Proposal Manager

At Mitel, you will have the opportunity to help businesses connect, collaborate and provide better experiences for our customers. You will deliver valuable contributions in creating business success within our global organization utilizing your unique attributes, skills and experience.

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The Proposal Manager will be responsible for delivering quality writing that is compelling, on point with the win strategy, and meet compliance for best practices and RFPs.  The position requires an ability to assimilate large volumes of information, understand technical/operational and environmental issues and standards, and complete work under pressure to meet deadlines. 

Proposal manager is responsible for managing the overall proposal effort, ensuring compliance with the requests for proposal and responsiveness to the client’s requirements

Individual should have experience in all phases of proposal development including: preparation, revision, submission, gathering input from other departments, internal reviews, and coordination with upper management, contractors, etc.  The ability to anticipate problems, develop solutions, and work with strong personalities is paramount.

General Responsibilities

Manage the activities associated with the Request for Proposal (RFP) process ensuring the highest quality of service is provided with emphasis on quality, consistency, accuracy, efficiency, customization, and presentation by;

• Assisting internal departments in the development of RFP responses, providing follow-up assistance and expertise when needed to support the sales cycle.
• Reviews each RFP for confirmation of level of bid qualification, preparedness, and strategic issues that may require special consideration.
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of the Company’s technologies, clients, and business divisions in order to assist in the RFP process.
• Participating in the activities involved in the quality resolution of issues or concerns associated with the RFP process ensuring following through to resolution.
• Tracking all Win/Loss information to help evaluate the performance of our sales process.
• Coordinating assigned projects independently and with strict adherence to detailed customer specifications.
  Act as a consultant and provides guidance and direction in support of proposal efforts outside the proposal management group.

Specific Responsibilities but not limited to:

• Lead proposal coordinator in coordinating bid responses.
• Assist account teams and sales management to determine strategic direction and key messaging of responses.
• Review requests for proposals; develops proposal plans, outlines and schedules; and prepares questions for the potential client.
• Attend pre bid review meetings.
• Form proposals teams by involving various members across the different departments including Procurement, Marketing, Finance, Project Management, Operations, Services, Legal and R&D.
• Team lead virtual cross-functional proposal response teams.
• Assist in creating proposal milestones and responsibility matrix.
• Final Writing, editing and reviewing proposal content for message, logic, and impact.
• Obtain all needed executive approvals for non-standard commitments.   Interface directly with Sales Directors, senior management if required to resolve issues that may arise during a proposal response.
• Maintain accurate records of each proposal for detailed reporting.
• Reviews proposal draft and final versions for responsiveness to RFP, thoroughness, accuracy, staffing, financial considerations, quality and effective design and layout
• Ensure all proposals are produced and submitted on-time with high quality and in accordance with all Mitel’s standards.
• After each proposal submission, the proposal manager leads post-proposal efforts such as contract start up briefings and lesson learned staff meetings
• Monitors and facilitates lessons learned and client debriefing to tailor and improve the proposal process.

Requirements

• 8+ years in large proposal management, preferably within the HiTech / Cloud industry
• Self-starter with superior project management skills; able to prioritize tasks, track projects and meet urgent deadlines.
• Highly organized, demonstrate initiative, and be able to extract key technical and services information from busy professionals
• Demonstrated strength in analyzing and interpreting bid requirements.
• Excellent in drafting, writing, grammar including proofing and editing
• Self-directed and motivated; can resolve practical problems.
• Manage multiple projects well despite stress and frequent interruptions.
• Customer Focused
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office.
• Solid working knowledge of MS Project, and FrontPage.
• Attention to detail, high value for accuracy.
• Strong interpersonal, leadership and presentation skills for interacting with team members and clients.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, self-starter.

This is a Bid Manager position.

The Global Bid Manager role supports the Mitel Global Sales teams in the U.S. and Canada as well as Mitel’s Authorized Partners to develop and deliver fully vetted, Mitel branded, highest quality, competitive RFx responses that align with commercial objectives. This role will implement processes that support continuous improvement and best practices from pre-proposal planning through proposal submission. This person will lead virtual and cross-functional teams to ensure timely delivery of RFP content, identify and support resolution of issues, and gain approvals from stakeholders as needed. The ideal candidate will bring a detail-driven approach, strong communication and leadership skills, and a solid understanding of bid management and working with global proposal teams.

• Responsible for and manages national and international proposal projects in the system and solution business, guiding them to a bid decision and proposal approval at the corporate management level. Projects of this type are typically characterized by: - Customer or proposal projects with very high requirements regarding the technical structure and/or customer structure (e.g., complex and multilayered corporate structures of the customer) - Projects with high to very high order volumes - Projects with high to very high risk

• Analyze bids to identify key/mandatory requirements, risks, and opportunities

• Influence bid/no bid decisions based on client requirements, risk, workload, win chances, and client relationship

• Establish proposal kick-off call and facilitate ongoing status calls with internal Mitel teams and Mitel Partners

• ·Manage the proposal effort by creating a bid plan and enforcing adherence to the plan

• Act as liaison for consolidation of clarification questions and response inputs

• Engage contract managers and senior management when necessary to assess risks and gain stakeholder reviews and approvals as needed

• Produce final output to end customer when Mitel is prime

• Act as liaison for Mitel content to Partner when Partner is prime

• Ensure proposal compliance and responsiveness, win strategy and key messaging, and overall quality of all deliverables

• Maintain full control of bid documentation, ensuring accuracy and version control throughout the lifecycle

• Protect Mitel’s intellectual property and confidential information

• Ensure strong and consistent branding and develop customized executive summaries

• Conduct team content reviews

• Review and address with stakeholders and the Contracts Management Team non-standard terms and conditions and obtain necessary executive level approvals.

• Ensure all pricing activities are completed according to the proposal schedule.

• Engage the Commercial Deals Desk to work with the sales/engineering teams to determine pricing strategy.

• Work with sales/engineering teams on completion of Deal Review Template and ensure proper pricing approvals are obtained before bid submittal.

• Create and manage proposal outlines, kick-off documentation, and proposal deliverables. ·

• Contact person for sales and business partners for bid related issues.

• Provide weekly updates / reports to manager on current bid opportunities.

• Track proposal status until you receive a win/loss notification.

• Management of the virtual bid team

• Lead internal proposal debriefs for process improvements

• Contribute any new bid content to the Knowledge Management Team for reusable knowledge databases

Any US 'virtual' location is possible, but possibly Eastern or Central time zones are preferable.

Mitel offers a comprehensive benefit program which includes affordable Medical, Dental, Vision, Life and Disability Insurance, Matching 401(k) plan, Paid time off (holiday, vacation and sick), Employee Assistance Program, Reward and Recognition Programs and more! Benefits may vary based on full-time or part-time employee status.

At this time, we are not offering sponsorship for US work authorization for any new job applicants.

For more information, visit Why Mitel or follow us on LinkedIn here.

Mitel is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. Diversity makes sense for us, for our customers and for our future. We value different perspectives, skills and experiences, and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Mitel provides equal opportunities to all applicants and employees. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, sex (including gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition), parental status, age, religion or religious belief, creed, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, military service, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal law, or local ordinance. 

These protections extend to all management practices and decisions, including recruitment and hiring practices, appraisal systems, promotions, demotions, transfers, compensation changes, training, career development programs, layoffs, and terminations.

The Affirmative Action Plan is available for viewing to any employee or applicant for employment upon request.

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