Head of Bids and Proposals

ABOUT US

HyperionDev is one of the largest providers of accelerated tech education in EMEA and one of the oldest providers of 'coding bootcamps' in the world. We work with top universities such as Imperial College London, The London School of Economics, The University of Edinburgh, and Stellenbosch University to deliver structured technical courses and bootcamps that accelerate people into fulfilling tech careers. We have been recognised as one of the top education technology scaleups in the world and gained the financial backing of Meta (previously Facebook) which recognised us as  the most socially impactful startup operating in Africa, where we initially started our work.

We are dedicated to closing the global tech skills gap and we achieve this by integrating tech education with human mentorship and expert code review powered by a workforce in Southern Africa, which lowers the cost of an accessible education in technology. This model has been successful, allowing us to reach millions of learners a year from over 60 countries. We have also partnered with government bodies such as the UK's Department for Education who provide scholarships for students to study on our bootcamps and gain employment at companies such as AstraZeneca and the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS).

We're backed by nearly 2000 investors, having raised the largest crowdfunding round of funding for an edtech company in history. As a primarily bootstrapped, profitable, and scale-up tech business join us as we play our part in making the world a more stable, safer, and fair place.

ABOUT THE ROLE 

We are looking for an experienced and dynamic Head of Bids and Proposals to join our team at HyperionDev in South Africa. You will play a crucial role in driving our mission to expand access to quality tech education across the continent and beyond. Your expertise will be essential in managing a team of bid specialists to secure partnerships and funding that align with our social impact goals, especially in tech education.

In this role, you will collaborate closely with our CEO and the Partnerships Team to strategize and execute bid applications, focusing on creating opportunities within both the public and private sectors locally and internationally. You will also ensure our proposals reflect our commitment to excellence and innovation in education, ultimately contributing to the empowerment of learners across Southern Africa and globally.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead a team of bid managers to develop, submit, and secure successful bid proposals, with an emphasis on building partnerships with educational institutions, government agencies, and corporate partners in South Africa and beyond.
• Strategise and manage the entire bid lifecycle—from identifying opportunities to crafting competitive proposals that showcase our expertise and social mission.
• Develop and refine a bid strategy that increases our competitiveness and maximises impact, ensuring all bid submissions are of the highest quality and align with HyperionDev’s values.
• Engage with internal stakeholders, including the Partnerships and Strategy teams, as well as external legal advisors, to navigate complex procurement processes and identify ways to challenge or strengthen bid proposals.
• Foster and maintain relationships with key partners, including government departments, local and international universities, and funding bodies, to support our efforts in expanding access to technology education.

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum:

• 3+ years of experience in a bid-related role in private or public sector, as well as a track record of winning proposals within highly competitive markets
• 1 year of experience in a management position related to procuring or delivering tenders
• 1 year of experience winning tenders/bids related specifically to higher education delivery 
• 1-3 years corporate strategic and technical writing experience
• A tertiary qualification in Communications, Marketing, PR or related discipline 
• Proven ability to effectively manage a high volume of commercial tenders to varying timescales
• Strong knowledge of bid writing principles and ability to translate for a wide range of subject matters
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to clearly present a business rationale 
• High attention to detail coupled with high standards
• Ability to multitask with research projects, data analysis and coordination with the executive team

Preferred: 

• 2+ years of prior experience in a high growth company or tech startup
• 5+ years of experience in a bid-related role in private or public sector, as well as a track record of winning proposals within highly competitive markets
• 2+ years of experience running the bidding function or a company that derived at least £20mil/year in realised revenue through bids 
• Experience as a Bid Writer in the education / education technology industry
• Experience winning significant bids and government tenders for education projects in the UK and abroad 

BENEFITS

Hybrid work: We are a hybrid work organisation offering flexibility on your schedule. Remote working options are available for candidates not in proximity of a HyperionDev Campus

Learn new tech skills: We offer our employees the opportunity to enrol part-time in our Coding Bootcamps.

Join the heart of tech in Africa, Europe and the US: You'll work with the best of the best and rub shoulders with the world leaders in edtech, developer education, and developer assessments. Join one of the most ambitious and highest performing tech companies in the space, with a management team that draws their former experience from top tech companies.

Life-changing work: Solve real problems that make education and tech careers accessible to those who need it most: you're allowed to brag about it.

OUR VALUES

We're a people-forward company with a purpose that underlines everything we do. We're obsessed with the potential in people and challenge them to do their best work. We embrace a culture of growth and learning to deliver on our vision and ours is a relentless quest for improvement.