Bid Manager

Job Summary The candidate will own the complete lifecycle of our strategic funding acquisition efforts, from opportunity identification through successful project delivery. This senior leadership position requires a proven track record in securing multi-million-euro funding streams, with particular expertise in HORIZON Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) schemes. You will be responsible for building and maintaining the partner ecosystems essential for complex consortium leadership, while ensuring our bid activities strategically align with our core mission of bridging public ambition and private capital. This role demands excellence in both technical bid management and strategic vision. The successful candidate will understand that in the impact space, winning bids requires more than compliance with formal requirements. It demands the ability to craft compelling narratives that resonate with evaluators, translate complex innovations into fundable propositions, and orchestrate diverse stakeholders around shared visions. You will see each bid not as an isolated opportunity but as a building block in long-term ecosystem development and organizational growth. The ideal candidate’s network spans sectors and geographies, and is equally comfortable engaging with government ministers, venture capitalists, academic researchers, and social entrepreneurs. Position Details Job Title: Senior Bid Manager - EU & International Funding Location: Milan OR London (hybrid) with travels across European and Asian markets Type: Full-time Key Responsibilities Strategic Business Development Generate and maintain a qualified pipeline exceeding €2M annually through strategic market intelligence, proactive opportunity identification. Ensure that all bidding activities are strategically aligned with the company’s priorities and mission in ESG, impact investing, and innovation ecosystem development. Lead the full lifecycle of complex, multi-stakeholder proposals for HORIZON Europe RIA and IA schemes, ensuring technical excellence while crafting narratives that demonstrate both innovation potential and societal impact. Coordinate comprehensive proposal development processes, including partner engagement, content drafting, budgeting, and administrative compliance, while maintaining our target success rate of 25% or higher. Developing deep relationships with funding bodies, understanding emerging policy priorities before calls are published, and positioning our organization at the forefront of funding trends. Operational Excellence Establish and continuously refine bid management processes that ensure consistent success rates while maintaining efficiency across multiple concurrent proposals. Implement systems for knowledge management, template development, and capturing lessons learned that strengthen our institutional capability. Oversee quality assurance processes ensuring all submissions meet the highest technical and presentation standards, while building a repository of best practices that can be scaled across the organization. Conduct structured, periodic scouting and reporting of funding opportunities, including both grants and public tenders at EU and international levels. Monitor policy and programme developments to inform project strategy and opportunity targeting, ensuring we remain ahead of market trends and policy shifts. Ecosystem Leadership Orchestrate complex international consortiums spanning public institutions, private capital, research organizations, and impact-focused enterprises. Navigate cross-border regulatory requirements while building lasting partnerships that extend beyond individual bids. Act as our primary relationship manager with key ecosystem players, positioning the company as the preferred partner for high-impact initiatives. Contribute to consortium building and maintain relationships with relevant stakeholders and networks across Europe and beyond, leveraging our existing network while strategically expanding into new geographies and sectors aligned with our Asia-Europe focus. This includes managing relationships with at least 50 active partners and continuously expanding this network to support our growth objectives. Required Qualifications EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION Master’s degree required. While all relevant specializations will be considered based on experience and track record, particularly valuable backgrounds include Engineering, Innovation Management, Technology