Bids, Tenders and Technical Writer

Hybrid (Plymouth or London or Aberdeen and WFH)

Overview

Founded in 2020, ACUA Ocean is a fast-growing and dynamic start-up at the intersection of ocean autonomy and maritime security. Our intelligent and scalable uncrewed surface vessel (USV) platform supports applications including environmental monitoring, offshore infrastructure resilience, coastal protection, and marine surveillance — all with minimal human footprint.

We are now hiring a Bid Writer to join our growing Commercial Team. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of advanced uncrewed vessel technology in a collaborative and innovative environment.

The Bid Writer will be responsible for producing compelling and persuasive content for tender responses, managing the end-to-end bid process, and supporting the development of bid strategies. This role requires excellent writing skills, creativity, and the ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines.

Who you are

• You should have +3 years of commercial bid writing experience in a B2B or B2G environment.
• Ability to project manage, work under pressure, and meet deadlines.
• Willing to research and pull for information from internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to develop rapport with stakeholders.
• Flexibility to meet operational requirements, including attending networking, training, and team meetings.
• Able to work with teams of colleagues from diverse backgrounds, skills, knowledge, levels of experience and expertise. You build strong working relationships and communicate effectively with your colleagues across various functions.
• Knowledge of governmental and commercial procurement frameworks for bids and tenders processes.
• Able to work autonomously with a proactive mindset.
• You are confident in your skills and know your area of expertise with an eye for innovation.

What you’ll do

• Write creative and persuasive commercial tender and technical content.
• Support the development of bid strategies, including storyboarding, identifying USPs, and win themes.
• Complete bid planning documents, including: summaries, project plans, and gap analysis.
• Support the development of grant funding applications.
• Research and summarise markets, competitors, in support of bid development.
• Ensure compliance with all bid requirements and internal standards.
• Submit and upload PQQs, RFQs, tenders, and supporting information.
• Provide bid administration support and maintain accurate records.
• Gather market intelligence to support strategy development.
• Keep up to date on emerging markets and new business opportunities and upcoming programmes.
• Work with the Business Development Director to set goals and develop plans for business growth.
• Lead the proposal development process including the preparation of bids and tenders.
• Keep abreast of market trends, competitor activities, and customer needs to identify competitive advantages and growth opportunities.
• Occasionally attend and present at industry, government and sector networking events.

What you’ll need

• Bid writing experience within offshore energy and/or defence sectors.
• Experience in the maritime defence sector highly desirable.
• Excellent written communication, English language, and proofreading skills.
• Ability to engage with R&D, Engineering and Operations teams and distill technical information for communication with customers.
• Willing to travel internationally.
• Excellent communication and inter‑personal skills.
• A flexible approach and a willingness to apply yourself across the whole spectrum of this growing business.
• UK driver’s licence.
• A solid sense of humour, pragmatism, and flexibility.
• £50-65K salary depending on experience
• 24 days annual leave plus bank holidays plus Christmas closure
• Comprehensive benefits package from Vitality - access to full health insurance including dental coverage
• Awesome perks such as discounted gym memberships, mental health cover and global health coverage

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