Proposal Specialist
Reference #29792
Waterdown, Ontario
About the Role
WESCAM is seeking an experienced Proposal Specialist who is accomplished in all aspects of Proposal Coordination from the chairing of Kickoff meetings, costing and pricing in complex spreadsheets through to the acquiring of bid approvals and bid issuance. This role will be working within a mature Bids and Proposals organization of approx. 15 people to coordinate custom bids and proposal efforts in response to a variety of domestic and international RFP’s from Governments, OEM’s and end users. As a Proposal Specialist, you will coordinate the collection and accumulation of cost, scheduling, and performance elements from functional departments and be responsible for issuing high quality bids and proposals for the sale of our MX Series Electro-Optic / Infra-Red sensors, Services and System Solutions for installation on Aircraft, Maritime vessels and Land vehicles.
Applicants with prior experience in the Aerospace industry and / or with the bidding of complex System Solutions will be highly valued.
Primary Responsibilities
Manage projects or processes with general supervision
Learn and understand WESCAM’s complete product offering (price book) and the Common Capture Process (CCP)
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 and assign team responsibilities
Develop proposal response strategy with assistance from Capture Lead and Proposal Managers as required
Chair various meetings
Develop, plan and schedule proposals, delegate and expedite assignments to/from the proposal team
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 including administrating the Red Team review process
Generate concise proposal text / compliance text to fill-in gaps with proposal team text / sales language as required.
Follow-up and expedite timely responses from the proposal team
Obtain approvals following WESCAM’s approval process Complete the proposal and prepare the response for on-time submission
Provide post-proposal support during subsequent Q&A and Negotiations
Closeout the proposal process by completing as awarded information
Work to achieve department strategic goals
Required Capabilities
Strong proficiency (advanced users) with MS Excel (complex spreadsheets), MS Word (proposal documents) and moderate proficiency with MS PowerPoint
Experience with Microsoft Dynamics or a similar CRM application an asset
Strong organizational skills. Technical aptitude considered beneficial
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
Team player attitude with ability to guide, coach and train other employees
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
Desired Education and Experiences
Minimum 4 years bids and proposals or relevant experience in a technical, fast paced environment
Experience in aerospace product sales or sales support an asset
University Degree
Participation in Association for Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) Practitioner level an asset.