Proposal Specialist

U.S. Bank•Minneapolis, MN

About The Position

The Proposal Specialist manages the end-to-end delivery of Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs), proactive proposals, and finalist presentations for strategic client opportunities. Serving as the project manager and central coordinator throughout the pursuit lifecycle, this role ensures submissions and presentations are compliant, compelling, client-focused, and aligned with the overall win strategy. The Specialist partners with Sales, Product, Subject Matter Experts, Pricing, Legal, Risk, Marketing, and other stakeholders to coordinate proposal development, drive accountability, manage timelines, and deliver high-quality client-facing materials that support revenue growth. The role also participates in identifying, designing, developing, and implementing assigned projects, which may be general or systems-related. It interfaces with internal and external resources to ensure timely completion in line with user needs, participates in user training and project evaluation, and manages and evaluates project-team performance. Success is measured by timely delivery, proposal quality and compliance, finalist conversion and win rates, stakeholder satisfaction, cycle-time reduction, content reuse, and adherence to governance and quality standards.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, English, Finance, or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience in proposal management, proposal writing, sales support, marketing, communications, or a related discipline.
Experience managing complex, cross-functional RFP and proposal efforts.
Strong project management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and communication abilities.
Ability to influence stakeholders and drive accountability without direct authority.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality and accuracy.
Comprehensive knowledge of the assigned business line or functional area.
Demonstrated management and leadership skills.
Strong organizational and analytical skills.
Advanced knowledge of project management.
Ability to identify and resolve exceptions and analyze data.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting large, strategic, and highly competitive pursuits.
Familiarity with proposal management platforms such as Responsive (RFPIO), Seismic, or similar tools.
Experience developing executive-level and finalist presentations.
APMP certification or equivalent proposal management certification.
Experience in financial services, technology, payments, healthcare, or another complex B2B industry.

Responsibilities

Own the full lifecycle of assigned RFPs, RFIs, and proposal opportunities from intake through final submission.
Develop and manage proposal project plans, milestones, deliverables, and deadlines.
Facilitate kickoff meetings and establish roles, responsibilities, and response schedules.
Monitor progress, identify risks, escalate issues, and drive timely completion of deliverables.
Ensure adherence to proposal governance, quality standards, and approval processes.
Draft, edit, and tailor proposal responses to client requirements, business objectives, and win themes.
Translate complex business, product, and technical information into clear, persuasive, client-focused narratives.
Articulate business outcomes, value propositions, competitive differentiation, and organizational capabilities in proposals.
Maintain consistency of messaging, branding, formatting, and quality across proposal deliverables.
Partner with Sales to understand client objectives, competitive dynamics, and opportunity strategy.
Coordinate contributions from Product, Pricing, SMEs, Legal, Risk, Operations, Marketing, and other stakeholders.
Drive stakeholder accountability for content completion, reviews, approvals, and deadlines.
Facilitate review cycles and consolidate contributor feedback into a cohesive final response.
Lead development and coordination of finalist presentations for strategic pursuits.
Align finalist presentation messaging with written proposal responses.
Collaborate with Sales and solution teams to develop presentation narratives, win themes, and client-specific value propositions.
Manage presentation development, executive reviews, rehearsals, and final production of presentation materials.
Support presenter coaching and readiness for client-facing delivery.
Use proposal content libraries, templates, and reusable assets; identify content gaps and partner with stakeholders to develop content.
Keep proposal content accurate, current, and aligned with approved messaging.
Use proposal management technologies and AI-enabled tools to improve efficiency and consistency.
Participate in proposal debriefs, win/loss reviews, and process improvement initiatives.
Recommend enhancements to proposal workflows, governance, quality assurance, and stakeholder engagement.
Help establish practices that improve proposal effectiveness, speed, scalability, and win rates.
Participate in identifying, designing, developing, and implementing assigned projects.
Interface with internal and external resources to ensure successful, timely project completion in accordance with user needs.
Participate in training users and evaluating projects.
Manage project-team performance and evaluate overall team performance.

Benefits

Healthcare coverage, including medical, dental, and vision.
Basic term and optional term life insurance.
Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
Pregnancy disability and parental leave.
401(k) and employer-funded retirement plan.
Paid vacation of two to five weeks depending on salary grade and tenure.
Up to 11 paid holiday opportunities.
Adoption assistance.
Sick and Safe Leave accruals of one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 80 hours per calendar year unless otherwise provided by law.
Incentive and recognition programs.
Equity stock purchase, 401(k) contribution, and pension, subject to eligibility requirements.