As a key member of our Sales team, the Proposal Manager provides leadership or support on a variety of business development assignments, including highly strategic proposals, qualification statements, and presentations. The ideal candidate will be organized, accountable, and will demonstrate responsibility for meeting deadlines and following through on commitments. All members of our Geographic Sales Operations team are expected to be self-starters who: possess excellent oral and written communication skills; develop creative solutions to tackle challenges; are team players ready to support each other; and have a vested interest in the success of Jacobs. Each day will present different activities and opportunities as you help position Jacobs for success in our sales efforts.
A Proposal Manager may also work closely with Client Account Managers and Sales Leads to align on account plans, strategic decisions, and engagement activities, ensuring growth objectives are met. This would include developing and updating client account plans, collaborate across diverse internal teams, and maintain strong account health through the Relationship-Based Sales process. They lead positioning strategies during the Middle Game, stay engaged in proposal development during End Game (if not acting as the Proposal Manager of a pursuit), and focus on strengthening client relationships, understanding business drivers, and leveraging Jacobs' full capabilities. Success depends on informed market awareness, competitive analysis, and compliance with client requirements, including diversity and procurement standards.
Our Proposal Managers will be responsible for the following general activities:
Independently lead and/or support the coordination and preparation of proposals, qualification statements, pre-qualifications, and other sales deliverables of all sizes
Directly support teams to refine and integrate opportunity strategy/win themes in proposal documents
Participate in opportunity planning/Middle Game activities
May lead kick-off meetings, color reviews, and other milestone meetings, as appropriate
Understand business objectives, priorities, and sales strategy, especially as they relate to the proposal process
Understand company markets, partner/competitor/subconsultant firms, clients, and industry trends
Support planning and development of presentations and interviews
With no supervision, coordinate, write, edit/tailor, and perform research for non-technical proposal sections; ensure compliance; proactively identify, communicate, and mitigate potential issues/variances
Coordinate/provide direction to an international team of proposal coordinators, graphic designers, publishing technicians, editors, reprographics specialists, and other support staff; independently coordinate with and collect information from teaming partners and subconsultants
Prepare and ensure compliant and timely proposal deliverables by managing self and proposal team, including monitoring progress, managing proposal process and schedule, and meeting client requirements; communicate issues/variances
Thoroughly understand and apply knowledge of Jacobs identity standards, structure, organization, business approach, and sales process
Serve as a subject matter expert on, advocate, and actively follow sales procedures, policies, protocols, and best practices, including standard file management and archiving procedures, as well as Branding Guidelines
Proven leadership, management, and organizational skills for directing, delegating, and overseeing proposal team members and their contributions
Polished and persuasive written and verbal communication skills, including proficiency in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and formatting
Proven ability to work successfully with others in multiple disciplines and in international locations/varied time zones
Employ and populate/update (as appropriate) business development-related tools and databases
Experience with relationship-based sales with an emphasis on developing winning strategies and differentiating value propositions
Strong business acumen including financial literacy, strategic thinking, market awareness, problem-solving, decision-making, and leadership
Possess strong facilitation skills to drive positioning and strategy, and negotiate with various stakeholders to build consensus or resolve conflicts
Ability to serve as a challenger or healthy skeptic during collaboration sessions to ensure innovative thought and innovation is included within outcomes
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including interview preparation
Preferred/Optional: Bachelor's Degree in business, sales, marketing, communications or related field
At least 5 years of experience in proposal management/coordination, ideally in the A/E/CM markets, especially in water/wastewater and transportation.
Fluency in Microsoft Office and Adobe applications, especially Word, InDesign, and Wordsflow
Great interpersonal skills and an ability to develop, nurture, and maintain relationships at all levels of the company
Self-motivation and a willingness to take initiative and solve complex problems
Capability to negotiate with and influence others
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment
Commitment to success in support of the company's strategic goals and profitable growth
Ability to travel
Jacobs is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, medical condition, marital or domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression and transgender status, mental disability or physical disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, citizenship, low-income status or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law. Learn more about your rights under Federal EEO laws and supplemental language.
