Reporting to: Head of Commercial (after 4-months will transfer to the Key Account Manager)
Key internal stakeholders: CEO, Managing Director, Director of Bids, Head of Bids, Sales Team.
About Thornton & Lowe:
Thornton & Lowe is an independent consultancy that helps organisations win and deliver more public sector and regulated work. We support clients across the full procurement lifecycle, from early opportunity identification and bid strategy through to tender delivery, framework applications, evaluation support, and wider commercial consultancy.
Known for our practical, hands-on approach, we work closely with clients to understand their goals, provide clear and commercially focused advice, and deliver support that is both compliant and results driven. Our team combines deep sector knowledge with a collaborative, values-led culture, creating an environment where people are trusted to make a difference, contribute ideas, and play an active role in helping clients succeed.
Overview of the role:
As the Client Support Executive (CSE), you will work within the business development team and support our clients from the point of handover, coordinating their kick off meetings and having regular contact with them through the delivery process and post submission. The CSE will also support several of our retained clients and work alongside our Key Account Manager, sales team and bid professionals to deliver the service to our clients that Thornton & Lowe are known for.
Key Responsibilities:
Client onboarding and handover management:
Take ownership of all ad-hoc project handovers from the sales team to the bid delivery team, coordinating kick-off meetings, gathering project requirements, and ensuring all information is transferred accurately and efficiently.
Project mobilisation:
Support the successful launch of client projects by ensuring all documentation, timelines, contacts, and delivery requirements are agreed and communicated to the relevant stakeholders.
Client communications and coordination:
Act as a key day-to-day point of contact for clients following project commencement, ensuring regular communication, prompt responses, and a positive client experience throughout the delivery process.
Delivery progress monitoring:
Maintain regular contact with both clients and bid teams to ensure projects remain on track, identifying potential issues early and escalating concerns where appropriate.
Submission follow-up:
Coordinate post-submission activities, ensuring clients receive updates, next-step guidance, and support throughout the evaluation period.
Feedback management:
Proactively obtain submission feedback from contracting authorities and clients, ensuring lessons learned, strengths, and improvement opportunities are captured and communicated to the wider team.
Award tracking and monitoring:
Track tender outcomes and award decisions, maintaining accurate records of results, contract awards, and project outcomes across all relevant systems.
CRM and system administration:
Ensure all project milestones, outcomes, feedback, award information, and client interactions are accurately recorded within Zoho CRM and other internal systems.
Bid Mentor client management:
Act as the primary point of contact for Bid Mentor clients, providing ongoing support, coordinating service delivery activities, and ensuring a consistently high level of customer service.
Lower-value service account management:
Provide account management support for Search & Selection, Bid Administration, lower-level Bid Support Packages, and other services that do not currently have dedicated account management ownership.
Client relationship development:
Build strong working relationships with clients, supporting retention, repeat business opportunities, and positive long-term engagement with Thornton & Lowe.
Renewal and retention support:
Assist with identifying opportunities for service renewals, extensions, and follow-on work, working closely with the Key Account Manager and wider commercial team.
Reporting and performance monitoring:
Produce and maintain client tracking reports, project status updates, award trackers, and management information to support operational and commercial decision-making.
Administrative support:
Provide administrative support across the commercial, account management, and bid teams, ensuring records, trackers, documentation, and client files are maintained accurately and efficiently.
Internal stakeholder management:
Work closely with the Key Account Manager, Bid Team, Commercial Team, and Operations Team to ensure effective communication, collaboration, and client service delivery.
Continuous improvement:
Identify opportunities to improve onboarding, handover, client communication, and account management processes to enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Professional development:
Develop knowledge of bidding, procurement, frameworks, and account management to support progression within the wider commercial and client management function.
Quality and professionalism:
Ensure all client communications, records, reports, and administrative activities are completed accurately, professionally, and in accordance with company standards.
Other duties:
Undertake any other reasonable duties requested by your line manager that are consistent with the responsibilities of this role.
Essential Criteria:
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A minimum of 12-months experience working in a client facing role.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build credible and trusted relationships with clients and internal stakeholders.
- Understanding of day-to-day account management.
- Strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple client priorities and deadlines effectively.
- A high level of accuracy and attention to detail across written communication, reporting, and client administration.
- The ability to work collaboratively across multiple teams and contribute positively within a fast-paced, client-focused environment.
- Professional presentation skills, with confidence in leading client meetings and communicating clearly both verbally and in writing.
- A willingness and ability to travel to client sites as required.
Desirable Experience
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Experience within the public sector, procurement, bid support, or professional services environment.
- Experience leading client review meetings, service performance discussions, or strategic account planning conversations.
- Knowledge of CRM systems, ideally Zoho CRM and associated platforms, with confidence in maintaining accurate client and pipeline data.
- Understanding of the sales process and client management processes.
What you will get:
- Eligibility for an annual profit share bonus.
- An additional day of birthday leave.
- Access to Health Shield benefits.
- Access to a High Street discount programme.
- Ongoing development opportunities within your role and across the wider business.
Thornton & Lowe has been helping businesses to grow since 2009! We have since grown in numbers and now have a directly employed core team of professionals split across our 3 key bid divisions; Bid Writing, Bid Resource and Bid Training. Our vision is to consistently deliver a customer centred, high performance service, which adds value for our clients, advance the development of our staff ahead of competitors and to assist more clients in securing contracts than any other consultancy business. Our core values are Passion & Drive, Accountability & Responsibility, Integrity & Honesty and Learning & Development.
