Proposal Manager – Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Job Title: Proposal Manager

Salary: Competitive

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Contract: Permanent, Full-time

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge. 

Cambridge Partnership for Education (Cambridge), Bids and Proposals unit have an exciting opportunity for a Proposal Manager, where you will play a key role in supporting Cambridge to secure bids and proposals with high-stakes clients and help them achieve their global mission of transforming societies through education. 

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment (CUPA), a world‑leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

This role is pivotal in strengthening our commercial capability by improving bid quality, increasing conversion rates, and modernising proposal processes to support our global mission of educational transformation.

About the role 

Cambridge partners with ministries of education and international development organisations to improve the quality of education systems. We develop bespoke solutions to suit a country’s individual context, need and vision so that we can have a real impact. 

As a Proposal Manager, you will manage and coordinate the end-to-end bid and proposal process to deliver compliant, professionally produced proposals within customer defined timeframes.

Using your excellent communication skills, you will coordinate and review/edit proposal input from a variety of stakeholders, typically involving contributions from Business Development, Technical, Delivery and Corporate Services teams, as well as the wider University and external partners. You will also:

• Support the Senior Bid Manager with activities to raise commercial awareness. 
• Be comfortable managing both the commercial and technical aspects of a proposal.  

This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40-60% of their time collaborating and connecting face-to-face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition.

About you

As a Proposal Manager, you are an organised and collaborative professional with strong project management skills. You’re confident in coordinating complex proposal activity, solving problems independently, and ensuring compliant, high‑quality submissions. You bring experience working with procurement processes and responding to tenders, ideally within government or donor‑funded environments. You are comfortable providing direction to colleagues at all levels and communicating clearly with senior stakeholders inside and outside the organisation.

If you meet the above minimum requirements, we encourage you to apply. Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate the following desirable criteria: 

• Strong attention to detail 

• Strong IT skills 
• Strong written English language skills 

We would consider this role as a development opportunity where we receive applications from strong candidates who don’t necessarily have direct experience as a proposal manager but can demonstrate experience in project management and/or can possess sound business acumen. 

For a detailed job description, please refer to the link at the bottom of the advert on our careers site.

Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now. 

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be 08 April 2026. We will review applications on an ongoing basis, and shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place from the week commencing 13 April 2026.

If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect: 

• First stage virtual interview via MS Teams.
• Final stage interview: in-person at our offices in Malaysia.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long-term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs. 

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.

We are committed to an equitable recruitment process. As such, applications must be submitted via our official online application procedure. Please refrain from sending your CV directly to our recruiters. If you experience technical difficulties or require additional support with submitting your online application, contact the Recruiter. 

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background. 

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.

Apply here.