Bid Response Manager

Bid Response Manager 

Remote – United Kingdom

The Opportunity:

Recently combined with Anthology, Blackboard offers the largest EdTech ecosystem on a global scale, supporting over 150 million users in 80 countries. The company’s mission is to provide dynamic, data-informed experiences to the global education community so that learners and educators can achieve their goals.  

We believe in the power of a truly diverse and inclusive workforce. As we expand globally, we are committed to making diversity, inclusion, and belonging a foundational part of not only our hiring practices but who we are as a company. 

For more information about our company and career opportunities, please visit www.blackboard.com.

The Global Proposal Management team is responsible for the submission of all RFI and RFP responses around the globe in markets including Government, Higher Ed, K12, Business, and not-for-profit. This team ensures that our clients and prospects receive proposals that are compliant, compelling, strategic, high-quality, and visually stunning. We are proud of our culture and our brand within Blackboard. We adapt and change quickly to improve every day. As Bid Response Manager, you must not only be comfortable in that environment, but also be able to identify needed improvements and execute on the changes required to see the benefits. We are a remote global team, and your ability to thrive in a work from home environment is a must. We get together face to face when we can and have virtual fun in between.  

The Bid Response Manager is a critical part of the Global Proposal Management team. In this role, you will lead the proposal development process, manage all aspects of proposal development, and effectively work across the organization to obtain information and content needed to deliver a compelling and compliant proposal. The primary functions you will provide are proposal management and bid strategy. In this role, you will be a mid-level individual contributor, leading without authority and acting independently, but relying heavily on others to deliver. The ideal candidate will possess good judgment and business-savvy. 

Primary responsibilities will include: 

• Reviewing and analyzing RFx assigned to them and articulating to the response team the key information that will influence bid decisions, development, and strategy
• Lead, influencing, and coaching a dynamic cross-functional team to create a high-quality response effectively and efficiently
• Assisting and coaching on writing value propositions, executive summaries, and other strategic written components
• Maintaining RFP metadata so that we can analyze performance and share our growth and improvement with leadership (via Salesforce)
• Elevating our skill and maturity as a Global Proposal Management team 
• Assessing all bids assigned to support bid qualification decisions
• High-quality proposal management of all bids we decide to pursue
• Managing/leading all aspects of RFP coordination, including acting as a liaison with all business units needed to provide information to complete the RFP requirements (finance, security, compliance, legal, HR, etc.)
• Owning the RFP response – holding all response team members accountable for delivering quality content on time
• Scheduling and leading kick-off calls to understand the complete project, history, win themes, potential red flags, and gain agreement on project milestones and deliverables
• Quickly identifying those areas of the RFP/Tender response that will require additional work, clarification, or escalation to ensure we can meet submission deadlines
• Ensuring RFP/Tender performance reporting and forecasting is accurate and timely
• Compiling edits and comments into a single draft document while maintaining version control
• Editing or writing non-functional responses as needed
• Facilitating the development of bid response strategy
• Staying current on proposal best practices and market trends
• Participating and engaging in all team meetings and activities to maintain our culture

The Candidate:

Required skills/qualifications:

• APMP best practices and Body of Knowledge – Must have APMP Foundation level certification or be ready to pass the exam in the first 90 days
• Project team leadership and management
• Knowledge of bid strategy
• Knowledge in public procurement
• Compelling business writing skills
• Knowledge of sales opportunity lifecycle
• Proven experience working in multiple geographies
• Minimum 2 years proposal management experience and/or project management experience having worked with multiple internal/external groups among all levels of an organization
• Experience managing large scale, complex bids for UK £500K+ value with proven success
• Independent decision-making process
• Strong problem-solving methodologies
• Excellent oral communication skills, both presenting to teams as well as 1:1
• Written communications – both internal business communications (email, etc.) and compelling proposal writing
• Mastery of MS Word – ability to manipulate and assemble a beautiful proposal
• SharePoint savvy – know how to sync files and manage versions
• Ability to influence others and ensure deliverables are on time
• Ability to thrive in a remote, global team working from home
• Ability to conduct high-quality meetings via web conferencing tools
• Agility – be able to adapt quickly and embrace improvements and change
• Self-motivated quick learner
• Curiosity – desire to learn more
• Critical thinker – question and probe to uncover next layer of meaning or unspoken meaning
• Coachable – able to take and give feedback openly and honestly
• Emotionally intelligent and self-aware
• Professional demeanor

Preferred skills/qualifications:

• APMP Practitioner or Professional level certification
• PMP or equivalent
• Experience using Salesforce.com
• RFPIO/Loopio/RFP automation software experience
• Other business or self-development certifications
• Previous education experience
• Previous SaaS software company experience

This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities at any time.

Blackboard is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, protected military/veteran status, or any other legally protected factor.

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