Imagine this. You are leading the team behind some of the most strategic defense bids at Destinus, turning complex technical capabilities and customer requirements into compelling, competitive proposals. As Head of Bid Management, you will own our end-to-end bid management approach, from opportunity qualification and bid strategy through submission, negotiation support, and post-bid analysis.

Reporting to the Head of Commercial Operations, you will build and lead a high-performing Bid Management team and work closely with Business Development, Sales, Engineering, Finance, Legal, Operations, and senior leadership. Your goal is clear - create a disciplined, scalable bid function that helps Destinus compete effectively and convert strategic opportunities into contracts.

About the Role
Imagine this. You are leading the team behind some of the most strategic defense bids at Destinus, turning complex technical capabilities and customer requirements into compelling, competitive proposals. As Head of Bid Management, you will own our end-to-end bid management approach, from opportunity qualification and bid strategy through submission, negotiation support, and post-bid analysis.

Reporting to the Head of Commercial Operations, you will build and lead a high-performing Bid Management team and work closely with Business Development, Sales, Engineering, Finance, Legal, Operations, and senior leadership. Your goal is clear - create a disciplined, scalable bid function that helps Destinus compete effectively and convert strategic opportunities into contracts.

What You'll Do

Own and continuously improve the bid management strategy, processes, governance, and tools across Destinus





Lead the complete bid lifecycle from initial opportunity assessment and bid or no-bid decisions through proposal development, submission, clarification, negotiation support, and post-bid review

Build, lead, and develop a growing Bid Management team, initially managing 2 to 3 team members with the potential to scale the function as the business grows

Coordinate cross-functional bid teams across Business Development, Engineering, Finance, Legal, Operations, Supply Chain, and other relevant functions

Translate customer requirements, tender documentation, and commercial priorities into clear bid strategies, responsibilities, timelines, and deliverables

Ensure proposals are compelling, accurate, compliant, commercially sound, and aligned with both customer requirements and Destinus objectives

Establish strong quality control across all submissions, ensuring consistency of technical, commercial, contractual, and supporting documentation

Manage resources across multiple concurrent bids, prioritizing critical opportunities and ensuring teams have the information and support needed to deliver under demanding timelines

Prepare bids for internal review and bidding committee approval, ensuring decision-makers have complete and reliable information

Develop reporting and performance models to understand bid costs, resource requirements, conversion rates, timelines, and overall effectiveness of the bid function





Provide regular bid pipeline and performance updates to the Head of Commercial Operations, CCO, and relevant senior stakeholders

Lead structured reviews of unsuccessful tenders to identify lessons learned and translate findings into concrete improvements for future submissions

Analyze competitor positioning and tender outcomes to identify opportunities to strengthen Destinus proposals, commercial positioning, and overall competitiveness

Manage relevant external suppliers and partners supporting proposal development while maintaining control over the bid management budget

Create scalable processes, templates, documentation standards, and best practices that allow the bid organization to grow without slowing down

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Aerospace, or a related field. A Master's degree or MBA is a plus

10+ years of relevant experience in bid management, proposal management, business development, commercial operations, or similar roles within defense, aerospace, or another highly regulated technical industry

Significant experience leading complex, high-value bids and tenders involving multiple technical and commercial stakeholders

Strong understanding of defense procurement processes and tender frameworks, including RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, and government procurement procedures

Proven experience building, managing, and developing bid or proposal teams

Ability to understand complex technical products and translate technical capabilities into clear and persuasive customer value propositions

Strong commercial awareness, including experience working with pricing, contractual requirements, risk assessments, and bid economics

Experience coordinating cross-functional t

📌 Head of Bid Management (Madrid)
🏢 Destinus
📍 Madrid