Manager - Request for Proposal (RFP)

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan•Detroit, MI

About The Position

The Manager - Request for Proposal (RFP) owns end-to-end RFP and RFI outcomes, including prioritization, development, review, approval, and timely submission of proposal responses. The role leads and manages the proposal team, with accountability for proposal quality, compliance, and adherence to deadlines. It oversees workload balancing, process governance, and final approvals, and serves as a senior subject matter expert for complex, jumbo, and high-profile proposals. The manager supervises departmental subordinate supervisors and directly supervises non-supervisory employees. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, training, assigning and directing work, evaluating performance, addressing performance issues and complaints, resolving problems, and rewarding or disciplining employees in accordance with organizational policies and applicable laws.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in English, Public Relations, Creative Writing, Journalism, Professional and Technical Writing, or a related field.
Minimum five years of proposal writing experience.
Comprehensive knowledge and experience working with Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Snagit, Proposal Tech, Adobe Pro, Responsive, and Visio.
Excellent analytical, decision-making, organizational, planning, verbal communication, and written communication skills.
Tact and resourcefulness in establishing and maintaining effective internal and external working relationships.
Strong organization and attention to detail and consistency.
Experience with AI and prompting.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.

Responsibilities

Own all project responses from prioritization through submission, ensuring proposals are accurate, compliant, strategically positioned, and submitted on time.
Review and approve proposal content before market submission, ensuring quality, consistency, and adherence to Blue Cross template standards.
Oversee proposal template governance and establish and enforce standardized processes, templates, review checkpoints, and quality controls.
Identify and mitigate compliance, accuracy, and submission-readiness risks, escalating high-risk or non-standard items as appropriate.
Manage workload strategy and prioritization across the proposal team; assign and reassign work to balance capacity, meet deadlines, and support high-value or time-sensitive opportunities.
Maintain visibility into pipeline volume and complexity to support sustainable execution.
Lead and develop Proposal Writers through direction, coaching, and performance oversight, ensuring accountability for deliverables, quality standards, and deadlines.
Address performance issues and support skill development aligned with business needs.
Serve as a subject matter expert on complex, jumbo, or high-profile projects where strategic positioning is critical.
Partner with Sales, Legal, Compliance, and subject matter experts to resolve issues, align messaging, and ensure proposal content meets requirements.
Interview, hire, and train employees; plan, assign, and direct work; appraise performance; reward and discipline employees; address complaints; and resolve problems.