Leads/Assigns/Delegates tasks to project team

☐ None

 

Number of direct reports: 2

Titles of individuals:

 

KEY SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES

·         Effective Communicator: Strong communication skills, adept at customizing content to meet the diverse needs of key clients and target audiences.

·         Adaptability and Agility: Capable of thriving in fast-paced environments, prioritizing effectively, and adjusting strategies to respond to changing market conditions.

·         Collaborative leader and coach who empowers others.

·         High attention to detail and a passion for quality.

• An enthusiastic, passionate and determined bid professional;
• Be ambitious, and integrate easily within a team;
• Willing to adapt quickly to the companies’ culture and way of working;
• Strong business acumen and a proven track record of success, having worked on sizable bids;
• Should be a team player and have excellent communications skills;
• Articulate and effective communicator at all levels;
• Work on your own initiative, and to an exceedingly high quality;
• Able to work to tight deadlines in high pressure situations;
• Possess strong organisational and project management skills;
• Skilled in editing copy to correct grammar, spelling and punctuation and ability to edit copy to standard and style;
• Skilled to manage delivery through direct reports and colleagues, including technical employees at all levels, bid colleagues, and external suppliers;
• Skilled in supervising employees, to include delegating responsibility, training and evaluating performance;
• Strong Microsoft Office Suite skills, with exceptional Word and PowerPoint formatting skills and Excel numeracy and formula understanding;
• Adobe Design Package experience will have an advantage.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

·         Minimum 12-15 years’ experience in bid management or business development, ideally within professional services or commercial real estate.

·         Demonstrated track record in leading large, strategic bids across Asia Pacific.

• Adobe Design Package experience will have an advantage.

·         Ability to plan and execute bid planning workshops with multiple stakeholder groups

·         Demonstrated experience in managing, developing and building a team

·         Degree in Business, Communications, Marketing or related field (Postgraduate preferred).

·         Exposure to cross-border, multicultural teams and regional business dynamics.

·         Proficiency in Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Adobe Creative Suite; exposure to pitch automation tools is a plus.

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”