Senior Bids and Projects Manager

JOB OBJECTIVE

Based on increasing local project activities in the Asia region, dedicated effort is required to ensure right level of maturity of BMs, PMs & PMO and overall support in project execution to reduce project execution risks and ensure delivery of Thales obligations towards the customer. The new position of Senior Bids and Projects Manager targets to reinforce projects (origin) execution, anticipation and monitoring, as well as right level of skill maturity, processes and tools. The Senior Bids and Projects Manager acts as Subject Matter Expert providing his/her expertise to Bids and Projects across the Asia region, mainly during critical phases such as baselining or re-baselining, while supporting overall monitoring of good project execution. In addition, he/she is in charge of processes, methods, and tools.

The Senior Bids and Projects Manager reports to the Asia Director Bids & Projects, as part of Asia Operations.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive strategic capability planning for program management, ensuring readiness for current and future needs, with emphasis on leadership capabilities and future requirements.

• Lead the transformation of the central PMO function, focusing on strengthening core project management skills.

• Provide strong leadership, coaching, and mentoring to enhance the confidence, skills, and talent of the bid & project management community.

• Harmonize and standardize B&P (Bids & Projects) processes across business units and teams to ensure consistent, efficient, and high-quality delivery in alignment with Group standards.

• Serve as the referent and main point of contact for B&P processes, methods, and tools, providing expert guidance and ensuring best practices are understood and adopted throughout the organization.

• Continuously improve local processes in line with Group policies and industry best practices.

• Ensure compliance with defined Group processes, policies, and standards within the project team.

• Support solid project governance, including commitment control, project launch, and project reviews, to ensure clear visibility of project status (cost, schedule, risks).

• Ensure strict adherence to PPE (Product & Project Efficiency) standards, reinforcing compliance with established methodologies and project governance frameworks.

• Support maturity in bids and projects.

• Challenge, support, and create robust project baseline artefacts to ensure clear, realistic, and aligned scope, schedule, and cost definitions.

• Provide support and critical challenge during EAC (Estimate at Completion) reviews for projects, ensuring robust cost forecasting and effective risk and opportunity assessment.

• Evaluate project delivery strategies and play a leading role in risk assessment and mitigation, while maximizing opportunities.

• Organize and lead B&P-related workshops, such as PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique) and Risk & Opportunity (R&O) sessions, during both the bid and project execution phases, to enhance project planning, risk management, and knowledge sharing.

• Organize and deliver training sessions and comprehensive learning programs, actively working to upskill local B&P teams and foster a high-performance project management culture.

• Promote the sharing, formalization, and capitalization of Lessons Learned to ensure continuous improvement and drive organizational learning across B&P activities.

• Act as the B&P TIGER representative, when required, taking a leading role in coordinating and resolving B&P issues, driving process improvement, and acting as a champion for B&P excellence.

WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• 10+ years as Project Manager within complex, international, and matrix organizations, in projects with a large part of development

• Ideally, experience in Bid Management

QUALIFICATION, CERTIFICATION & EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.

• IPMA B is a plus

PREFERRED SKILLS / EXPERIENCE

• Proven experience in leading cross-functional engineering initiatives and driving process standardization.

• Hands-on experience in Project Management

• Experience in coaching, mentoring, and capability development.

• Advanced communication (oral and written), influencing and stakeholder management skills.

• Able to facilitate collaborative communities, workshops, and events