Senior Proposal Manager

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

📋 Description

• Create high-quality, compliant, and client-oriented written business proposals and budgets for CRO, CRU, and Corelab services in response to RFPs, RFIs, and sponsor requirements.

• Oversee, organize, and guide the proposal team from RFP intake and initiation through to final submission, sponsor follow-up, and contract award.

• Develop and manage proposal processes, communications, schedules, and deadlines.

• Track proposal progress, identify delays and obstacles, and implement corrective action plans.

• Arrange and conduct RFP strategy discussions and proposal and budget review meetings.

• Validate assumptions, resolve outstanding items, assess risks, ensure compliance with sponsor requirements, and secure final approvals.

• Prepare and circulate meeting minutes, action items, and follow-up communications.

• Integrate management feedback, operational insights, pricing assumptions, and review comments into proposals, budgets, and supporting documentation.

• Incorporate vendor budgets and assumptions into Clinilabs’ budgets and proposal narratives.

• Draft, review, edit, and finalize proposal and budget documents, ensuring thorough self-quality checks.

• Compile, submit, archive, and maintain final proposal materials and supporting documentation.

• Keep the proposal workload tracker updated and organized.

• Act as the primary liaison among Business Development, Operations, Finance, Legal, Contracts, and bid team members.

• Mentor, train, and assist junior proposal team members.

• Execute additional duties as assigned.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, life sciences, healthcare administration, finance, or a related field, with a minimum of five years of experience in proposal development, proposal management, budgeting, contracts, or related clinical research operations; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• In-depth knowledge of the clinical research industry, including Phase I-IV clinical trials, CRO operations, sponsor expectations, RFP/RFI processes, proposal lifecycle management, and clinical trial budget development.

• Proven capability to create high-quality, compliant, and client-focused proposal text and budgets, including comprehensive clinical trial budgets, clinical site budgets, and Corelab budgets, in support of global clinical trials.

• Mandatory knowledge of regulatory and site start-up budget requirements for European trials.

• Proficiency in reviewing and interpreting protocols/SOAs, RFP materials, sponsor requirements, bid grids, assumptions, scopes of work, vendor inputs, and operational feedback.

• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel, including complex budget models, pricing tools, formulas, and client bid grid mapping.

• Strong familiarity with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, and proposal development software.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including editing, proofreading, summarizing complex information, and producing clear, accurate, and persuasive proposal materials.

• Excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, set timelines, coordinate deliverables, track progress, and meet tight deadlines.

• Capability to lead cross-functional proposal teams, facilitate meetings, assign responsibilities, follow up on action items, and collaborate with Business Development, Operations, Finance, Legal, Contracts, and senior management.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, including risk identification, barrier resolution, budget assumption reconciliation, and practical solution recommendations.

• Demonstrated attention to detail, accuracy, confidentiality, sound judgment, and customer service orientation.

• Ability to foster and maintain effective working relationships with internal teams, sponsors, vendors, subcontractors, and external partners.

• Preferred experience in implementing or enhancing proposal templates, costing tools, budget models, standardized procedures, process documentation, and departmental best practices.

🏝️ Benefits

• Approximately 5% travel as needed.

• Fully remote work arrangement.

• Travel between home office and New Jersey office, as necessary.