The Role
We are looking for an experienced and highly organised Bid Manager to lead our tender and proposal activity, ensuring we consistently submit compelling, well-crafted tender proposals that win work. This is a pivotal role that sits at the intersection of business development, project co-ordination, and marketing – and the right person will relish wearing several hats.
You will take ownership of the full bid lifecycle, from opportunity identification through to tender submission, while also supporting the wider marketing function: keeping our case studies sharp and current, managing our client reference pipeline, and helping us maintain a polished, up-to-date online presence. You will also support the Senior Project Manager in compiling tender procurement packs for the appointment of specialist contractors for delivery of museum & visitor experiences (fit-out, AV,
outdoor interpretation, lighting, signage etc).
About Us
At Tandem we create world-class visitor and brand experiences. The subjects are fascinating and varied – from Titanic to Seamus Heaney and from ‘the beautiful game’ to the Wild Atlantic Way.
We specialise in immersive exhibitions, visitor experiences, heritage interpretation, and environmental graphic design. We work with museums, cultural institutions, heritage sites, public bodies, and commercial clients to tell stories through design. Our projects range from intimate community galleries to large-scale national visitor attractions.
Key Responsibilities
Bid Management
- Own the end-to-end bid process: monitoring portals and frameworks (e.g. etenders.ie, procurement platforms), assessing opportunities for fit and viability, producing tender synopses and making go/no-go recommendations.
- Lead PQQ/SAQ, ITT & EOI bid responses – co-ordinating input from creative, technical, and commercial colleagues to produce cohesive, high-quality submissions.
- Write, edit, and shape compelling narrative content that clearly articulates the agency's vision, methodology, and value – tailoring each response to the specific client and/or project brief.
- Build and maintain a library of reusable bid content: standard company information, capability statements, policy documents, team CVs, methodology frameworks, and project descriptions.
- Manage bid timelines rigorously, ensuring all procurement deadlines are met and submissions are submitted on time and to the required standard and completeness.
- Co-ordinate fee and commercial input with the Creative Director and relevant project leads.
- Conduct debrief reviews after both wins and losses, capturing learnings and feeding improvements into future submissions.
- Track and report on bid pipeline activity, win rates, and conversion metrics.
Marketing & Business Development Support
- Keep the agency's project case studies up to date – working with the design and project management teams to capture new projects promptly and compellingly upon completion.
- Proactively chase clients for testimonials, references, and project sign-off to support new bids and marketing materials.
- Maintain and update the agency website, ensuring project pages, team information, services, and news content are current and accurate.
- Co-ordinate photography, video, and other project documentation, liaising with clients and external photographers/videographers as required.
- Support award submissions, identifying relevant opportunities and managing the submission process.
- Assist with the production of credentials documents, capability presentations, and other sales collateral.
- Help manage the agency's presence on LinkedIn and other relevant channels, contributing content in line with the agency's tone and brand.
- Maintain an organised contact database, tracking client relationships and prospect activity.
Skills & Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience in a bid management or bid writing role, ideally within a design, architecture, creative, or built environment consultancy.
- Exceptional written English – clear, persuasive, and able to adapt tone and voice for different clients and contexts.
- Strong personal management skills: able to run multiple bids simultaneously, prioritise under pressure, and never miss a deadline.
- Confident co-ordinating colleagues across disciplines – from designers to directors – to extract what you need and keep things moving.
- A thorough, methodical approach to document quality, formatting, and compliance.
- Comfortable working with procurement frameworks, public sector tender processes, and associated documentation requirements.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, MS project) and Apple equivalent (Numbers, Pages) and general digital literacy. Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (Acrobat & InDesign) is desirable.
Desirable
- Experience in or genuine interest in the cultural sector: museums, heritage, visitor attractions, public art, or related fields.
- Familiarity with website content management systems (e.g. Squarespace, or similar).
- Experience managing or contributing to social media and marketing content.
- Knowledge of design or creative project delivery processes.
Personal Qualities
- Self-motivated and able to work independently, but collaborative by nature.
- Commercially aware, with an instinct for what makes a strong bid and what doesn't.
- Inquisitive and enthusiastic – genuinely interested in our work and the clients we serve.
- Resilient and calm under deadline pressure.
- Takes pride in producing work to a consistently high standard.
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
