This role sits in a fast paced and autonomous corporate venture, a franchise network of multi capability renewables installation business operating across domestic, commercial and funded markets. The business was launched in March 2025 and is on track to be one of the largest solar & heat pump installation companies in the UK.
We are looking for an experienced, high-energy Commercial Solar Manager to accelerate the success of our national solar and heating franchise network. Your goal is to help our franchisees identify, pitch, and win B2B solar and heating projects.
You will define and deliver BD strategies and work closely with our franchisees, building their local pipelines, crafting BD strategies, and supporting bids and pitches, whilst building up their capabilities. Ultimately, your success will be measured in the volume and value of sales you have co-authored.
What you’ll be expected to do
Commercial BD Strategy and Delivery
- Localised Growth Plans: Partner with each franchisee to build a commercial BD plan tailored to their specific territory, local economy, and experience.
- Campaign Development: Design and launch targeted BD campaigns (e.g., targeting local industrial parks, agricultural hubs, or property developers).
- Private Sector Bid Support: Support franchisees in identifying and winning private commercial contracts, including creating high-impact pitch decks and joining key sales meetings.
- Public Sector Bid Support: identify strategic opportunities and support franchisees to collaboratively build high-quality technical and commercial bids.
Commercial Partnerships
- New Partners: Collaborate closely with OVO’s Partnerships Lead to identify, vet, and manage high-impact commercial partners that align with strategic growth objectives.
- Value Proposition: Continuously refine and optimise our partnership value proposition, ensuring the offering is commercially competitive and meets the needs of key stakeholders.
Franchisee Enablement
- Capability Building: Move franchisees from "supported" to "independent" by building their capability to pitch and bid effectively.
- Knowledge Bank: Create and maintain a "Bid-in-a-Box"—a centralized library of templates, case studies, PSQ responses, and technical PDFs that make bidding fast and scalable.
- Review & Audit: Act as the final "expert eye" on franchisee-led bids to ensure quality and brand consistency.
Your Attitude and Traits
- Strong communicator - you can write a technical tender response that wins over a procurement board, and a pitch deck that excites a commercial business owner.
- Entrepreneurial spirit - You enjoy the "scrappy" nature of a franchise model. You are happy to jump on a call to help a franchisee close a £70k project one day, and support a £1.2m council bid the next.
- Strategic navigator - review opportunities and focus on the highest impact. You have the judgement to prioritise high-likelihood wins over "busy work."
- Pragmatic, resourceful and fast-moving - happy to operate in an ambiguous startup-style environment and make judgement calls
Your Experience and Skills
- 6+ years in bid management & BD - you have a track record of winning pitches, bids and tenders primarily in the private sector and possibly in the public sector.
- Commercial storyteller - you have the writing capability to turn technical solar and heat specifications into a compelling value proposition. You can create pitch decks that land with private-sector decision-makers.
- Strategic relationship builder - you have experience in "pre-tender" engagement. You know how to identify and influence key stakeholders in commercial organisations. An existing network is a big plus.
- Capability builder - You’ve built "knowledge banks" or "bid-in-a-box" templates before. You know how to centralise case studies, compliance docs, and technical PDFs to make the bidding process scalable.