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Kirsty Isles

@kirstyisles

Experienced bids and content leader driving AI-enabled efficiency and process transformation in legal and engineering sectors.

United Kingdom

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What I'm looking for

I am seeking a senior role where I can lead bids/content teams, implement AI-driven efficiencies, and drive process improvements in collaborative, growth-focused organisations.

I am a bids and content leader with 20 years' experience across legal, engineering and construction sectors, aligning complex business needs with technology-driven solutions. I specialise in designing and implementing automated tools and optimising bid and marketing processes.

At Pinsent Masons I co-led an AutogenAI project that drafted bids 80% faster and led onboarding, supplier procurement and firm-wide use-case identification. I manage a team delivering self-serve business development tools and systems such as Templafy, Power BI and SharePoint.

My career includes roles as Bids Manager, Senior Business Development Coordinator and proposals coordinator where I established global bid libraries, automated templates and ROI-aligned bid processes. I have led high-profile initiatives, cross-functional projects and large bid teams.

I am curious and proactive about AI applications, empathetic in user-first design and committed to continuous improvement, wellbeing and collaborative leadership to deliver measurable efficiency and commercial impact.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Content Team Manager

Current

Pinsent Masons

May 2022 - Present (3 years 9 months)

Co-led an AI procurement and AutogenAI integration that reduced bid drafting time by ~80%; manage a team of 8 delivering self-serve BD tools and automated templates to improve efficiency and drive revenue opportunities.

Integration Templafy Power BI SharePoint Project Management Training Stakeholder Management

Bids Manager

Pinsent Masons

Sep 2018 - May 2022 (3 years 8 months)

Managed strategic bids across multiple practice areas and created automated templates to streamline bid production and increase consistency across teams.

Bid Management Content Writing Process Improvement Legal Marketing

Senior Bids Specialist

Pinsent Masons

Sep 2017 - Sep 2018 (1 year)

Designed and implemented an automated bids tool that reduced preparation time by 3–4 hours per bid and increased user adoption through promotion and stakeholder engagement.

Requirements Gathering Stakeholder Engagement Process Design Change Management User Adoption

Senior Business Development Coordinator

Arup

Aug 2016 - Aug 2017 (1 year)

Led business development for the Edinburgh office, producing marketing and bid materials, creating master CVs, and serving as marketing lead for the Queensferry Crossing project.

Business Development Marketing CV Management Stakeholder Management

Bids Executive

Burness Paull LLP

Sep 2015 - Aug 2016 (11 months)

Managed multi-office bid activity across private, public and third sectors, developed a content library and a pricing proposal template to standardise submissions.

Bid Management Content Library Process Improvement Pricing Templates

Proposals Coordinator

Costain Upstream

Jul 2014 - Sep 2015 (1 year 2 months)

Managed proposals for UK oil & gas operators, created project sheet libraries and templates, and oversaw exhibitions and FPAL account audits.

Proposal Management Templates FPAL Administration Oil & Gas Bidding Documentation

Tendering Assistant

Genesis Oil & Gas

Mar 2013 - Jul 2014 (1 year 4 months)

Established a global bids library on SharePoint, trained bid managers, improved branded templates and developed bidding processes with competitor analysis.

SharePoint Training Template Management Process Development Competitor Analysis

UK SAR Bid Coordinator

Bond Helicopters

Aug 2012 - Mar 2013 (7 months)

Coordinated a £1.6bn SAR helicopter contract bid, managing a 50-person team and overseeing graphics, consultancy agreements and bid administration.

Bid Management Contract Bids Team Management Contract Administration Large Scale Tendering

Assistant to Managing Partner

Aberdein Considine

Jun 2005 - Jun 2010 (5 years)

Coordinated marketing campaigns and bid submissions for repossession litigation clients, developed a lender-focused website and implemented digital dictation and Bluetooth marketing.

Marketing Coordination Bid Support Website Development Branch Management