Head of Bid Writing

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.
Bid to Execution Manager
Kelvion, one of the leading global manufacturers of heat exchangers, is currently searching for a highly qualified Bid to Execution Manager - Americas. This role will lead the transition of customer opportunities into executable projects by ensuring that commercial, technical, operational, contractual, financial and execution requirements are reviewed, validated and aligned before order booking and project handover. The ideal candidate will bring senior project execution, commercial, operational and governance experience, with strong capacity to influence Sales, Global Sales Engineering, Project Management, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, SIOP and Order Management stakeholders.
Act as the guardian of execution readiness across the Americas Region, ensuring that customer commitments are realistic, executable, profitable and fully aligned with Kelvion operational capabilities before becoming project obligations.
Establish a disciplined Bid-to-Execution governance process that reduces bid misses, mitigates execution risk, improves handover quality and protects sold Gross Margin.
Promote cross-functional accountability, process compliance and One Kelvion collaboration across Sales, GSE, Project Execution, Operations and Order Management.

PRIMARY CUSTOMER FOCUS

To ensure Kelvion’s Standard of Excellence, including quality, safety, functionality, delivery reliability and commercial discipline, is evident from the bid phase through project startup, supporting customer satisfaction and predictable project execution.
Lead cross-functional reviews of opportunities before order booking and project execution.
Validate that technical, commercial, operational and contractual assumptions are clear, documented and executable.
Challenge assumptions that may impact profitability, delivery dates, quality, safety, working capital or customer satisfaction.
Identify and drive mitigation plans for technical, commercial, contractual, supply chain, manufacturing, schedule and financial risks.
Ensure lessons learned from active and completed projects are incorporated into new bids and customer commitments.
Escalate unresolved risks through the appropriate governance channels before proposal submission or order acceptance.
Coordinate with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain and SIOP to validate manufacturing capacity, site of execution, long-lead items, ramp-up needs and realistic delivery schedules.
Ensure Sales and GSE commitments are aligned with available workload, production slots, material lead times and execution resources.
Provide fact-based input to support Bid / No-Bid decisions and customer negotiation strategies.
Financial & Profitability Review
Review key bid assumptions impacting material cost, labor cost, logistics, FX exposure, target Gross Margin, EBITDA and working capital.
Support identification of bid misses and margin risk drivers before order booking.
Ensure financial exposure and mitigation actions are clearly documented and aligned with Finance and leadership expectations.
Contractual & Commercial Governance
Coordinate review of customer terms and conditions with Sales, Legal, Finance and Project Execution stakeholders.
Assess exposure related to liquidated damages, warranties, cancellation and termination clauses, payment terms, INCOTERMS and other commercial obligations.
Ensure contractual deviations, assumptions and approvals are documented before customer submission and order booking.
Partner with Order Management to ensure clean order booking and reliable transfer of required data into ERP and execution systems.
Own the formal handover from Sales to Project Execution for applicable Americas opportunities.
Ensure complete transfer of scope, technical deviations, commercial assumptions, contractual commitments, schedule commitments, financial targets and identified risks.
Create practical dashboards, KPIs and review mechanisms to measure handover quality, bid readiness, risk closure and execution predictability.
Drive corrective and preventive actions with Sales, GSE, PM, OM, OPS, SCM and Finance to reduce recurrence of execution issues.
Help ensure all employees, contractors and partners go home safely at the end of their working day.
Ensure safety considerations are identified early during bid and execution readiness reviews, including constructability, site execution and manufacturing constraints.

RESPONSIBILITIES - QUALITY

Ensure Kelvion’s Standard of Excellence, including quality, is incorporated into every commitment made during the bid phase and sustained through project startup. Adhere to all quality requirements within the Quality Management System and promote preventive actions based on lessons learned and NCR trends.

RESPONSIBILITIES - CORPORATE / SITE

Follow all company policies and procedures, including but not limited to the Global Code of Business Principles, Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, Operational Framework and applicable approval policies. Comply with government and corporate laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures. Senior-level ability to influence without direct authority across Sales, GSE, PM, OM, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal and leadership teams. Strong business acumen, financial discipline and ability to evaluate Gross Margin, EBITDA, cash flow, working capital and cost exposure. Demonstrated capability to lead cross-functional governance processes in a fast-paced, engineered-to-order or capital equipment environment. Strong understanding of project management, contract management, manufacturing operations, supply chain, long-lead materials and capacity planning. Ability to manage multiple priorities concurrently, resolve conflicts, drive alignment and communicate clearly with all levels of management. Proficiency with Microsoft Office; ERP experience required, SAP preferred; project planning or PM tools experience preferred. Travel up to 25%. Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Project Management, Supply Chain, Operations Management, Business Administration or related field required.

• MBA or advanced business degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Project Management, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Commercial Project Execution or Manufacturing environments.
• Experience managing large capital equipment, engineered-to-order products, industrial manufacturing or complex customer projects required.
• Experience working directly with Sales organizations, engineering teams, manufacturing operations, supply chain, Finance and executive leadership.
• PMP, IPMA, Lean Six Sigma or equivalent certification preferred.

Bid-to-Execution handover completion rate and quality. Project Gross Margin performance versus sold Gross Margin. Forecast accuracy and alignment between commercial pipeline, workload and execution capacity. Effectiveness of lessons learned implementation and corrective / preventive action closure. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, use hands, handle documents or electronic devices, and communicate verbally and in writing. The employee may occasionally visit manufacturing areas, customer sites or supplier locations and must follow all required safety protocols. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This role operates in office, manufacturing and remote collaboration environments and requires interaction with regional and global stakeholders across multiple time zones. #