Sr Tender & Proposal Specialist

We are looking for an experienced Senior Tender and Proposal Specialist to lead our most complex, high-value, and strategically important tenders. This is a senior individual contributor role for a commercial professional who combines sharp judgment with strong governance discipline.

As a senior commercial authority within our Commercial Center of Excellence, you will partner with Sales leadership, Finance, Legal, and Operations to protect margin, improve win rates, and deliver predictable, well-governed commercial outcomes. You will also coach and guide other specialists, raising the capability of the wider team.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end execution of complex, high-value, and strategically critical tenders, including multi-product scopes and non-standard commercial structures.
• Shape bid execution strategy with Sales leadership, including positioning, review sequencing, escalation planning, and governance milestones.
• Challenge scope interpretations, assumptions, pricing logic, risk allocation, and value propositions to ensure every bid is commercially robust.
• Act as the senior focal point for bid governance, ensuring Finance, Legal, Tax, HSE, Quality, and Supply Chain reviews are completed and approved.
• Provide expert guidance on commercial risks, deviations, and exceptions, escalating to leadership where required with clear, auditable decisions.
• Oversee client clarifications and tender-phase negotiations, keeping responses consistent, approved, and strategically aligned.
• Own quality assurance for strategic bids, setting review gates and checkpoints that prevent late rework and submission errors.
• Lead structured bid-to-contract handover so commitments, risks, and exceptions transfer fully to Contract Management after award.
• Use analytics, historical bid data, and approved AI-enabled tools to inform bid strategy, compliance checks, and proposal optimization.
• Mentor Tender and Proposal Specialists and drive continuous improvement of templates, playbooks, and processes within the Commercial Center of Excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, Economics, or a related discipline; MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred.
• At least 8 years of experience in tendering, proposal management, or commercial operations in a complex B2B environment.
• Proven track record leading high-value or high-risk bids and engaging confidently with senior stakeholders.
• Strong commercial acumen, with a solid understanding of bid economics, risk, and governance.
• Ability to lead cross-functional bid teams without direct people management authority.
• Strong analytical skills, including interpreting financial models and commercial KPIs.
• Executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills, with fluency in English.
• Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM, approval workflows, and proposal management tools.
• Oilfield Services or Energy experience is preferred; candidates from other industries such as Industrials, Engineering, EPC, or Infrastructure are welcome.