Proposal Specialist

Description
Bring your IT career and talents to CDW, where you can have a greater impact, be inspired by our mission and excited about your career and future. A Fortune 200 leader, we're the driven professionals and technology experts companies turn to most to solve their IT challenges. The Proposal Specialist provides analysis, response, support, and processing of various types of proposals and bids for the applicable Sales Team. Such documents may include: request for proposal (RFP), request for information (RFI), and request for quotation (RFQ). These are collectively referred to as "Proposal Documents." The Proposal Specialist maximizes company revenue and profit through wins and sales generated by responses to Proposal Documents. Key Areas of Responsibility
* Research the customer to understand their environment, politics, limitations, hot points and other factors that will translate to a response that wins.
* Provide feedback to account managers, sales managers and directors regarding current and anticipated Proposal Documents.
* Assemble stakeholders (proposal project team) to identify roles, responsibilities and timelines.
* With project team, discern strategies and win themes and incorporate into capture plan.
* Engage necessary internal resources such as Contract Negotiators, Program Managers and other company departments; engage outside resources such as vendors, partners and customers.
* Assist in the development of a pricing strategy, as applicable, and account for applicable costs to maximize profit.
* Prepare professionally written responses to Proposal Documents that specifically address customer requirements while positioning CDW for success; ensure compliance, accuracy, timeliness and that win-theme is consistent and apparent.
* Document and report on project status including eventual capture information and proper close out of opportunities including proposal debriefing and transition to Program Management, where applicable. Responsibilities
* Actively participate in department-sponsored and other training programs as applicable.
* Contribute to the shared resources of the department and company through contributions to content library and/or template development
* Contribute to department or company projects assigned.
* When required, attend industry days or pre-proposal functions.
* Lead post-submission exercises such as presentations, clarifications, 'best and final offers' and protests, where applicable. Minimum Qualifications
* Bachelor's Degree OR equivalent relevant work experience
* 2 year(s) writing or editorial experience Other Required Qualifications
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills
* Proficient in Office Applications and Adobe Acrobat
* Strong organization and time management skills
* Strong attention to detail and follow-up
* Deadline focused and ability to work under time constraints
* Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects
* Must be able to communicate effectively and in a constructive manner with management, peers and other coworkers Preferred Qualifications
* General IT product, contract and customer knowledge
* Project Management experience
* Working knowledge of purchasing requirements
* Familiarity with proposal assembly software
* Professional certifications such as APMP (Association of Proposal Management Professionals) or PMI (Project Management Institute)
Who we are:
CDW is a leading technology solutions provider to business, government, education and healthcare organizations across the globe. Our fingerprints can be found on technology in workplaces of more than 250,000 companies; from fresh-faced start-ups to international conglomerates. With the breadth of products and services we offer, there is no request too big or too small.
What you can expect from us: Culture, coworkers, careers.
CDW is not only the People Who Get IT but the People who get People. Our relationships are fueled by our deep expertise and grounded in the CDW Way. Our empowering leadership makes things happen and inspires their teams to do the same. From the teammates beside us to the leaders who guide us, we move forward together. At CDW, you'll work with people who inspire you. People with positive, success-driven attitudes who you will learn from and forge strong relationships with. Bring your best true self- and your best ideas- to CDW. Because diverse perspectives bring forth better problem solving- and better solutions for our customers on a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status
Benefits overview: [https://cdw.benefit-info.com/](https://cdw.benefit-info.com/)