New Meridian Corporation Hiring for Proposal Manager at Helena, Montana Full Time

Proposal Manager New Meridian Corporation, located in Austin, Texas, seeks outstanding candidates for a Proposal Manager position. This position, reporting to the Vice President of Business Development, will support New Meridian’s mission to expand the reach and the impact of our assessment solutions by providing compelling, coherent, winning proposals to potential customers. Candidates interested in this position should have a strong working knowledge of and interest in K-12 assessments and measurement and the relevant market, competitive landscape and vendors/companies within the industry. WHO WE ARE New Meridian is a non-profit, assessment design and development organization. We believe assessments should focus on skills that matter: critical thinking, deep understanding, and the ability to communicate ideas effectively. Developing these skills prepares students to adapt and thrive in a complex world. We create high-quality assessments that measure these skills to ensure all students have access to valuable educational experiences. Our mission is to advance the quality of public education for all students by designing assessments that focus on the skills that matter. Our team is marked by our willingness to go the extra mile for our customers, our operational excellence, our deep expertise in assessments, and our enjoyment of and ability to solve complex problems. OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE: We are looking for someone with a proven track record of producing winning proposals, preferably in the educational assessment industry. The Proposal Manager will effectively coordinate input from multiple individuals, departments and subcontractors including the Director of Assessment Solutions, Assessment Design & Development team, Program Management, Product Management, Technology, and Finance to craft compelling, cost-competitive proposals that effectively convey our value propositions and win themes. Successful New Meridian employees possess the following traits: An ability to get things done: You are results-driven, resourceful, action oriented, and persistent. You consistently look ahead and anticipate needs before they arise. Analytical: You have strong analytical skills and are comfortable reviewing quantitative data to inform your understanding of the market and customer needs and issues. Creative mindset: You can quickly adapt and develop creative solutions to challenges. You deeply understand product management principles and can apply them to synthesize information and recommend a plan of action. Emotional Intelligence: You are highly self-aware and perceptive to the dynamics of key relationships. You are positive, empathetic, flexible, and curious. You naturally gain the respect of your colleagues through your authenticity, warmth, and competence. Trustworthy: You are highly ethical, principled, and mission driven. You operate with integrity and garner the trust of others. You exemplify the values of the organization. Expected Duties and Responsibilities Proposal Research and Sales Support Create and maintain a pipeline of states’ assessment contracts, including size, scope, value, key design attributes, contract start and end dates, and intel on incumbent providers and their offerings. With the Product Management and Policy & Advocacy teams, develop a library of market and opportunity-specific research relevant to sales pipeline, including market and policy/political environmental conditions and trends. Develop and maintain business capture plans (aka “blue sheets”) for each sales opportunity, including identifying buying influencers within and beyond the SEA, competitive positioning, and best action plans for advancing each sales opportunity. Monitor bid postings and procurement sites and employ defined criteria to evaluate relevance and fit for New Meridian proposal response. Manage facilitation and tracking of FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests to obtain state assessment contracts, associated pricing, contract amendments, and competitors’ proposals. PROCESS MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION Develop, communicate, and manage a strong proposal development process, including RFP analysis, requirements development, solution design, win themes development, partner recruitment, scoping/costing/pricing, narrative drafting, and review. Develop and maintain a process to rate opportunities and the strength of New Meridian’s assets and capabilities against the RFP requirements. Manage a bid/no-bid decision process to recommend to the Executive Team which opportunities to pursue. Establish and manage proposal schedules, plans, and deadlines. Manage engagement and communications with subcontractors to ensure they understand their roles and requirements and contribute to proposal according to project plan. Manage engagement with current and past customers to solicit and obtain references. Develop and maintain library of references for future proposals. Collaborate with departments throughout New Meridian to develop a library of boilerplate materials reflecting our brand, messaging, and positioning, corporate capabilities, and specific product/solution messaging to incorporate into proposals. Manage all vendor forms and shepherd all elements including narratives, samples, references, pricing, legal terms. Coordinate regular reviews and ensure complete and timely submission. PROPOSAL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT Understand the mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities of New Meridian and develop compelling solutions, value propositions, and win themes aligned to that understanding. Conduct a careful analysis of RFP requirements to guide a compliant and compelling solution design with key differentiators. Coordinate and manage proposal design and development, including coaching proposal contributors on how to reflect the value themes in a compliant response, managing assignments and deliverables, and crafting a coherent narrative with a distinctive voice and a compelling value proposition. Write, edit, and approve compelling proposal text that is responsive to RFP requirements and effectively positions New Meridian for contract awards. Coordinate and manage proposal costing effort ensuring timely and smooth collaboration between design teams and Finance. Manage the overall proposal development process from beginning to end including developing a proposal development work plan, defining the structure of the final proposal, combining all necessary files and documents together to comprise the final proposal, and submitting the final proposal based on client requirements and timelines. Track success metrics to optimize future proposal creation. Lead post-proposal submission debrief sessions to generate lessons learned to improve proposal processes and improve New Meridian win rates. REQUIREMENTS AND EXPERIENCE: Bachelor’s degree and/or related training and certifications in proposal development, business development and sales. Very strong preference for experience in the statewide educational assessment industry. 7+ years’ experience managing complex proposals of K-12 assessment product-service solutions at the state level. Other relevant educational resource experience (e.g., textbooks, instructional resources, educational technology, professional services) a plus. Travel to meetings and conferences as needed (less than 25%). This job is a fully remote work opportunity, and we consider candidates from all states in addition to the following states: #Circa: Austin, TX; Albany, NY; Trenton, NJ; Baton Rouge, LA; Harrisburg, PA; Helena, MT; Sacramento, CA; Santa Fe, NM; Springfield, IL; Washington, DC. New Meridian Corporation is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages individuals of all backgrounds and identities to apply. We are excited to receive applications from persons in occupations or positions where they are under-represented, particularly from individuals connected to underserved communities. We feel we are strengthened by diverse perspectives.