Description

The Bids & Proposals Adviser supports the delivery of bids, proposals and client-facing submissions for BDO UK. The role is responsible for coordinating proposal activity, managing timelines, facilitating stakeholder contributions, and ensuring the production of high-quality, compliant, and professionally presented submissions.
Working closely with bid managers, subject matter experts, and business stakeholders, the role supports the end-to-end proposal process by coordinating deliverables, tracking progress against milestones, maintaining quality standards, and helping ensure proposals are submitted on time and in line with client requirements.
The position requires strong organisational and project coordination skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while working collaboratively across a range of stakeholders. This role offers the opportunity to work within an international professional services environment, collaborating closely with BDO UK colleagues and gaining valuable exposure to business development, bids and proposal management activities.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities:

Proposal delivery and co-ordination:

Support the development and delivery of bids, proposals, presentations and client-facing documents.
Coordinate proposal activities throughout the bid lifecycle, ensuring milestones, deadlines and deliverables are understood and achieved.
Analyse client requirements and tender documentation to support proposal planning and content development.
Create and maintain bid plans, schedules, action trackers and submission timelines.
Coordinate contributions from subject matter experts and business stakeholders to ensure the timely completion of proposal content.
Monitor proposal progress and proactively follow up on outstanding actions and deliverables.
Support the preparation and finalisation of proposal documents, ensuring submissions are complete, accurate and compliant with client requirements.
Assist with the coordination of presentations, interviews and pitch preparation activities where required.
Ensure proposal documentation is stored, maintained and managed in accordance with agreed processes and standards.

Bid Process and Quality Management:

Support bid strategy implementation by coordinating activities, tracking progress against plans, and ensuring alignment to agreed submission requirements.
Manage stakeholder review cycles and ensure reviewers receive the appropriate information within required timeframes.
Perform quality checks on proposal documents to ensure consistency, accuracy, formatting and compliance with firm standards.
Ensure proposals and client-facing materials align with BDO branding, templates and quality requirements.
Identify potential risks to delivery timelines and escalate issues appropriately.
Maintain accurate records of proposal activity, deadlines, outcomes and performance metrics.

Stakeholder Engagement:

Build effective working relationships with subject matter experts, managers and supporting business teams.
Facilitate communication between stakeholders throughout the proposal process to ensure clarity of responsibilities and deadlines.
Support stakeholders in understanding proposal requirements, timelines and expected deliverables.
Provide informal guidance and assistance to team members on bid processes, tools and ways of working.

Knowledge Management and Continuous Improvement:

Promote the use of approved proposal templates, content libraries and knowledge resources.
Assist in maintaining proposal repositories and knowledge management systems.
Support the capture of lessons learned and feedback following proposal submissions.
Contribute ideas for continuous improvement of proposal processes, templates and tools.
Share best practice and knowledge with colleagues to promote consistent ways of working.

Experience and Skills:

Essential:

Minimum 3 years' experience in bids, proposals, business development, sales support, marketing coordination, project coordination, or tender administration.
Experience managing multiple deadlines and coordinating inputs from different stakeholders.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
Ability to build effective relationships with stakeholders across different teams and levels.
Experience working with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel in a professional environment.
Ability to work independently while managing own workload and priorities.

Advantageous:

Experience within professional services, consulting, accounting, legal, engineering, technology or other B2B organisations.
Experience supporting formal tender responses, RFPs, RFIs, proposals or client presentations.
Familiarity with knowledge management and content management systems.
Experience working with international stakeholders or within a global professional services environment.

Qualifications:

A relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Marketing, Communications, Commerce or a related discipline. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Professional Development and Firm Compliance:

Take ownership of personal development, actively seeking feedback and identifying opportunities to enhance performance, capability and leadership effectiveness.
Participate in relevant training, development programmes and knowledge sharing activities across BDO WAVE, BDO UK and the wider firm to support continuous learning and career growth.
Contribute to the development of team capability by sharing knowledge, coaching colleagues and supporting learning initiatives within the Bids and Proposals community.
Ensure compliance with all BDO policies, procedures, risk management requirements and quality standards, escalating issues where appropriate.
Demonstrate and promote BDO's values, behaviours and commitment to delivering exceptional service in all interactions.

Key Stakeholders:

BDO UK and BDO WAVE (SA) Teams

Leadership and Management:

Bids and Proposals Community:

Business & Technical Stakeholders:

Marketing, Content and Knowledge Teams:

Bdo Wave - Bids And Proposals Adviser Gqeberha (port Elizabeth)

Key skills