2027 Bid Management Apprentice - Crawley
THALES UK LIMITED
Crawley (RH10 9HA)
Closes on Wednesday 17 February 2027
Posted on 5 October 2026
Contents
Summary
Do you think you have a talent for organisation, a common-sense approach and an eye for detail to create winning bids? If so, this apprenticeship is perfect for you. Combining academic study with hands-on experience, it offers a fantastic opportunity to grow and thrive. We’d love to hear from you!
- Wage
-
£24,000 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
- Competitive salary of £24,000 per annum
- Performance-related pay uplifts
- Contributory Company Pension
- Training course
- Associate project manager (level 4)
- Hours
-
Monday - Friday, 37 hours a week (8 hours Monday – Thursday, 5 hours Friday). Shifts to be confirmed.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 6 September 2027
- Duration
-
2 years
- Positions available
-
2
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
Bid Management is a key and fast paced role within Thales UK – we deliver proposals to customers to win business by securing new projects which is vital to our success and growth. Bid Managers take responsibility for leading bids and work with other business functions to ensure business strategy is in line with the business goals and targets. As a Bid Management Apprentice, you will take on real responsibility and learn how to lead cross-functional teams to deliver successful bids. You will bring together the right people, information and ideas, manage activities and deadlines and help ensure our proposals demonstrate why customers should choose Thales.
You will gain experience in:
- Understanding and responding to customer requests
- Knowledge in structuring and estimating new projects
- Developing compelling and competitive proposals
- Supporting negotiations and working towards winning new contracts
- Understanding the commercial considerations behind winning business
Bid Apprentices will join a Thales UK domain bid team, you will be encouraged to contribute ideas, build relationships and take increasing ownership as your experience develops. Bid Apprentices will be supported in their learning journey, you will gain hands-on experience across the full bid lifecycle from understanding an opportunity and developing the strategy, through to coordinating and delivering the proposal, supporting negotiations and handing a successful contract over to the project delivery team. No two bids are quite the same, so you will get exposure to different bids/projects/products, customers and challenges while building valuable skills in communication, organisation, project management and business writing.
Responsibilities Include:
- Support the coordination of bids, tenders, proposals and other customer submissions
- Maintain bid plans, action trackers and submission schedules coordinating information and contributions from colleagues across different teams
- Assist with drafting, editing and formatting written responses to help ensure submissions are accurate, consistent, professional and completed on time
- Maintain bid libraries, case studies, standard responses, policies and supporting documentation
- Carry out research into customers, markets and competitors to support bid development
- Assist with preparing presentations and materials for bid reviews and customer meetings.
- Participate in bid reviews and lessons-learned sessions to identify opportunities for continuous improvement
- Develop an understanding of commercial considerations, procurement processes and how organisations win new business
- Complete the required learning and development activities associated with the apprenticeship programme
Where you'll work
Manor Royal
Crawley
RH10 9HA
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE APPRENTICE ACADEMY LIMITED
Training course
Associate project manager (level 4)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Use project monitoring and reporting techniques to track, interpret and report on performance.
- Manage and engage with stakeholders.
- Influence and negotiate with others to create a positive outcome for the project.
- Resolve conflict as and when required with stakeholders within limits of responsibility.
- Adapt communications to different stakeholders.
- Communicate and support the project vision, to ensure buy in to the project objectives.
- Collate and analyse information and provide input to support negotiations relating to project objectives.
- Monitor and analyse project budgets.
- Review and provide feedback on a project business case to ensure the project remains valid.
- Apply change control processes to support the management of project scope.
- Evaluate an integrated project management plan to provide recommendations on areas for improvement.
- Prepare, monitor, and schedule activities that contribute to the delivery of the overall project schedule and objectives.
- Evaluate and make recommendations on the risk management plan to threats to delivery and recommend solutions.
- Identify and monitor project risks and issues; and plan and implement responses to them.
- Deliver a Quality Management Plan which contributes to quality control processes.
- Use an organisation’s continual improvement process including lessons learned to improve performance.
- Support the preparation or maintenance of a resource management plan for project activities.
- Work with stakeholders to deliver the project.
- Use digital tools and software to meet project objectives for example research, collaboration, presentations, and resolution of problems.
- Provide underpinning data to support the written submission through the governance process.
- Work within the approved project budget.
- Ensure that integrated schedules support critical path analysis, interface management, resource forecasting and risk management.
