Proposal Manager

What We Are Looking For:

This position will be responsible for managing all phases of our proposal process, including preparing successful proposals to both private and government clients. This position will be a member of our business development team but also coordinates with operations and subject matter experts (SMEs) to plan, develop, and deliver winning proposals.

What You’ll Do:

Proposal Development

• Understands how to structure a proposal to make it scoreable and compliant
• Understands how to develop win themes to get our strengths across
• Develops and enforces proposal response schedule and corresponding deadlines
• Ensure proposal submissions align with client requirements and the company's proposal standards
• Be proactive to anticipate proposal challenges and contribute to team efforts without managerial oversight or prompting
• Develops, documents, and implements process improvements to continually improve proposal quality and effectiveness
• Review final proposal documents for editing, completeness, and compliance with RFP
• Submit final proposals on time and provide updates to team on proposal statuses
• Diligently manage prequalification, precertification, and corporate engineering licensing efforts for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs), FHWA, United States Army Corps of Engineers, and other agencies/clients as needed
• Communicate and collaborate with other proposal specialists from partner firms on pursuits to meet client deadlines
• Manage and prioritize multiple proposal efforts simultaneously, meeting all associated deadlines
• Collaborate with doer/sellers, sales reps, and SMEs to monitor and report on engineering opportunities with key customers. Maintain and update proposal statuses, key milestones, and outcomes in the CRM system to ensure accurate reporting and pipeline visibility
• Identify areas for process improvement and contribute to department-wide best practices and tools

Business Development Support

• Assist with lead generation by regularly reviewing lead generating services and passing opportunities to SMEs and business development team
• Assist with planning and scheduling conferences, ensuring registrations and other logistics are thoroughly completed
• Ensure all applicable marketing materials are updated and available for presentations, project interviews, client meetings, and conferences
• Collect, review, and update technical resumes for staff with project experience, licensure, and professional certifications for future proposals
• Collect, review, and update technical project write-ups and photographs
• Track success metrics (key performance indicators) for constant improvement, coordinate debrief sessions, document lessons learned, and analyze win/loss rate, performance, and competitor trends

What You Need to Be Successful:

• Demonstrated success writing and leading proposal efforts
• Proven experience in writing and winning government (Federal, State, and Local levels) and private client proposals
• Ability to analyze and deconstruct solicitation requirements and develop a compliant and scoreable proposal structure and win themes for successful proposal
• Ability to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in draft response material
• Background or basic understanding of civil engineering practices and services
• Ability to work collaboratively and independently and manage schedules across multiple time zones

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in the planning, preparation, and development of architectural and engineering proposals and qualifications packages for government and private clients
• Past relevant experience in AEC industry and market sectors is a must
• Bachelor’s degree in business, technical writing, marketing, English, journalism, communications, or relevant field
• Proficient in Microsoft Office 365 suite
• Excellent written communication skills with a strong understanding of grammar, contract language, and technical verbiage
• Excellent proofreading and attention to detail skills

Benefits and Compensation:

Salary Range: $70,000 - $90,000 per year dependent on experience

We offer a comprehensive, industry-leading compensation and benefits package designed to support your personal and professional well-being:

• Paid time off and paid holidays
• 401(k) with company match: 100% match on contributions up to 3%, plus 50% match on contributions up to 5%
• Competitive medical insurance coverage with generous employer contributions
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer funding
• Company-paid life, AD&D, and disability insurances
• Optional dental, vision, hospital, critical illness, accident, and pet insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

BDI provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.