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 on-time submission of proposal responses. The role leads and performance-manages the proposal team and is accountable for proposal quality, compliance, deadline adherence, workload balancing, process governance, and final approvals. The manager also serves as a senior subject matter expert on complex, jumbo, and high-profile proposals. The position oversees proposal processes and templates, establishes review checkpoints and quality controls, and identifies and mitigates risks related to compliance, accuracy, and submission readiness. It manages team workload and prioritization in view of capacity, pipeline volume, complexity, deadlines, and business priorities. The manager provides direction, coaching, and performance oversight to Proposal Writers and partners with Sales, Legal, Compliance, and subject matter experts to resolve issues and align proposal content.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in English, Public Relations, Creative Writing, Journalism, Professional and Technical Writing, or a related field.
At least five years of proposal writing experience.
Comprehensive knowledge and experience 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 proposal responses end to end, ensuring they 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 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.
Prioritize and balance workload across the proposal team by assigning or reassigning work to meet deadlines, balance capacity, and support high-value or time-sensitive opportunities.
Monitor proposal pipeline volume and complexity to support sustainable execution.
Lead, coach, and performance-manage Proposal Writers, ensuring accountability for deliverables, quality standards, and deadlines.
Address performance issues and support employee skill development aligned with business needs.
Serve as a subject matter expert on complex, jumbo, or high-profile proposals 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.
Manage departmental subordinate supervisors and directly supervise departmental non-supervisory employees; direct, coordinate, and evaluate the unit.
Interview, hire, and train employees; plan, assign, and direct work; appraise performance; reward and discipline employees; address complaints; and resolve problems in accordance with organizational policies and applicable laws.