- Apply relevant legislation, regulations, codes of practice, and ethical guidance where appropriate to their work.
- Use data to inform decisions on actions to take to mitigate risks on project.
- Use configuration management and change control to schedule and maintain projects.
- Manages resources through the project lifecycle.
- Use project monitoring and reporting techniques to track, interpret and report on performance.
- Manage and engage with stakeholders.
- Influence and negotiate with others to create a positive outcome for the project.
- Resolve conflict as and when required with stakeholders within limits of responsibility.
- Adapt communications to different stakeholders.
- Communicate and support the project vision, to ensure buy in to the project objectives.
- Collate and analyse information and provide input to support negotiations relating to project objectives.
- Monitor and analyse project budgets.
- Review and provide feedback on a project business case to ensure the project remains valid.
- Apply change control processes to support the management of project scope.
- Evaluate an integrated project management plan to provide recommendations on areas for improvement.
- Prepare, monitor, and schedule activities that contribute to the delivery of the overall project schedule and objectives.
- Evaluate and make recommendations on the risk management plan to threats to delivery and recommend solutions.
- Identify and monitor project risks and issues; and plan and implement responses to them.
- Deliver a Quality Management Plan which contributes to quality control processes.
- Use an organisation’s continual improvement process including lessons learned to improve performance.
- Support the preparation or maintenance of a resource management plan for project activities.
- Work with stakeholders to deliver the project.
- Use digital tools and software to meet project objectives for example research, collaboration, presentations, and resolution of problems.
- Provide underpinning data to support the written submission through the governance process.
- Work within the approved project budget.
- Ensure that integrated schedules support critical path analysis, interface management, resource forecasting and risk management.
- Apply relevant legislation, regulations, codes of practice, and ethical guidance where appropriate to their work.
- Use data to inform decisions on actions to take to mitigate risks on project.
- Use configuration management and change control to schedule and maintain projects.
- Manages resources through the project lifecycle.
Training schedule
Through our apprenticeship you’ll be making the most of your talents, getting to understand the Project Management Function from the ground up; and doing so with the help of one of the biggest and best names in the industry.
You’ll receive on-the-job training tailored to work alongside your studies, giving you the hands-on experience needed to develop practical skills and knowledge.
The programme will be delivered via a virtual delivery model, combining:
- Live virtual workshops
- 1-2-1 coaching calls
- Self-directed learning activities
Upon successful completion of your End Point Assessment, you will roll off into the Thales UK Bid and Project Management job family into a Project Planner or Project Controller role.
We are looking for enthusiastic individuals who are motivated, committed and keen to learn. A self-starter who can manage their time, show initiative and have a genuine interest in bids and Thales UK. Successful candidates will show self-discipline and an aspiration to achieve the qualification.
More training information
This is a 2-year programme, working towards the Level 4 Project Manager Associate Apprenticeship standard, with our training provider, The Apprentice Academy.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- 3 subjects (grade 9-4 or A*-C)
- English (grade 9-4 or A*-C)
- Maths (grade 9-4 or A*-C)
A Level in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
Other requirements
To be considered for this position, you must have the permanent right to work in the UK and be able to successfully complete and maintain UK Government security checks, including Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) screening and Security Clearance (SC), which is a government background check, before starting employment.
To be eligible for SC clearance, you will typically need to have lived in the UK continuously for the last five years. As part of the vetting process, you will be asked to provide evidence of your identity, right to work in the UK, any time spent overseas during the last five years, and your employment and/or education history.
For further details of the evidence required to apply for security clearance please follow this link - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels
About this employer
Together, we create the ingenious technological systems and innovations that impact and improve people's lives every single day. Even if you haven't heard the name Thales before, you've definitely benefited from our inventiveness. We reinvest 20% of our sales in Research & Development in the UK. Together we supply invention across 4 core areas: Aerospace, Space, Defence and Security, Digital Identity and Security.
Company benefits
- Health care cash plan
- Hybrid/flexible working options
- Employee assistance programme
- Learning and development support
- Employee discounts and wellbeing initiatives
- Life Cover
- 80 hours volunteering per year (first two years)
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
Upon successful completion of your End Point Assessment, you will roll off into the Thales UK Bid and Project Management job family into a bid role.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THALES UK LIMITED
Future Talent
futuretalent@uk.thalesgroup.com
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000057209.
Apply now
Closes on Wednesday 17 February 2027
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.