Bid Manager - Space & Ground Programmes

About the Company

Viasat is a global leader with over 35 years of experience revolutionizing communication for consumers, businesses, governments, and military entities worldwide. The company fosters an inclusive culture committed to making a positive impact through innovative connectivity solutions.

Role Overview

The Bid Manager will lead and coordinate bid activities for the Sovereign Space Programmes team focused on the Eastern Hemisphere. This involves managing the complete bid lifecycle by producing competitive, compliant, and persuasive proposals related to SATCOM, PNT, and emerging space sector technologies. The role requires ownership of the company’s standard bidding processes and involves collaboration with internal teams and stakeholders to secure contracts.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional bid teams including technical, commercial, finance, and legal experts towards successful bid submissions and contract negotiations.
• Create compelling proposal materials such as executive summaries, value propositions, pricing strategies, and technical content in partnership with SMEs.
• Manage small to medium bids independently and support large, complex bids with oversight from the Sovereign Space Programmes Director.
• Develop and apply industry best practices for bids and capture management like stakeholder mapping, win themes, competitor analysis, compliance matrices; facilitate bid workshops, reviews, and debriefs.
• Enforce adherence to the company’s bid process and discipline throughout all bidding stages.
• Generate internal business cases and presentations, maintaining active engagement with stakeholders.
• Support the Director in tracking the APAC space market, understanding emerging customer needs and maintaining a robust pipeline.
• Lead or assist in negotiations with prospective customers.

Expected Outcomes in 12 Months

• Achieve a high success rate for bids, captures, rebids, and contract growth for the Sovereign Space Programmes (East) team.
• Consistent application of company bid processes and governance on every project.
• Provide insights and deliverables such as stakeholder maps, competitor landscapes, and market trend analyses to support capture efforts.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Over 10 years of experience managing bids, preferably within SATCOM, Defence, PNT, space, or related technology sectors.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the bid lifecycle including proposal development, presentations, workshops, competitive analyses, and negotiations.
• Familiarity with bid/capture management methodologies such as Shipleys, with experience applying structured bid governance.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders across organizational levels.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to handle multiple deadlines concurrently.
• Strong commercial acumen regarding contracts and pricing mechanisms.
• Meticulous, organized, self-driven, with excellent interpersonal communication and critical thinking skills.
• Adaptable and problem-solving mindset with confidence in engaging senior leadership.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite including Visio, Project, and SharePoint.

Preferred Attributes

• Understanding of spacecraft design and operations.
• Broad technical knowledge across various technologies.
• MBA qualification is advantageous.

Additional Information

This is a full-time position based in Sydney requiring occasional global travel to client or technology sites. Candidates must qualify for NV1 Security Clearance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Viasat is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion. All applicants will be considered without discrimination on legally protected bases. The company encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culturally diverse candidates. Accommodations for disabilities during the application process are available upon request.