About The Role and Team
The
Technical Bid Manager will lead Quantum Motion's end-to-end bid activity for non-dilutive funding, collaborative R&D programmes, strategic innovation opportunities and selected public/private funding submissions across our global footprint, with particular ownership of the technical content, evidence and narrative within submissions. This is a hands-on role for an experienced bid professional who can manage opportunities from horizon scanning, qualification and capture through proposal development, governance, submission, funder clarification, award/contracting support and handover to delivery.
This is a rare and exciting opportunity to be an early employee at a scale-up shaping the future of quantum computing. There are vast opportunities for professional growth and to make an impact within the company.
Working closely with technical, product, finance, commercial/legal and leadership teams, you will turn complex quantum computing and semiconductor R&D into clear, compelling, funder-ready proposals. You will be comfortable shaping and reviewing technical inputs for coherence, completeness and evaluator alignment, while relying on subject-matter experts for technical sign-off.
You will be highly organised, commercially aware and confident managing senior stakeholders, external collaborators and concurrent deadlines across the UK, Europe and Spain, with knowledge of US and Australian funding landscapes a strong advantage. Quantum technology knowledge would be valuable, but proven experience in bids, grants and proposal delivery is essential.
Our Team
Since 2021 our team has been listed every year in the “Top 100 Startups worth watching” in the EE Times in 2021 and 2022, and our technology breakthroughs have been featured in The Telegraph, BBC and the New Statesman. Our founders are internationally renowned researchers from UCL and Oxford University who have pioneered the development of qubits and quantum computing architectures. Our chairman is the co-founder of Cadence and Synopsys, the two leading companies in the area of Electronic Design Automation. We’re backed by a team of top-tier investors, and we have recently closed our Series C funding of $160 million. We bring together the brightest quantum engineers, integrated circuit (IC) engineers, quantum computing theoreticians and software engineers to create a unique, world-leading team, working together closely to maximise our combined expertise. Our collaborative and interdisciplinary culture is an ideal fit for anyone who thrives in a cutting-edge research and development environment focused on tackling big challenges and contributing to the development of scalable quantum computers based on silicon technology. Our team of 100+ is based across London, Oxford, San Sebastián and Sydney, with our primary hub in Islington (London).
Functions of the Role
- Own and continuously improve Quantum Motion's end-to-end bid process, from opportunity identification and qualification through capture, bid planning, submission, award support and handover to delivery
- Monitor, assess and prioritise public and collaborative R&D funding opportunities across the UK, Europe and Spain, with additional awareness of US and Australian funding routes relevant to Quantum Motion's locations and growth plans
- Lead bid/no-bid recommendations, win strategies, technical win themes, value propositions, compliance matrices, work plans, action trackers, governance reviews and approval-to-submit processes
- Manage cross-functional bid teams, coordinating inputs from opportunity owners, technical specialists, product, finance, commercial/legal, project delivery and external consortium partners, ensuring technical contributors are clear on evaluation criteria, evidence requirements and deadlines
- Translate complex technical content, product roadmaps and research plans into strong proposal narratives covering technical excellence, impact, commercialisation, exploitation, risk, project management and route to market, making sure technical sections read consistently across work packages, milestones and deliverables
- Work with Finance and programme/project teams to develop bid budgets, eligible cost models, resourcing assumptions, match-funding plans and funder-specific financial templates
- Coordinate partner and consortium inputs, including statements of work, letters of support, collaboration materials, IP/commercial inputs, ethics/security considerations and supporting documents
- Own quality control and compliance for each submission, ensuring funder requirements, eligibility rules, formatting, page/word limits, evaluation criteria, technical consistency and portal requirements are met
- Set up and facilitate formal bid reviews, including qualification, solution/storyboard, red team, financial/operational/legal and final approval reviews
- Manage funder clarifications, interview/presentation preparation, post-submission feedback, lessons learned and continuous improvement of bid templates, content libraries and processes
- Maintain the bid pipeline, funding calendar, status reporting, win/loss intelligence, metrics and funder/partner insight for senior stakeholders
- Build reusable bid assets including capability statements, technical summaries, technical evidence points, impact stories, partner databases, CVs/bios, facility descriptions and standard company content
Experience - Essentials
- 5+ years of bid, proposal, grant or funding application experience, including ownership of complex technical, R&D, innovation or public-funding submissions, with regular responsibility for technical content coordination or review
- Proven track record of leading successful bids from capture through submission and handover, ideally in deep tech, research, engineering, university, Catapult/RTO, semiconductor, computing, aerospace/defence or similarly technical environments
- Strong knowledge of UK and European innovation funding landscapes, such as Innovate UK, UKRI, DSIT, Horizon Europe, EIC, Eurostars or equivalent schemes
- Ability to coordinate senior stakeholders and technical specialists across multiple locations and time zones, holding contributors to deadlines without direct line management authority
- Excellent writing, editing, technical content review and storytelling skills, with the ability to turn complex technical and commercial information into clear, persuasive and compliant proposals
- Ability to review technical content with enough fluency to challenge clarity, completeness and evaluator alignment, without needing to be a quantum physicist
- Strong financial and commercial awareness, including bid budgets, eligible costs, match funding, partner cost allocations and funder-specific financial templates
- Highly organised and process-driven, with strong prioritisation, scheduling, version control, document management and attention to detail under deadline pressure
- Confident stakeholder manager and communicator across technical, product, finance, commercial/legal, executive, funder and external partner groups
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced scale-up and R&D environment where requirements, timelines and priorities can change quickly
- Good working knowledge of common bid tools and collaborative platforms such as Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, CRM/pipeline tools or proposal management systems
- Understanding of confidentiality, IP, security, export control, ethics, subsidy control/state aid and other compliance considerations relevant to technical R&D funding
Experience - Desirable
- APMP Foundation/Practitioner, Shipley or equivalent bid and proposal management training or equivalent experience
- Direct experience with quantum technologies, semiconductors, cryogenics, electronics, software, AI, high-performance computing, defence/dual-use or other advanced R&D sectors
- Experience with Spanish public innovation funding national or Basque country specific or a clear track record of rapidly building expertise in new international funder frameworks
- Experience with US funding routes such as SBIR/STTR, NSF, DOE, DARPA, DoD or other federal R&D programmes
- Experience with Australian funding routes such as the Industry Growth Program, ARC Linkage, Critical Technologies Challenge Program, Defence or state-level innovation/quantum schemes
- Experience building and managing consortia involving universities, research institutes, SMEs, corporates, Catapults/RTOs, government agencies or international partners
- Knowledge of research impact, commercialisation strategy, TRL/MRL frameworks, exploitation plans and routes to market for emerging technologies
- Experience creating bid libraries, compliance matrices, governance frameworks, lessons-learned processes and executive pipeline reporting
- Spanish language capability or experience working with Spanish-speaking partners and funding bodies
Benefits
- Be part of a creative, world-leading team
- Competitive salary and share options scheme
- Contributory pension scheme
- Group private medical insurance scheme
- Choose your own laptop/kit
- Life Assurance
- Cycle-to-work Scheme
- Flexible working
- Access to Quantum Motion offices in London, Oxford, San Sebastian or Sydney
EEO Statement
Quantum Motion is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and does not discriminate based on age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, colour, religion, disability status, marital status, pregnancy, gender reassignment or any other protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010.
