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Technical Bid Manager (SSA)

Simera Sense is a leading provider of Earth observation camera solutions for the global small satellite market. Committed to excellence and innovation, we deliver superior products and services to our worldwide customer base. Our Holding Company is based in Belgium, and our South African company is located in Somerset West, offering a great lifestyle with close proximity to all amenities and diverse natural beauty.

Are you passionate about driving successful proposals and securing strategic projects? We are seeking a Technical Bid Manager to oversee the preparation and delivery of high-quality bids for complex technical solutions. This is an exciting opportunity to combine your technical knowledge with strong project management and communication skills in a dynamic, international environment.

Position Type: Full-time

Remote Opportunity: Yes

Report To: Chief Commercial Officer

Location: Toulouse, France (preferable & can also be accommodated in Leuven, Belgium)

Job Purpose:

Lead and coordinate the development of competitive, compliant, and compelling bid proposals for space sector opportunities, ensuring alignment with strategic goals, technical capabilities, and client requirements

Responsibilities:

Financial & Commercial Oversight

• Cost Estimation & Pricing: Collaborate with finance to develop competitive and profitable pricing models.
• Risk Analysis: Identify and assess commercial, technical, and delivery risks, proposing mitigation strategies.
• Contractual Awareness: Understand key contractual terms and ensure bid responses reflect compliance and negotiation positions.

Customer-Centric Strategy:

Translate customer needs into compelling bid narratives that demonstrate technical excellence, innovation, and value.

Strategic & Commercial Responsibilities

• Opportunity Assessment: Identify potential tenders that align with the company’s long-term vision in all activities of Simera Sense, which is a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) application, Earth Observation, and corresponding markets, by evaluating bid opportunities against strategic priorities, market positioning, and technical capabilities.
• Lead the tender process: Identify & evaluate the bid strategy with the support of the Managing Director of the subsidiary. Lead the entire proposal preparation process in terms of technical, administrative, and commercial aspects with the support from various teams located in different geographic sites.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Act as a project manager to take the lead in coordinating with subcontractors or prime contractor of the bid. Translate customer needs into compelling bid narratives that demonstrate technical excellence, innovation, and value to ensure bid strategies are aligned with executive leadership, business development, and technical teams.

Bid Process Management

• Bid Lifecycle Management for all Simera Sense entities: Manage the full bid lifecycle, from pre-qualification and RFI/RFP analysis, lead in proposal writing, internal & external stakeholder management to submission and post-bid debriefs.
• Timeline & Milestone Control: Develop and maintain bid schedules, ensuring all deliverables are met on time and to quality standards.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure all bids adhere to internal governance processes, client requirements, and industry regulations (e.g., ITAR, ESA/NASA standards).
• Risk & Compliance: Identify and mitigate risks early, ensuring bids meet regulatory and contractual requirements, especially in high-stakes government or defense contracts.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Team Coordination: Lead cross-functional bid teams, including engineering, finance, legal, and marketing, to produce cohesive and compelling proposals.
• Bid management of all the bids from all the Simera Sense entities, which are based in Belgium, France, the UK, and South Africa.
• Knowledge Integration: Translate complex technical inputs into clear, customer-focused narratives.
• Resource Management: Secure and manage internal resources needed for bid development, including subject matter experts and external consultants.

Technical & Solution Responsibilities

• Solution Framing: Work with the internal technical team to validate the technical proposal with Simera’s existing and future capabilities by following strict internal processes to shape the proposed solution, ensuring it is feasible, innovative, and aligned with customer expectations and technical capabilities
• Work with internal technical leads of the customer to shape the proposed solution, ensuring it is feasible, innovative, and aligned with customer expectations and internal technical capabilities
• Value Proposition Articulation: Highlight differentiators such as mission reliability, payload performance, launch flexibility, and sustainability.
• Innovation Advocacy: Champion the inclusion of cutting-edge technologies and novel approaches that differentiate the bid and reflect the company’s innovation culture.
• Documentation Excellence: Ensure all technical documentation is accurate, persuasive, and tailored to the evaluation criteria of the client.

Cultural & Ethical Responsibilities

• Integrity & Transparency: Uphold ethical standards in all bid activities, ensuring fairness and honesty.
• Sustainability Advocacy: Promote environmentally responsible solutions and practices in bid proposals.
• Collaboration Culture: Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performance team environment.

Continuous Improvement & Knowledge Management

• Lessons Learned: Conduct post-bid reviews to capture insights and improve future bid performance.
• Bid Library Development: Maintain and enhance reusable content, templates, and best practices.
• Training & Mentorship: Support junior bid staff and contribute to capability building across the bid function.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree or Advanced Diploma, Engineering (especially Aerospace, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering) or Project Management

Required Experience:

A minimum of 8 years of experience working as a bid manager in the space industry is required.

Bid and Proposal Management

• Show Track Record of successful Bids you managed from A to Z
• End-to-end bid lifecycle experience: From opportunity identification and qualification to proposal development, submission, and post-bid review.

Recommendations:

Industry-Specific Experience

• Prior experience in space, aerospace, or defense sectors.
• Familiarity with institutional clients like CNES, DGA, EC, EDA, or commercial satellite operators.
• Exposure to space mission lifecycles, satellite manufacturing, launch services, or ground station operations.

Certifications

• APMP Certification (Association of Proposal Management Professionals).
• PMP or PRINCE2 for project management.
• Lean Six Sigma or similar process improvement credentials.

Technical Background

• Degree or training in engineering, physics, or space science.
• Ability to understand and translate technical specifications into compelling bid content.

Software Proficiency

Advanced skills in:

• Microsoft Office Suite (especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Adobe InDesign or other proposal design tools.
• CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce).
• Project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Trello).
• Collaboration platforms (e.g., SharePoint, Confluence).

Strategic and Commercial Acumen

• Experience in capture planning, win strategy development, and competitive analysis.
• Ability to articulate value propositions and ROI in proposals.

Communication and Leadership

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams under tight deadlines.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and manage expectations.

Special requirement(s):

• French clearance eligible
  
• Willingness to travel overseas

What we offer:

• The opportunity to work in the fast-growing space industry.
• Niche global market for optical payloads for microsatellites.
• Cutting-edge technology at your fingertips
• A competitive salary
• A friendly working environment.

Ready to make an impact?

Apply now by submitting your CV and cover letter.