Business Development Assistant

About this role

Ideas | People | Trust We’re BDO. An accountancy and business advisory firm, providing the advice and solutions entrepreneurial organisations need to navigate today’s changing world. We work with the companies that are Britain’s economic engine – ambitious, entrepreneurially-spirited and high growth businesses that fuel the economy - and directly advise the owners and management teams that lead them. We’ll broaden your horizons Our Shared Service Centre team (SSC) provides essential support to a number of teams across our firm. As well as assisting on large-scale operations, beyond the capacity of a core specialist team, they provide the unparalleled expertise we need to keep moving forward. As part of this friendly department, you’ll have the chance to work on exciting projects and develop your skillset. There’s real opportunity, making it a great chance to use industry knowledge and experience to solve problems in your next career step, or it can be a place to learn if you’re just starting out. If you want to work on important projects and explore your potential, we’ll give you the friendly, supportive working environment to go far. We’ll help you succeed Leading organisations trust us because of the quality of our advice. That quality grows from a thorough understanding of their business, and that understanding comes from working closely with them and building long-lasting relationships. You’ll be someone who is both comfortable working pro-actively and managing your own tasks, as well as confident collaborating with others and communicating regularly with senior managers, directors, and BDO’s partners to help businesses effectively. You’ll be encouraged to identify and draw attention to opportunities for enhancing our delivery and providing additional services to organisations we work with. BDO’s International Institutions and Donor Assurance (IIDA) team provides financial and related professional services to international institutions and donor-funded programmes. Within IIDA, the Global Business Development Group (GBDG) supports the pursuit of new work by identifying opportunities, coordinating bids, supporting business development activity and maintaining the tools and resources needed to win work effectively. The Business Development Assistant provides vital administrative and coordination support throughout the bid and business development process, ensuring opportunities are set up correctly, bid documentation is prepared and controlled effectively and submissions are completed accurately and on time. Working closely with the Bid Writer, you will support the practical and process-driven aspects of bid delivery, including preparing and formatting documents, coordinating submission timelines, maintaining bid records and collating supporting materials, allowing the Bid Writer to focus on proposal strategy and content development. You will help manage the end-to-end submission process, ensuring compliance with client requirements, obtaining necessary approvals, maintaining version control, monitoring submission portals and retaining accurate records of submitted bids. The role also supports wider business development activity through maintaining opportunity and bid data, coordinating framework and repeat business activities and preparing supporting marketing materials. In addition, you will maintain the Bid Library, certificates and reusable bid content, ensuring information remains accurate, accessible and up to date. You will be responsible for updating CRM systems and tender control schedules, conducting conflict checks, maintaining SharePoint filing structures and ensuring compliance with firm policies, risk management requirements and professional development obligations You’ll be someone with: • Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent, or commensurate relevant experience in marketing administration. • Strong administrative and document management skills. • Ability to follow processes carefully and maintain accurate records. • Commitment to working flexibly and collaboratively as part of a team. • Competent in using Microsoft Office, with intermediate Word and Excel essential. • Experience of working with shared folders, document management systems or similar administrative tools. Desirable • Fluency in French. • Experience supporting bids, proposals or business development activity. • Experience using SharePoint, CRM systems, submission portals or similar systems. • Experience maintaining content libraries, certificates or standard corporate materials. • Experience in a professional services, international development or international NGO environment. At BDO, we’ll help you achieve your personal goals and career ambitions, and we have programmes, resources, and frameworks that provide clarity and structure around career development. We’re in it together Mutual support and respect is one of BDO’s core values and we’re proud of our distinctive, people-centred culture. From informal success conversations to formal mentoring and coaching, we’ll support you at every stage in your career, whatever your personal and professional needs. Our agile working framework helps us stay connected, bringing teams together where and when it counts so they can share ideas and help one another. At BDO, you’ll always have access to the people and resources you need to do your best work. We know that collaboration is the key to creating value for the companies we work with and satisfying experiences for our colleagues, so we’ve invested in state-of-the-art collaboration spaces in our offices. BDO’s people represent a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and we’ll encourage you to build your network, work alongside others, and share your skills and experiences. With a range of multidisciplinary events and dedicated resources, you’ll never stop learning at BDO. We’re looking forward to the future At BDO, we help entrepreneurial businesses to succeed, fuelling the UK economy. Our success is powered by our people, which is why we’re always finding new ways to invest in you. Across the UK thousands of unique minds continue to come together to help companies we work with to achieve their ambitions We’ve got a clear purpose, and we’re confident in our future, because we’re adapting and evolving to build on our strengths, ensuring we continue to find the right combination of global reach, integrity and expertise. We shape the future together with openness and clarity, because we believe in empowering people to think creatively about how we can do things better. #LI-HD1