Bid Manager

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billons of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.

Thales has built a presence in the United Arab Emirates for over 35 years, and today has over 300 employees. Thales in the UAE is part of our Middle East business that has 1,800 people across Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, KSA, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and UAE. Together we delivered technology for the Dubai metro, the longest driverless metro network in the world and a fare collection system that processes up to 250,000 transactions per day. We make UAE a safer place by providing secure electronic payment solutions, cyber security systems and communications as well as security systems for Dubai International Airport and air traffic management and navigation systems for Abu Dhabi’s airport.

Main missions

• Manage the complete coordination of proposals, answers to tenders, RFI (request for information) or EOI (Expression of Interest)
• Win the most potential tenders with the highest possible margin, contributing in a steady and sustainable growth of sales
• Ensure governance on the tender process through risk management (Financial, Legal, Technical...)

Specific responsibilities

Proposals management

• Be accountable for the contents and the quality of the response submission: administratively, technically and financially. Delegate the technical part of the solution to the Solution Manager and Technical Delivery Consultant
• Ensure that the Bid process is followed according to the rules for each answer
• Coordinate and challenge all contributors and experts including Sales, Legal, Finance, Platform & Services Delivery, Product Management, Technical Consultant, Marketing and Operations, in order to deliver the most competitive and least risk exposed proposal possible
• As the project manager of the offer, monitor legal and commercial relations and communication with partners and customer
• Package the whole proposal and deliver it to the sales manager
• Support sales during contract negotiation phases in order to ensure that target margins are respected and risks are not increased
• Support sales when responding to RFI in order to anticipate Thales answer and positively influence the customer
• Hand-over responsibility to Platform & Services Delivery project manager when the deal is won or to the Technical Delivery Consultant / Product Manager / Supply Chain in case the deal only involves the delivery of Products

Gates management

• Own and manage the Bid Process, be responsible for constant improvements of the process through periodic reviews & workshops
• Update the documentation related to the process and make sure that it is correctly communicated within the Business Line
• Manage and organize the archiving and re-use of answers and references
• Organize periodic training sessions for the regions on the Bid process

Manage the product quotations for the tenders

• Interface with sales, marketing and product managers to define the best target price (or prices) with special focus on risk and financial assessments

Qualifications

Education:

Business degree with experience in a technical environment

Alternatively Engineering degree in IT or Electronics with business experience

Experience Level:

Minimum 5 years of business experience as a bid manager, sales engineer or project manager for complex solution selling within a high-tech company (computer manufacturer, networking company, software, solutions…)

Competences:

Technical / Functional skills:

• Technical understanding with an interest in IT, software and network solutions, printing and security technologies
• Fluent English (written, spoken, presentation skills), French and Arabic is a plus
• Good communication skills
• Methodology/tools
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint is a must
• Working with SharePoint is an asset
• Bid Management Methodology APMP is an asset
• Project Management Methodologies (CMMI, Prince 2, PMI) is an asset
• Knowledge of Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio is an asset
• Knowledge of Thales’s portfolio (products and offers) is an asset

Behavioral skills:

• Business minded
• Team worker in multi-disciplinary and cross-geographical teams
• Strong ability to lead, coordinate, pro-actively approach and challenge subject matter experts and senior management
• Self-driven with an appetite to win large and complex deals
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to understand complex businesses and sales processes
• Ability to communicate and exchange with multiple interfaces (management, regional sales, technical consultants, partners, customers, …)

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working. Great journeys start here, apply now!