Proposals Engineer

Salary: £40,000 – £45,000 per annum
Location: Cambridgeshire
Job Type: Full-Time | Permanent

Join a Growing Global Engineering Business

Are you a technically minded engineer with a commercial edge? Do you enjoy turning complex engineering solutions into winning proposals?

We’re looking for a Proposals Engineer to join our clients growing team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in delivering technically robust and commercially competitive proposals for customers across the food processing and industrial engineering sectors.

Working closely with Sales, Engineering, Project Management and Procurement, you’ll manage the bid process from initial enquiry through to project handover, helping to secure exciting engineering projects throughout the UK and Ireland.

The Role

As a Proposals Engineer, you’ll be responsible for producing high-quality technical and commercial proposals that accurately reflect customer requirements while supporting the company’s continued growth.

This is an ideal opportunity for someone with a background in engineering who enjoys combining technical knowledge with commercial thinking and customer engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare accurate cost estimates for engineering and food processing projects.
• Produce professional technical and commercial proposals within customer deadlines.
• Review specifications, drawings and project requirements to ensure all costs and scope are captured.
• Support customer meetings, technical discussions and site surveys where required.
• Work alongside Sales to develop opportunities from enquiry through to order.
• Liaise with Engineering, Procurement and Project Management teams to obtain technical and commercial information.
• Assist with proposal presentations and customer negotiations.
• Ensure successful handover of awarded projects to the delivery team.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of proposal templates, estimating tools and bid processes.
• Support market analysis, customer feedback and bid win/loss reviews.

About You

We’re looking for someone who combines technical engineering knowledge with excellent commercial awareness.

Essential

• Minimum 3-5 years’ experience in a Proposals Engineer, Applications Engineer, Technical Sales Engineer or similar role.
• Degree qualified in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering or a related discipline.
• Strong experience producing engineering cost estimates and commercial quotations.
• Proficient in both SolidWorks and AutoCAD with the ability to read, interpret and produce engineering drawings.
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Strong written communication skills with experience preparing technical proposals and tender documents.
• Commercially aware with the ability to identify and develop sales opportunities.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple bids simultaneously.
• High attention to detail and a customer-focused approach.

Desirable

• Experience within food processing, FMCG, beverage or process industries.
• Knowledge of turnkey engineering projects including design, manufacture, installation and commissioning.
• Familiarity with commercial contracts for capital equipment.
• Experience presenting technical proposals to customers and senior stakeholders.