Bidding Specialist

Role overview

The Bidding Specialist serves as a cross-functional coordinator who collects information from across the company, secures commitments from internal stakeholders, and prepares successful bid submissions. The role is critical to Innovatrics' ability to respond to bidding opportunities, particularly as the company moves toward direct prime contractor positions in markets such as Algeria and Guinea.

This is the first dedicated position in a new bidding function, with a clear path to growing into a team lead as the operation scales.

What to expect

Within one month, you will

• Map the current bid landscape: how bids flow today, who is involved, what tools and templates exist, and where the pain points are
• Audit recent bids to establish a baseline for volume, win rate, revenue and effort
• Meet with Sales, Operations, Legal, Finance, Security and Pre-Sales to align on roles, responsibilities and communication channels
• Set up basic infrastructure: shared folder, bid tracker, draft go/no-go framework, compliance matrix template
• Identify the first live bid to run under the new structure and prepare a bid plan for it

Within three months, you will

• Run the end-to-end bidding process for the first major bid under the new structure
• Define and agree the formal bid/no-bid qualification criteria with leadership
• Begin building the RFP response database and content library: boilerplate answers, case studies, CVs, capability statements
• Create reusable templates for common bid types and proposal sections
• Standardize the RFP response process to support the pre-sales team during slower bid periods

Within six months, you will

• Have submitted multiple major bids (target cadence is roughly one major bid per quarter) and refined the process based on lessons learned
• Run post-submission reviews and embed continuous improvement into bidding operations
• Maintain a forward calendar of upcoming bids, giving Project Management and leadership visibility into the pipeline
• Report regularly to leadership on bid metrics: pipeline, win/loss rates, reasons for outcomes, and resource utilisation
• Identify whether additional headcount is needed and build the business case for team expansion

Within one year, you will

• Own the bidding function as a mature, repeatable capability
• Have a track record of bid submissions with measurable win rate improvement
• Extend the team as approved, onboarding additional bidding or proposal staff depending on the biggest pain points identified
• Be the go-to person for all commercial proposal activity, acting as the bridge between Sales, Pre-Sales, Project Management and Professional Services
• Influence how we position and price solutions through insights gathered across the bid lifecycle

Key responsibilities

Bid management and coordination

• Own the full bid/RFP response lifecycle from receipt to submission
• Run the go/no-go qualification process in partnership with Sales and leadership
• Develop and manage bid timelines, ensuring all deadlines are met
• Coordinate contributions from Sales, Operations, Legal, Finance, Security and Pre-Sales
• Manage compliance matrices and document requirements end to end
• Lead bid kick-off meetings, progress check-ins, and post-submission reviews
• Coordinate with partners on bid submissions in co-contractor arrangements

Proposal development and financials

• Complete bid documentation and ensure submissions are clear, compliant and persuasive
• Tailor responses to each client's specific requirements and evaluation criteria
• Create financial projections, including P&L for each bid
• Identify and articulate risks and implications for Innovatrics
• Ensure all proposals are consistent with company branding and messaging

Process and knowledge building

• Establish and continuously improve bid management processes and best practices
• Standardize RFP responses and build a reusable response database for the pre-sales team
• Build and maintain a proposal content library
• Track bid metrics and report regularly to leadership
• Implement lessons learned from won and lost bids

Administrative and on-site work

• Handle document compilation, packaging and envelope preparation for physical submissions
• Travel to partner sites and end-user locations for bid submissions when required

Requirements:
About you

You thrive in environments where you need to create structure from scratch. You have built or significantly improved a bidding function before, not only operated within an established one. You communicate clearly, manage competing senior stakeholders with confidence, and deliver under pressure. You are comfortable being a one-person team initially. Above all, you are highly conscientious and willing to do the detailed last-mile work yourself: every compliance box ticked, every document in order.

Must have

• 7 to 8 years minimum of hands-on bidding experience
• Methodical, systematic working style with high attention to detail , last-mile work and ensure all compliance requirements are met (highest priority)
• Recent bidding experience (within the last year)
• IT industry background
• Financial acumen and P&L creation experience
• Strong risk identification and assessment skills
• Compliance and documentation expertise
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders across departments without direct authority
• Willingness to travel for bid submissions
• Ability to work primarily from the Bratislava office, or be Brno-based and travel to Bratislava multiple times per week
• Hands-on operating style without delegating core bidding tasks
• Fluency in English (company language) / other languages big advantage

Nice to have

• Experience from large companies with established bidding processes
• banking, government contracts, fintech, IT background
• Experience with proposal management tools (for example Loopio, Qvidian, RFPIO)
• APMP certification or familiarity with APMP frameworks
• Experience in biometrics, identity, or government technology
• French language skills (advantage given our Francophone market focus)
• Experience with government or public sector tenders

Benefits:
Level

Senior - T5

Compensation

At Innovatrics, we offer highly competitive salaries because we value top talent who share our values and goals. Compensation is determined based on your level, skills, experience, qualifications, and location.

💶 Salary gross from: tied to competency & technical evaluation, and seniority of the candidate.

📈 Beyond base pay, we provide an attractive benefits package. You can learn more at :
https://careers.innovatrics.com/benefits/

Learn More About Us

Learn more about our culture, values, and what it’s like to work at Innovatric:
https://careers.innovatrics.com/

Working hours and location

• Bratislava, Slovakia (primary location)
• Brno-based candidates considered if willing to travel to Bratislava multiple times per week
• In-person presence required frequently because relevant information is distributed across office locations
• Travel required to partner sites and end-user locations for bid submissions

Role type and start

• Permanent role
• Ideal start date: June 2026
• New role: first dedicated bidding position at Innovatrics

Interview process

• Pre-screening interview. Five to ten general screening questions to assess basic bidding knowledge and fit.
• Take-home assignment. One week to prepare a bid response based on a real or anonymized past bid document. Simulates an actual bidding scenario and allows us to assess how the candidate structures their approach, asks clarifying questions, and handles compliance / with dedicated contact person to ask questions / possibility to have e.g. one 30-60 minute session to ask questions
• Final interview. Conducted by Head of PS and Head of PMO. Review of the take-home assignment with the hiring panel. CSO joins for a final check on strong candidates or tie-breaking decisions.
• Reference checks - should provide upfront biggest bids managed from past 2 years, annonymised if needed but there should be a list

Candidates are encouraged to request additional conversations with anyone they would like to meet.