Johannesburg: Bid and Funding Manager (JHB) posted by DataFin Recruitment

About the Role

DataFin Recruitment is seeking a Bid and Funding Manager to build, manage, and execute the Group’s R1 billion+ funding pipeline. This critical Q1 hire sits directly within the Group Shared Services function under the Commercial Executive. The successful candidate will own the end-to-end bid lifecycle from funder intelligence and pipeline construction through proposal development, submission, compliance, and win-rate optimisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a live, CRM-based bid register covering funding opportunities across SETAs, government departments, DFIs, and corporate SD funders.
• Monitor funder portals, gazette notices, EOI releases, and industry intelligence channels to identify bid opportunities 90 days before application windows open.
• Maintain a rolling 12-month bid calendar and present it to the CE at weekly pipeline review.
• Flag emerging opportunities and at-risk submissions.
• Build institutional relationships with procurement contacts and programme managers at key funders to gain early intelligence.
• Track competitor bid activity and maintain a competitor intelligence file.

• Own the end-to-end proposal development process for each bid submission.
• Coordinate technical input from Academy MDs, programme design from Operations Executive, financial schedules from Finance, and compliance documentation from SETA Coordinator.
• Draft executive summaries, organisational capability sections, technical proposals, and implementation plans.
• Build and maintain a company profile library, case study bank, learner outcomes database, accreditation register, facilitator CVs, and venue documentation.
• Execute pre-submission compliance check against evaluator’s scoring criteria.
• Coordinate DocuSign-based approval workflows for CE and MD sign-off.
• Submit bids on behalf of the Group through funder portals.
• Confirm receipt, track evaluation timelines, and manage post-submission clarification requests.

• Own the visual quality, formatting, and presentation of all bid submissions.
• Ensure proposals are professionally formatted, visually engaging, and easy to evaluate.
• Maintain and continuously improve bid templates, formatting standards, and visual storytelling approaches.
• Structure all submissions to align clearly with evaluation criteria.
• Use formatting, headings, and visual cues to guide evaluators through responses.

• Develop per-learner cost models, management fee structures, and contingency calculations in coordination with CE and Finance.
• Ensure all proposals meet the Group’s GPM (mandatory gate before submission).
• Maintain a pricing reference library of approved per-learner rates, programme fee benchmarks, and funder-specific pricing norms.
• Provide deal-structuring input on blended finance bids.

• Track all submitted bids from submission to award/rejection; maintain real-time status updates in CRM bid register.
• Conduct structured win/loss debrief for every bid outcome, document evaluator feedback, score gaps, and improvement recommendations.
• Report on bid pipeline health, submission volume, win rate, and forecast revenue at monthly Commercial Scorecard review and EXCO report.

• Support CE on DFI and donor funding applications (concept note development, technical proposal writing, budget preparation, due diligence document submission).
• Maintain compliance documentation for DFI funders (audit reports, B-BBEE certificates, QCTO accreditations, delivery track record reports, M&E frameworks, organisational capacity statements).
• Track DFI and grant application pipelines separately from SETA bids.
• Manage longer lead-time applications (90-180 days) with appropriate milestone tracking.

• Serve as single point of coordination between CE, Academy MDs, Finance, Delivery, and Legal for all bid-related activities.
• Brief Academy MDs on upcoming bid opportunities; obtain technical input, delivery commitment, and capacity confirmation within defined timeframes.
• Work with Marketing Manager on bid collateral quality (company profiles, design standards, case study content, branded submission formats).
• Define standards for bid-ready content (case studies, credentials, impact data).
• Ensure all marketing collateral is structured for reuse in proposals.

Requirements

### Education Minimum

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Commerce, Public Administration, Law, or a related field

### Education Preferred

• Postgraduate qualification in Procurement, Project Management, Development Finance, or Public Policy
• APMP certification (advantageous)

### Experience Minimum

• 5+ years in bid management, proposal writing, or funding/grants management
• Demonstrable track record of successful submissions

### Derived Requirements

• Experience building and maintaining CRM-based bid registers
• Knowledge of SETA funding landscape (W&R SETA, SERVICES SETA, MICT SETA, FASSET, INSETA, etc.)
• Knowledge of government department funding (NSF, UIF/LAP, WC DEDAT, KZN EDTEA, GP GDID, DTIC)
• Knowledge of DFI funding (AfDB, IDC, NDB, EU)
• Experience monitoring funder portals, gazette notices, and EOI releases
• Competitor intelligence gathering and analysis experience
• Experience with DFI and donor grant applications (concept notes, due diligence)
• Knowledge of blended finance deal structuring

### Skills & Abilities

• End-to-end proposal development and submission management
• Drafting executive summaries