Proposal Specialist

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Illinois.

📋 Description

• Oversee the complete proposal process for RFPs, RFIs, RFQs, and other similar solicitations.

• Organize color team reviews from the assignment phase through to submission.

• Coordinate resources across sales, technical, pricing, contracts, legal, program management, partners, and vendors.

• Evaluate solicitations, assessment criteria, instructions, and associated risks.

• Create compliance matrices, outlines, schedules, roles, and action tracking mechanisms.

• Investigate customer priorities, constraints, incumbents, and competitive environments.

• Assist with sales-led bid/no-bid determination processes.

• Manage multiple proposals simultaneously and escalate any issues as necessary.

• Plan, facilitate, and adjudicate Kickoff, Pink, Red, and Gold reviews; coordinate Green pricing assessments.

• Formulate win strategies, themes, discriminators, and value propositions.

• Write, edit, and customize persuasive, accurate, and compliant content.

• Utilize approved generative AI tools to analyze solicitations, draft and refine content, summarize requirements, and expedite reviews.

• Validate AI-generated content, safeguard confidential information, and enhance content libraries, templates, and boilerplate materials.

• Ensure adherence to forms, certifications, formatting guidelines, and page limits.

• Oversee final compilation, quality control, and timely submission via portal.

• Assist with clarifications, Q&A, oral presentations, BAFOs, and protests.

• Conduct debriefings, capture lessons learned, support award transition processes, and close opportunities.

• Engage in training, process improvement initiatives, industry days, and pre-proposal conferences.

• Share best practices with colleagues.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.

• A minimum of two years of experience in proposal writing, proposal management, project management, technical/business writing, or editorial roles.

• Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication abilities.

• Capability to manage multiple projects with tight deadlines concurrently.

• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to compliance.

• Proficiency in generative AI tools and an eagerness to embrace new technologies.

• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint) and Adobe Acrobat.

• Sound judgment, poise under pressure, and effective communication with all organizational levels, including executives.

• Knowledge of public sector or government procurement, including contracts, terms and conditions, and purchasing requirements.

• General familiarity with IT products, services, and solutions.

• Experience with proposal content/RFP response platforms and structured color team reviews (e.g., Shipley).

• APMP certification (Foundation or Practitioner) or PMI certification (CAPM or PMP).

🏝️ Benefits

• Annual bonus target of 5% subject to the terms and conditions of the plan.

• Benefits overview available at https://cdw.benefit-info.com/

• Collaborative work environment.

• Supported professional development.

• Equal opportunity employment.