Business Development Manager, Operations & Proposals in Mundelein

Job Description Role Overview MikeWorldWide has an exciting opportunity for a Business Development Manager to support agency growth by helping facilitate RFPs, pitches, and other new-business initiatives. This role will serve as a steward of the RFP/RFI process, helping teams stay organized, informed, and on schedule from initial evaluation through final submission. The ideal candidate is a collaborative, detail-oriented contributor who can coordinate content development, track requirements and deadlines, organize information, and produce polished materials in a fast-paced agency environment. The Business Development Manager will also support the systems, content, and resources behind the agency’s broader business development efforts. This includes maintaining HubSpot data, navigating procurement platforms, organizing business development files, developing case studies and collateral, and conducting prospect and industry research. We are seeking a candidate with strong proficiency in HubSpot, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Excel , as well as experience with procurement systems and processes. Familiarity with artificial intelligence tools and other marketing technology platforms is also important. The candidate should understand how to use these tools responsibly to improve research, content development, data quality, and workflow efficiency. Primary Responsibilities Facilitate RFPs, requests for information, pitches, and related new-business projects from initial receipt through final submission. Develop and maintain timelines, workback schedules, assignment trackers, and status updates to keep contributors aligned and projects moving forward. Review incoming opportunities and help agency leadership assess strategic fit, requirements, risks, and resource needs. Coordinate with procurement managers and prospective client teams regarding RFP requirements, vendor onboarding, compliance documentation, and submission procedures. Assemble, format, proofread, and quality-check proposals and presentation materials using Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Maintain HubSpot data quality, including contact and company records, opportunity stages, activity tracking, and reporting. Collaborate with internal stakeholders and design teams to develop and update case studies, credentials, biographies, capabilities materials, and other business development collateral. Maintain an organized, accessible library of proposals, presentations, case studies, research, and supporting materials, including consistent naming, version-control, and retention practices. Conduct company, industry, competitive, and prospect research to support RFP responses, pitch preparation, and other business development initiatives. Prepare briefing documents, meeting materials, and status updates for prospect and internal leadership meetings. Identify opportunities to improve business development workflows, templates, systems, and content resources. Education and Experience Requirements 3-5 years of experience in business development, proposal management, marketing operations, project management, or a related function, preferably within a public relations, advertising, marketing, media, or professional-services organization. Experience coordinating and responding to complex RFPs, preferably for Fortune 500 companies or similarly sophisticated organizations. Strong project-management skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders, workstreams, and deadlines. Experience working with procurement teams, procurement portals, vendor-registration systems, and related compliance processes. Proficiency in HubSpot or a comparable CRM, including database maintenance, pipeline tracking, and reporting. Strong proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel, with the ability to create polished presentations, trackers, reports, and other client-ready materials. Excellent writing, editing, proofreading, research, and information-synthesis skills. Familiarity with artificial intelligence tools and their practical application to research, content development, data management, and workflow improvement. Strong communication and organizational skills, including confidence working with senior leaders and external stakeholders. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience. Success Factors Brings structure, clarity, and follow-through to deadline-driven RFP and pitch processes. Produces accurate, polished, and complete proposals, presentations, and supporting materials. Maintains reliable CRM data, business development records, and content libraries. Anticipates project needs, identifies potential issues, and communicates clear next steps.Builds productive working relationships across teams and levels of seniority. Balances independent initiative with collaborative execution and strong attention to detail. Our Benefits We believe in flexibility and have the structure to make that our reality. MWWLife is our robust suite of benefits, programs, and incentives designed to support our employees’ experience during every phase of their careers. Forged in the spirit of flexibility and growth, it’s about the freedom to live your best life, both personally and professionally, and embodies the culture of caring that we cultivate at MikeWorldWide. Highlights include: Unlimited PTO, Pre-PTO, Mental Health Awareness Days, Friday Freeze, Summer Fridays, Commuter Benefits, Professional Trainings and Workshops, Phone and Mental Health/Wellness Stipend, and offices closed between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Our Values At MWW, our values are what set us apart and give us the energy to move forward with confidence and excellence. Passion: We have a real passion for what we do. It’s why we get up every day and it’s what drives us to work harder, care more and execute flawlessly. Inclusivity: We’re inclusive, for real. Our respect and appreciation for diverse backgrounds and perspectives lead us to greater innovation, enhanced creativity, and richer experiences. Curiosity: Our endless curiosity opens us up to new ideas, collaboration, and growth. It drives our desire to immerse ourselves in the knowledge of others and the culture of the world about us. Empathy: Our authentic empathy gives us a sense of understanding which transforms our work, enhances our ability to deliver for clients and elevates us from colleagues to family. Independence: Our hard-earned independence gives us the freedom and flexibility to dream big, take risks and do what’s right, for our clients, our agency and each other. Initiative: We have a spirited initiative. We’re fast, focused and fearless. It’s that confidence and pride in our ability to deliver exceptional work for exceptional clients. Our Philosophy At MikeWorldWide, we are built to care. We care about each other, our clients, our work and our world. We have an inherent collective empathy that informs our ideas, energizes our work and elevates us from likable colleagues to beloved family. We’re an independent agency and we care a lot about that. Our independence gives us the freedom and flexibility to dream big, take the risks worth taking, and to do the work worth caring about. Most importantly, it lets us do what’s right for our employees, our families and friends, and, of course, our clients. We celebrate in our employees and partners, and we’re committed to building a safe and inclusive workplace environment where we all can feel comfortable and thrive while we bring our best ideas to life. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage future MWW families from traditionally underrepresented and underserved communities to apply. All legitimate MikeWorldWide (MWW) job opportunities are posted only on our official LinkedIn page. MWW never requests personal information or payment during the recruitment process and will only contact applicants from an mww.com email address. If you have any questions about a role or recruiter claiming to represent MWW, please contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io. #J-18808-Ljbffr