Our Mission

Coventry University Group is a global education group with a mission of Creating Better Futures. We are driven by our passionate belief in the transformational power of education and research to enable and empower our students, colleagues and partners and to improve the world around them.

Our people are key to our success, and each role contributes to the Group’s ongoing progress in communities around the world.

The Role

Are you a strategic thinker with a proven track record of securing high-value commercial contracts? Do you excel at turning complex technical or academic concepts into winning, commercially sharp proposals?

CU Services Limited is seeking an exceptional Lead Commercial Bid Writer to provide senior strategic and operational leadership within our Enterprise and Innovation Organisation (EIO). Operating at the intersection of industry and academia, you will take full ownership of the end-to-end bid lifecycle for our most complex, high-value, and strategically significant commercial opportunities.

This is a high-impact role where your expertise will directly drive commercial income growth, elevate our bid success rates, and strengthen our performance against the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF). Beyond writing, you will act as a critical mentor, managing and coaching junior bid writers to cultivate an elite, commercially focused bidding culture across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

As a senior leader in our Product and Business Development team, you will:

• Lead Bid Strategy & Delivery: Oversee the entire bid lifecycle—from opportunity assessment and bid/no-bid decisions to final submission and post-bid reviews —ensuring all proposals are compliant, cohesive, and compelling.
• Drive Commercial Edge: Collaborate closely with Business Development, Commercial, and academic leads to extract unique value propositions and clear USPs that demonstrate unbeatable value for money.
• Manage High-Level Stakeholders: Coordinate and unite multi-disciplinary bid teams (comprising senior academics, external partners, and subsidiary operations) to secure high-quality contributions under tight timelines.
• People Leadership: Line-manage, coach, and mentor junior bid writers, actively developing their capabilities in commercial writing and workload management.
• Market Intelligence: Analyse client requirements, competitor positions, and evaluation criteria to strategically position our bids to win.

Our Successful Candidate

Essential Criteria:

• Education: Educated to a good honours degree level or holding a postgraduate qualification.
• Bid Expertise: Proven experience leading complex, high-value commercial bids and proposals, with a strong track record of securing contract-based income.
• Stakeholder & Team Leadership: Exceptional ability to manage, influence, and get key people on board—delegating effectively up and down to ensure team commitment.
• Commercial Acumen: Strong market awareness, with the ability to analyse competitor positions and interpret complex evaluation criteria.
• Communication & Resilience: Elite written communication skills with meticulous attention to detail. You thrive under pressure, maintain composure during tight deadlines, and can manage multiple concurrent bids seamlessly.
• Passion for Innovation: A thorough understanding of, and passion for, the commercialisation of academic and research knowledge.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience working within or alongside Higher Education, research, or innovation environments.
• Knowledge of public-sector/quasi-public-sector procurement and funding processes.
• An understanding of the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF).

The Benefits

Along with a competitive salary we offer an industry leading Rewards and Benefits package which includes:

• Excellent Employers Pension Contribution
• 30 days Annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• New Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Life Assurance 4 x Salary
• BUPA Cash Plan
• 50% off Tuition Fees for staff dependants
• CU Reward Scheme – Discounts across a range of High Street/ Online Retailers
• Cycle To work scheme

Our Culture

As a global Education Group, equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded within the fabric of our organisation and are a key focus of our core values. We harness the power and potential of the diverse cultures, backgrounds, abilities, and experiences of our students, colleagues, and partners to create opportunities for all.

Full Job Description & Person Specification

Click here to view the full job description and person specification.