
Lead, Proposal Management
- Waterdown, ON
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Manage large, complex proposals of substantial importance to the organization with minimal oversight or direction.
- Learn and understand WESCAM's complete product & service offering (price book) and be very familiar with industry best practices for capture and proposal processes
- Analyze and interpret customer requirements (Request For Bid (RFB) / Request For Proposal (RFP) / Request for Information (RFI) / Request for Quotation (RFQ) etc.)
- Evaluate the Proposal Request and prepare for Pursuit or Bid Decision meeting
- Prepare for and facilitate the Proposal Kickoff meeting
- Develop proposal schedule, assign team responsibilities and expedite assignments to/from the proposal team
- Develop proposal response strategy with assistance from Capture Lead and Proposal Management as required
- Coordinate the collection and accumulation of cost, scheduling and performance elements from functional departments.
- Use complex Excel spreadsheets to capture costing / pricing and Basis of Estimates (BOE)
- Coordinate the handling of custom proposal requirements (SOW, SPEC, T&C compliance matrices etc.)
- Coordinate the proposal narrative responses
- Facilitate colour team reviews
- Generate concise proposal text / compliance text to fill-in gaps with proposal team text / sales language as required.
- Obtain approvals following WESCAM's approval process (chair approval meeting if required)
- Complete the proposal response including editing, formatting and publication, for on-time submission
- Provide post-proposal support during subsequent Q&A and BAFO response.
- Lead and become an expert in the Price Justification process and requirements and work with members of the B&P, Finance and Contracts teams to respond quickly and accurately to customers.
- Participates as a member of the contract negotiating team.
- Liaise and lead meetings with customers directly as required.
- Closeout the proposal process by completing as awarded information and transition information to the program execution team.
- Provides inputs to changes in proposal processes, tools and systems to improve efficiencies and results. As requested, implement the suggested changes.
- Work to achieve individual annual goals and objectives with minimal oversight and frequently support the achievement of department strategic goals involving cross-functional teams.
- Maintain / update assigned proposal tools, templates and process instructions.
- Strong proficiency (advanced users) with MS Excel, MS Word and moderate proficiency with MS PowerPoint
- Experience Microsoft Dynamics an asset
- Strong organizational skills. Technical aptitude considered beneficial
- In-depth knowledge of proposal management best practices
- Excellent writing skills with the ability to write persuasive proposal text
- Excellent verbal communication skills with the ability to chair bid management meetings
- Excellent attention to detail is essential
- Ability to prioritize workload
- Flexible schedule to support Major Proposal response timelines
- Team player attitude
- Ability to multi-task and work under pressure
- Ability to work extended hours during major proposal submissions
- Excellent communication & leadership skills to facilitate meetings with key stakeholders from a multi-functional team (Sales, Procurement, Program Management, Service, Engineering etc.), to execute bid strategy
- Expertise in System level Program Execution (Statement of Work, Work Breakdown Structure etc.)
- Minimum 9 years bids and proposals or relevant experience in a technical, fast paced environment
- Experience in complex aerospace / defense product sales or sales support an asset
- University Degree
- Participation in Association for Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) Practitioner level an asset.
- Working knowledge of the Shipley Business Development Lifecycle