Senior Proposal Specialist at CDW

Job description

The Senior Proposal Specialist is a seasoned proposal leader who owns the largest, most complex, high-value pursuits (RFPs, RFIs, RFQs and similar solicitations) from assignment through submission and post-submission. As the "quarterback" of each pursuit, the role coordinates all resources across sales, technical, pricing, contracts, legal, program management, partners and vendors with a high degree of independence. An expert persuasive writer and disciplined project manager, the Senior Proposal Specialist uses the content library and company-approved generative AI tools to produce compliant, win-focused responses efficiently. The role also serves as a coach, mentor and process leader for the department, with the goal of increasing win rates and revenue. What You Will Do: Opportunity Assessment & Planning Lead the largest, most complex and high-value pursuits, including multi-volume and high-dollar bids. Analyze requirements, evaluation criteria and risks; build compliance matrices mapping each to an owner. Research the customer, incumbent and competition, and inform sales-led bid/no-bid decisions. Proposal Leadership & Project Management Run the kickoff, build the schedule backward from the due date, define roles and track risks and actions. Manage many concurrent proposals with little oversight; hold contributors accountable without authority. Serve as the escalation point for difficult pursuits and their schedule, resource and compliance issues. Color Team Review Process Lead Kickoff, Pink, Red, Gold and White reviews; coordinate Green (pricing), owned by sales or technical leads. Drive reviewer comments to closure and serve as expert reviewer on other team members' pursuits. Strategy, Win Themes & Writing Shape win strategy, themes, discriminators and value propositions with the opportunity team. Write executive summaries and advise sales leadership on win themes and proposal strength. Write persuasive, accurate, compliant content in one voice, aligned to evaluation criteria for easy scoring. AI & Content Library Use approved generative AI tools to analyze solicitations, draft and refine content and speed up reviews. Verify AI output, protect confidential data, champion AI adoption and grow the content library. Compliance, Production & Submission Ensure compliance with forms, certifications and page limits; manage final assembly, QC and on-time submission. Post-Submission Support Lead debriefs and lessons-learned sessions and share findings with the team. Play a stronger supporting role in clarifications, Q&A, orals, BAFOs, protests, award transition and close-out. Coaching, Mentoring & Team Development Coach and mentor Proposal Specialists and junior staff, modeling best practices as a go-to expert. Have new hires shadow live pursuits; shadow junior members and review and edit their work. Support onboarding and training for new team members. Department Initiatives & Process Improvement Lead or contribute to initiatives improving processes, templates, checklists, standards and the content library. Develop and deliver training; attend industry days, pre-proposal conferences and professional development. Analyze lessons learned and win/loss trends, recommend improvements and share best practices. What We Expect of You: Minimum basic requirements Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant work experience. Five or more years of proposal writing or proposal management experience, including leading complex responses. Excellent writing, editing and verbal communication skills, including strengthening others' work. Proven project management skills; able to lead large cross-functional teams without direct authority. Ability to manage multiple complex, deadline-driven projects at once with little oversight. Strong attention to detail and a focus on compliance. Proficiency with generative AI tools and the ability to help others adopt them. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint) and Adobe A