Proposal Manager

Proposal Manager

The Proposal Manager holds primary responsibility for end-to-end management of the proposal process, including coordination and task delegation for contributors from sales, marketing, business development, finance, legal, IT, and subject matter experts (SMEs) to produce responses to RFPs. Serves as the main point of contact for incoming RFPs and manages the full proposal production process including task delegation, response editing, and submission.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Management of the proposals process from RFP through proposal delivery.
• Maintain accurate, timely proposal schedule management including status reporting of writing assignments, progress, due dates, and issues.
• Analysis of RFP requirements, developing a compliance matrix, and establishing the proposal schedule including all proposal development activities, meetings, document reviews, and approval gate reviews.
• Identify client priorities and win themes.
• Manage the completion of proposals through the gathering of technical, commercial, and financial information from a wide range of Subject Matter Experts (SME) sources.
• Conduct searches for appropriate materials and write and edit detailed technical system design and functionalities, project summaries, resumes of project personnel, and other supporting sections of the proposal.
• Assist in developing project plans, defining roles and responsibilities, and the scope of work for each project with input from sponsors, project leaders, principal investigators, and functional groups.
• Develop, edit, and proofread content.
• Conduct market and competitor research and develop comparative analysis.
• Ensure strategic brand presentation throughout the lifecycle of the opportunity (Executive Summary, Proposal, Meeting materials)
• Work within stringent time frames to meet proposal deadlines, ensure all documents are compliant with RFI, RFP, or RFQ requirements, and that the document is well organized and professionally presented.
• Support production process for both electronic and hard copy delivery.
• Manage multiple complex proposal pursuits simultaneously.
• Identify and deploy processes and tools to improve the throughput and efficiency of the proposal process.
• Track RFP data and win rate and manage postmortem proposal analysis including success factors, and identification of improvements.
• Content development to maintain updated proposal narratives including the creation of a content library with a summary by topics and keywords.
• Make presentations to various groups within the organization when needed.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop proposal pricing and budgetary information.
• Manage the proposal budget, ensuring cost-effective production.
• Oversee the proposal submission process, ensuring all requirements are met and submissions are on time.
• Continuously improve the proposal process, identify best practices, and implement process enhancements.
• Lead proposal kickoff meetings and coordinate team efforts throughout the proposal development cycle.
• Assist in the development of proposal-related training materials and train team members on proposal best practices.
• Stay up to date with industry trends, best practices, and evolving proposal technologies.
• Participate in the selection and evaluation of proposal management software tools.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external, to ensure smooth proposal processes.
• Oversee and manage proposal subcontractors and vendors as needed.

Qualifications:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required, with a proven ability to understand and communicate technical concepts in a compelling, persuasive manner.
• Strong understanding of capture management and the flow of responsibilities between it and proposal management.
• Experienced with proposal layout, formatting, tech editing, and production processes for both electronic and hard copy delivery.
• Proactive, customer-focused, team player with strong communication skills.
• Dynamic interpersonal skills to interact with all levels of management.
• Detailed-oriented and proactive about communicating status and progress.
• Excellent organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Knowledge or experience with Shipley-based processes and procedures is preferred.
• Expert-level experience with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Adobe Creative Cloud

Education & Experience:

• A Bachelor's degree in Communications, English, or equivalent is required. Masters Preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience working in proposal management, technical writing, or editing, preferably in a transportation-related field.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position will have direct reports. People management: They act as a people manager by partnering within the organization to attract the right professional services leadership and talent to ensure their team is staffed according to requirements and all team members are fully utilized. They ensure that employees reporting to them are engaged and understand their career opportunities, by taking responsibility for the development and training of their team members.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands and reach with hands and arms, hear, and talk. The employee will be working and navigating on a computer. The employee occasionally is required to stand, sit, stoop, kneel, crouch, and walk. The employee may occasionally be required to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. The work environment is usually moderate to loud.