Summary
Date Posted: Thursday, January 27, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Job title: Senior Bid Writer
Group: Education Services Group
Dept/Project/Service: Strategic Growth – Business Development
Reports to: Head of Opportunity Development
Responsible for: N/a
Usual office base: Nairobi
Grade: 4

Overall job purpose:
The post holder will sit within the Business Development team as part of the Strategic Growth function within Education Development Trust. The Business Development team is responsible for the design and development of high impact projects and programmes that will support Education Development Trust’s mission; to deliver high quality solutions that improve education systems, transforming the life changes of young people globally.
The Senior Bid Writer will be responsible for the leadership of high-quality bid production within the Business Development Team. This will be predominantly for high-value, strategic opportunities for our key current and new clients. They will work closely with bid managers and bid technical leads throughout the proposal cycle to ensure our solutions are communicated appropriately into proposals, and that proposals fully meet client requirements. They will ensure the quality of our bid writing and bid production is world-class. Alongside being responsible for the production of specific high-value opportunities, they will also support and mentor colleagues to drive up bid production standards for all opportunities. Alongside colleagues in Business Development, the Senior Bid Writer will be required to work closely with Regional Directors, delivery and Consultancy Teams, and other corporate services.

Job objectives:
• Provide high-quality leadership of bid production for high-value, strategic opportunities, being responsible and accountable for high-quality bid submissions across our business areas – ensuring bids meet internal quality standards and score highly for clients.
• Produce compelling content for proposals yourself, reflecting Education Development Trust’s brand and style, whilst ensuring client requirements are met, whilst quality assuring and improving the bid writing of others.
• Work with technical and delivery colleagues to ensure we have captured education solutions that work at scale, following our intellectual property and service offerings, ready to be communicated into proposals.
• Manage complex, international multi-disciplinary bid teams for the bid production phase of opportunities - including internal colleagues (e.g. consultants, delivery teams, business services) and external partners.
• Provide leadership to drive up standards in bid production across business development, through revising Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), developing training materials for bid writing, and coaching/mentoring where necessary.
• Represent the Trust with external partners and where necessary, key clients, providing excellent Client Relationship Management (CRM) to support positioning in our key geographies.
• Influence and contribute to our research, propositions and corporate knowledge management on international education issues.
• Develop and maintain highly effective working relationships with key internal stakeholders, e.g. Regional Directors, delivery teams, Research and Consultancy colleagues, Business Service leads, etc.
• Support general business improvement projects where required.

Scope:
The post-holder will be required to support corporate business development within the Education Services Group. This will depend on the needs of the business and will be directed by the line manager or Head of Opportunity Development.
The role of Senior Bid Writer may require a proportion of travel, either within Kenya or regionally.

Person specification:
Knowledge
Essential:
• Outstanding knowledge and understanding of business development processes (including effective SoPs) and techniques
• Strong knowledge of public procurement and sales processes
• Strong knowledge and understanding of effective communication strategies
• Degree level qualification (or equivalent experience)
Desirable:
• Strong technical knowledge of educational system and policy issues in a range of markets
• Good political and strategic awareness of education context in at least one of our current geographies (UK, Middle East and North Africa, Asia, Sub Saharan Africa
• Master’s degree in an appropriate field

Experience
Essential:
• Professional experience in consultancy, professional services, programme management, relevant business development or education management environment
• Very strong experience of successful contract bidding for high-value opportunities
• Very strong experience of successfully producing bid documents that meet client requirements
• Substantial experience interpreting and translating solutions into compelling content for successful proposals
• Strong experience of at least two of: project management, strategy, change management, organisation design, process improvement, Client Relationship Management, partnership / stakeholder management
• Development and maintenance of relationships with internal and external clients to raise a team’s profile and build new business
• Good experience of leading and developing others
• Successful budget management
Desirable:
• Experience of working in a range of education markets or settings
• Published research or presented conference papers related to area of expertise

Skills
Essential:
• Outstanding communication skills coupled with excellent written English skills (bid writing, report writing, research and presentation)
• Outstanding copy-writing and proof reading skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Numerate with the ability to analyse complex evidence and data sources
• Strong IT skills and highly effective use of MS Office applications
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to draw up solutions that meet commercial and client expectations
• Ability to work on multiple tasks at the same time and to plan effectively to meet deadlines
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team working on a larger project
• Strong ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines
• Ability to be self-motivated, flexible and effective as a professional (especially with remote working)
• Strong coaching and mentoring skills, enabling the upskilling of colleagues
• Ability to represent Education Development Trust credibly in professional, technical and business development relationships with key clients and external contacts primarily in the education sector
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to work with a wide variety of clients
Desirable:
• Foreign language skills
• Commercial modelling experience
Competency Band: 3

Key Competencies for the role:
Our Values Key Competency 1 Key Competency 2
Excellence - Creating and Leading Success
• Delivering excellent service Creating and innovating
Integrity - Supporting and Building Trust
• Following through responsibilities
• Valuing views and needs of others
Accountability – Delivering and Improving
• Delivering commercial outcomes
• Driving performance
Collaboration – Engaging and Partnering
• Building effective relationships
• Engaging others to achieve goals

Job Family: Business Development
Education Development Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Closing date: Sunday 13th February 2022
First interview: Week commencing 21st February 2022

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

Job application procedure
Use the link below to apply.
https://careers.educationdevelopmenttrust.com/vacancies/1575/senior-bid-writer--sub-saharan-africa.html

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