Bid Writing & Business Development Lead

About the job

Location: Working remotely from home across the four nations of the UK, occasionally co-working spaces, with occasional travel

Start date: As soon as possible (Autumn/Winter 2025)

Salary: £46,725 (F/T pro-rated for 0.8 FTE to £37,380)

Benefits: 38 days annual holiday FTE including bank holidays so that you can choose when to take them (30.4 days pro rata). Pension Scheme. Flexible working arrangements. Access to co-working budget

Hours of work: Part Time at 0.8 FTE worked flexibly around business needs at 28 hours per week

Contract type: Permanent contract

Do you want to play a vital role in supporting a charity who are reshaping the systems that support children and young people across the UK? Are you excited to drive growth of the charity’s research and design consultancy by identifying and securing new opportunities for funding and impact? Do you have the skill and experience to lead our responses to six figure competitive bidding processes?

Dartington Service Design Lab is a national charity that harnesses experience, cutting edge evidence and design to tackle the challenges children and young people face today, securing thriving futures for tomorrow. As we move forward with our refreshed strategy, we are looking for a new Bid Writing & Business Development Lead to join our dynamic team.

We are seeking an individual experienced in developing bids in response to tenders, research and consulting opportunities. The role will lead the end-to-end bidding process, from identifying and nurturing suitable applied research, evaluation, service and systemic design and consultancy opportunities. The role involves reaching out to and  fostering relationships with potential bid partners, developing compelling proposals (involving the wider team as required), managing bid submissions, adherence to compliance requirements and deadlines, and supporting the team with preparation for interviews.

This role is instrumental in expanding the organisation’s client base, enhancing our visibility, and fostering sustainable growth through effective business development strategies.

As a team, we operate remotely across the UK with regular project-related travel. Our staff work from home or when appropriate, together in local co-working spaces, and normally, a few times a year we meet as a whole team for a few days to develop and connect.

Don’t meet every single requirement outlined in the Job Description? Studies have shown that women and racially minoritised groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single requirement. Dartington Service Design Lab is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience or qualifications don’t match the job description exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right person to help us achieve our impact for children and young people.

Candidates should be aware that, in line with our commitment to equity, we have made the decision not to negotiate regarding salary on appointment or progression. The evidence shows that negotiation of salary is an inherently inequitable process that marginalises women and those from racially minoritised communities. We do, however, have a transparent grade and scale structure for all those in the Lab which, based on organisational affordability and satisfactory performance in role, will result in an increase to salaries every two years up until the ceiling of that particular role’s banding.

The post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate and pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.

Find out more in the Candidate Briefing Pack here.

Meet the team