[Hiring] Proposal & Communications Consultant @Sirva

Role Description

As a key contributor to the sales support team, the Proposal and Communications Consultant is a business partner to Sales and Global Account Management, who rely on the content specialist as a key resource and advisor. The Proposal and Communications Consultant supports sales and account management in the pursuit of new business as well as account retention/upsell, of which proposal and sales materials preparation is a key component.

This role is responsible for the development and delivery of quality and succinct responses to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Information (RFIs), ad hoc proposals, and related follow-up. This may include the development of presentations, clarification materials, site visits, and best and final offers.

This role is a senior role within the sales support organization who is partnered with the Sales or Account Management leader from the start of the pursuit and who, in addition to preparing RFPs and related documentation, works with the Salesperson or Account lead on an overall pursuit action plan, including analysis and review of similar opportunities. The Proposal and Communications Consultant proposes approaches to the pursuit and provides documentation, history, research, competitive information, operational data, and other information to support the success of the pursuit, acting in effect, as the partner to the sales team/Account Management for information and knowledge management for the pursuit.

Responsibilities

• 70% Pursuit support, including development of written proposals, RFP/RFI responses and related follow-up preparation, development, and submittal.
• Development of presentation materials in support of sales pursuits, account management, or other company needs.
• Works with limited direction and assistance of the Director Sales Strategy.
• Uses independent judgment, expertise, and previously successful efforts to support sales and current business retention/upsell pursuits.
• Early stage consultation with the sales person/Account lead regarding opportunities.
• Identification of successful techniques, arguments, sales plans, and information to enable the sales/account person to create a credible pursuit and win strategy.
• Conducts research into opportunities, provides the ‘inside’ support to mirror the salesperson’s outside/face-to-face efforts with the client.
• Leverages internal tools like Loopio, SharePoint, CoPilot GenAI to research and source most optimal RFI/P responses.
• Provides meaningful input to potential RFP documents/commentary on what is being recommended and why.
• Conducts first tier review and analysis and recommends course of action regarding RFI/RFP projects.
• Develop project plan and timeline.
• Organize kick-off and strategy sessions with response team and guide through process, while salesperson guides through strategy/key requirements.
• Prepare content and coordinate graphics that accurately reflect our value proposition and are responsive to the client’s requirements and objectives.
• Responsible for workflow management of RFI, RFP, ad-hoc proposal requests and related follow-up.
• Ensure compliance with client RFP requirements and guidelines.
• Ensure successful, responsive, and on-time proposal completion and submittal.
• Respond to related follow-up.
• Document all successful solutions/recommendations for further use and team sharing.

• 20% Interview, research, and development of appropriate materials for use and re-use in sales pursuits and account retention.
• Interview subject matter experts and sales professionals to gather information to develop and write tailored responses.
• Conduct independent research/gather market data on clients and prospects to add value to sales/client service director’s understanding of the opportunity.
• Develop and write responses to questions not previously answered from feedback and information gathered from interviews with sales professionals and subject matter experts.
• Gather, organize, edit, and develop attachments used for RFPs/RFIs.
• Development of boilerplate materials for re-use in other RFP/RFI opportunities.
• Ability to perform peer reviews and editing for other team members’ RFPs/RFIs and follow-up materials.

• 10% Proactive research for new and up-to-date information regarding Sirva and industry.
• Inter-departmental learning activities include gathering and reviewing product and department-specific information.
• Proactively contacts subject matter experts (SME) for updates, for assistance in answering specific client questions, or questions not already in the database.
• Provide Database Coordinator with up-to-date and accurate descriptions of services for RFP database.
• Works with Database Coordinator to ensure accuracy of content, and consistency of style and themes communicated.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree Required.
• Prior relevant experience in marketing, communications, sales, or other related role.
• Preferred minimum 2-year’s experience in proposal development, responding to RFIs/RFPs, presentation development, and/or other sales-related tasks.
• Strong written communication skills; proofreading and strong command of the English language, grammar, and sentence structure.
• Proven ability to manage high-volume, deadline-sensitive workload.
• Preferred experience developing infographics and illustrations relevant to content.
• Demonstrate clear/strong ideas/has established methods for organizing content, documents, and graphics.
• Provide in-depth recommendations, feedback, and industry experience to sales while preparing RFPs/RFIs and related follow-up.
• Ability to interact efficiently, effectively, and diplomatically across a wide range of interdepartmental roles to accomplish tasks on tight schedules.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and manage large complex writing projects.
• High proficiency in self-managing project details and the ability to work with different organizational levels within the company.
• Superior organizational and project management capabilities.
• Strong sensitivity to deadlines and meeting goals, preferably in a proposal development environment or other high-demand environment.
• Self-motivated with minimum to no supervision required.
• Ability to gain in-depth understanding of existing and new market segments.
• Comfortable providing training to other team members.
• Excellent MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel skills.
• Experience working with RFP Management tools like Qvidian, Loopio, or other database management systems.
• Experience using emerging tools, like GenAI, to facilitate writing new material.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), FSA/HSA, Employer HSA Match, Life & Disability Insurance, Paid Time Off, Volunteer Time Off, ID Theft Protection Plan, and more.
• Benefits are based on employment status and may not be available for temporary or non full-time employees.
• Salary ranges may vary based on location, market conditions, and other factors such as experience and qualifications.
• The final compensation will be determined during the hiring process based on these considerations.
• For positions available outside the United States, salaries will take into account local currency and market conditions, which may differ from the USD salary range.