Proposals Manager

At WSP, the people who win work are integral to shaping our future.

As a market‑leading multidisciplinary consultancy with a clear vision and ambitious growth plans, our Proposals Managers sit at the heart of our success. They play a critical role in securing the opportunities that drive our business forward and position WSP for long‑term success in a highly competitive market.

A little more about your role…

This is a role for strategic thinkers who want to influence outcomes, work at the heart of our business and play a defining role in how we grow.

As a Proposals Manager, you’ll lead strategic pursuits across the full Work Winning Lifecycle – from early positioning and strategy through to submission and handover. Working collaboratively with senior leaders, technical experts and proposal professionals, you’ll build high‑performing bid teams, shape compelling win strategies, deliver high‑quality, profitable proposals and ensure a seamless transition into delivery.

What you’ll get 

This role offers genuine autonomy and accountability. We trust our people to lead with confidence, think differently and challenge the status quo, supported by clear frameworks, structured training and a strong professional community. Alongside leading bids, you’ll help strengthen our work winning capability by sharing best practice, driving continuous improvement and embedding innovation across the lifecycle.

This is a place where people don’t just do a job, they build long‑term careers. With continued investment in our people and our workwinning capability, this role offers real opportunity to grow, influence strategy and help shape the future of WSP.

You’ll join one of the UK’s largest and most respected Strategic Bid Functions during a period of sustained growth and strong performance. WSP delivers major, high‑impact projects across a diverse range of sectors, offering unparalleled exposure to complex, meaningful work. 

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage strategic opportunities through the full WSP Work Winning Lifecycle, taking ownership from capture and qualification, through to bid preparation, submission, lessons learnt and handover.

• Take responsibility for understanding client requirements, commercial and contractual terms, and proposed delivery models to ensure solutions align to client needs and are clearly articulated.

• Develop and own win strategies, value propositions and key messages, ensuring our differentiators are clearly evidenced and aligned to client priorities.

• Write, review and shape high-quality, compliant and compelling proposal content, working hands-on with Subject Matter Experts to integrate technical content into coherent responses.

• Ensure all submissions fully comply with client requirements, WSP governance and quality standards, coordinating reviews and facilitating approvals through to final submission. 

• Influence and communicate effectively at senior level, working closely with bid sponsors, technical leads, commercial teams and external partners to shape offers and secure buy‑in.

• Support and coach project teams in preparing for client interviews and presentations, translating written strategies into confident, persuasive verbal responses.

• Act as a focal point for proposals best practice, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

• Mentor and support junior team members, helping to build capability and strengthen our proposals community.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate…

• Experience working on complex proposals, with a strong understanding of services and delivery models within the Project and Cost Management discipline preferred (not essential).

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to develop, edit and shape clear, compelling and compliant proposal responses.

• Strong command of the English language, with proven experience writing and reviewing high‑quality bid content under time pressure.

• Robust project management capability, with the ability to plan, prioritise and manage multiple workstreams while maintaining high quality standards and attention to detail.

• Confidence building relationships and influencing a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders, technical experts and partners.

• A proactive, self‑motivated approach, with the confidence to take ownership, exercise sound judgement and see tasks through to completion.

• A strong focus on quality, continuous improvement and delivery, with a genuine interest in strengthening our work winning capability.

• An interest in using new and evolving digital bidding tools and techniques to improve efficiency, quality and client impact.