Principal, Proposal Management

L3HHCM20•Hamilton, ON

11d•Onsite

About The Position

WESCAM is seeking an experienced Senior Proposal Manager who is accomplished in all aspects of Proposal Management from the early stages of a pursuit to facilitating and guiding colour review meetings and acquiring executive level approvals prior to submission. This role will be assigned to the most complex, significant and strategic major proposals often requiring the management of proposal teams in multiple international divisions to win opportunities for the sale of WESCAM MX Series Electro-Optic / Infra-Red sensors, Services and System Solutions for installation on Aircraft, Maritime vessels and Land vehicles. Recognized as an expert and/or resource within the field by peers, in and outside the organization, with broad expertise across multiple functions in a defense / aerospace industry. Works under consultative direction against annual goals to manage large, complex project initiatives of strategic importance to the organization. Communicates within and outside of the organization to influence leadership to accept new practices, approaches, and concepts. Develops or champions new systems, concepts, or technologies. Recommends tactics and strategies that directly impact the achievement of overall business or functional results. The position will also act as a guide / consultant to the Bids and Proposals organization of approximately 20 people, training and mentoring staff on best practices and developing response strategy, improving PWin.

Requirements

Requires both advanced business knowledge and highest level of technical mastery in functional area.
Minimum 16 years bids and proposals / related experience in a defence or aerospace environment
Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of 12 years of prior related experience.
Graduate Degree with a minimum of 10 years of prior related experience.
Strong proficiency (advanced users) with MS Excel, MS Word and MS PowerPoint
Strong organizational skills.
In-depth knowledge of proposal management best practices
Excellent writing skills with the ability to write persuasive proposal text, develop response outlines (story boarding) and manage proposal volumes (book boss) as required
Excellent verbal communication skills with the ability to brief senior leadership as required
Excellent attention to detail is essential
Flexible schedule and ability to work extended hours to support Major Proposal response timelines
Team player attitude
Ability to multi-task and work under pressure
Excellent communication & leadership skills to facilitate meetings with key stakeholders from a multi-functional team (Sales, Procurement, Program Management, Service, Engineering etc.)
Ability to rapidly develop response approaches aligned to win strategy and evaluation criteria
Expertise in program execution (Statement of Work, Work Breakdown Structure etc.)
Working knowledge of the Shipley Business Development Lifecycle
Leadership capability to guide business or functional teams without formal management role.

Nice To Haves

Technical aptitude considered beneficial
Experience with Microsoft Dynamics an asset
Training and experience in use of and leading Capture Management process (i.e. Shipley)
Development of training materials and training staff of best practices
Strong aptitude in development of win strategy, contributing to capture
Experience in complex aerospace / defense product sales or sales support an asset
Participation in Association for Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), Practitioner level an asset.

Responsibilities

Responsible for managing large, complex project initiatives of strategic importance to the organization, involving large cross-functional teams with minimal oversight
Learn and understand WESCAM’s complete product & service offering and be an expert on industry best practices for capture management and proposal processes
Analyze and interpret customer requirements & evaluation criteria and develop a compliant response approach in alignment with win strategy
Facilitate and provide guidance regarding conduct of colour team reviews
Facilitate Pursue-No Pursue, Bid-No Bid meetings. As required, facilitate bid approval meetings
Develop proposal schedule, assign team responsibilities and ensure timely execution
Conduct alignment reviews between win strategy, proposal responses, costing and risk register
Coordinate the collection and accumulation of cost, scheduling and performance elements from functional departments
Oversee the use of complex Excel spreadsheets to capture costing / pricing and Basis of Estimates (BOE) and have the ability to use and audit same ensuring alignment to cost proposal requirements and win strategy
Assist in the development of PTW and estimated evaluation scoring
As required, develop Table of Contents, proposal outline, narrative responses and proposal volumes, providing compelling sales language aligned to win themes, and translating win strategy into narrative
Facilitate red team review teams on larger responses and be a red team reviewer supporting the B&P department
Solid understanding of DoD / DND acquisition and evaluation processes
Complete the proposal response including editing, formatting and publication, for on-time submission
Provide post-proposal support during subsequent Q&A and BAFO responses
Liaise with customers directly as required
Deputy Capture Lead as required
Closeout the proposal process by completing as awarded information
Conduct proposal lessons learned process
Provide guidance related to proposal process within B&P and with supporting functional groups
Support B&P team members in development of response strategies and proposal execution issues
Identifies and leads changes in proposal processes, tools, templates and boilerplate responses to improve efficiencies and results.
Achieve individual annual goals and objectives, support the achievement of department strategic goals involving cross-functional teams and support B&P team members in achieving their goals
Maintain / update assigned proposal tools, templates and process instructions.
Oversee the department’s quality system and represent the department during audits

Benefits

Brand new, custom-built 330,000 sq ft Engineering and Production facility atop the Waterdown escarpment in Hamilton
Close to hiking paths along the Bruce trail
Every other Friday off (paid – with our rare 9/80 work schedule)
18000 sq ft subsidized Café including 12 mini- Café areas throughout the complex
Free 10,000 sq ft on-site gym
Free wellness programs
Free fruit, bagels and coffee
Wellness rooms – first aid, prayer, mother’s room and quiet zones
Work / Life balance
Real opportunities for growth and development
A diverse and inclusive working culture
Everyone’s role at L3HARRIS WESCAM contributes to protecting people’s lives