Help us reach more children who need a safe, positive childhood
At Compass Community, we want to make a lasting difference to children's lives. Across fostering, residential care, specialist education and therapy, we work with local authorities across England and Wales to give children and young people the stability, care and opportunities they deserve.
At Compass, you're more than a colleague. You're part of a community that is changing lives, with clear career development, meaningful support and real recognition for great work.
Every placement starts with a commissioning decision. That's where you come in.
The role
We're looking for an experienced Bids and Framework Manager to join our Commercial team. You'll lead our tender and framework activity across the children's social care market. You'll find the right opportunities, write winning bids and keep us active and approved on the frameworks local authorities rely on.
This is a fully remote role. You'll have the freedom to shape how we bid, and you'll work with colleagues in operations, finance, HR and quality who care about getting it right.
What you'll be doing
- Leading bids from start to finish. You'll manage every tender submission through SharePoint and our CRM and run a clear bid/no-bid process. You'll write, review and edit compelling, compliant responses tailored to each commissioner.
- Building and tracking the pipeline. You'll spot and track opportunities across residential, fostering, education and related services.
- Managing our frameworks. You'll keep us on national and regional frameworks and DPS systems, track renewals and re-tender windows, and lead applications to new ones.
- Owning the tender portals. You'll monitor platforms such as Proactis, In-Tend, Jaggaer, Delta eSourcing and Find a Tender every day, and keep a well-organised library of bid content, policies and accreditations.
- Bringing people together. You'll work with teams across the business to gather the case studies, data and evidence that make our bids stand out.
- Turning insight into strategy. You'll report on win rates, pipeline and framework income. You'll track sufficiency strategies, policy changes and market trends, and run debriefs that improve each submission.
- Representing Compass. You'll attend provider days, commissioner events and sector forums.
What you'll bring
Essential
- A proven track record of winning bids and framework applications in health, social care or the public sector
- Hands-on experience managing procurement frameworks, DPS systems and tender portals
- Experience working with local authority or NHS commissioners
- A strong understanding of UK public procurement regulations
- Knowledge of children's social care commissioning, care cost drivers, NLW and fee benchmarking
- Excellent persuasive writing skills and close attention to detail
- Strong analytical and organisational skills, with the ability to manage several deadlines at once
- Advanced skills in Word, Excel and SharePoint
- A degree or equivalent professional experience
- A willingness to travel for commissioner meetings and sector events
It would be great if you also have
- Experience in children's services, such as residential, fostering, SEND or supported accommodation
- An APMP or project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2, APM)
- Familiarity with the Children Act 1989, the Care Standards Act 2000 and Ofsted requirements
What we offer
Pay and financial security
- £50,000 to £55,000 salary
- Salary sacrifice pension: you contribute 5% and Compass adds 4%
- Life assurance worth three times your annual salary
- Medicash cashback on dental, optical, counselling and virtual GP appointments
- Salary sacrifice schemes for bikes, tech and electric vehicles (Octopus EV)
- Blue Light Card discounts at over 15,000 retailers
- We're a proud Real Living Wage employer
Time for you
- 25 days' annual leave, rising to 28 after four years
- Your birthday off, every year
- A paid wellbeing day and a paid volunteering day each year
- A paid festive half-day to celebrate a festivity of your choice
- Fully remote working
Growth and recognition
- Clear career pathways and support to gain recognised qualifications
- Monthly Values Awards with cash prizes, nominated by your peers
- Long-service gifts at 2, 5 and 10 years
Most importantly, the work matters. Every contract you win helps a child find the right home, school or support.