Proposal Specialist

Staples Canada•Richmond Hill, ON

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Proposal Specialist owns the proposal process from the kick-off meeting through to submission. They serve as the project manager for complex, verbiage and compliance driven RFx opportunities for both prospective and existing customers of all sizes. The proposal specialist plays an integral role in driving revenue and increasing profitability through conversion, retention, and penetration.

Requirements

A university degree with emphasis on communications, business, marketing, and/or journalism.
Project management skills with demonstrated ability to keep projects on track through proactive communication, prioritization, problem solving, time/task management, ability to manage multiple projects, and organization.
Advanced computer skills: Must have advanced skills in the entire MS Office Suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook, and an ability to learn new software quickly.
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, to clearly explain concepts in professional documents using easy-to-understand English.
Proposal process knowledge with an understanding of what to look for in an RFx, kickoff calls, content management, and on-time delivery of projects.
Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to foster positive working relationships across all business areas.
Ability to work independently under pressure, especially under tight client deadlines with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

Provide operational leadership for proposal development, charting project plans and bid schedules, spearheading kickoff calls, delegating tasks, communicating critical deadlines, conducting executive reviews, and holding stakeholders accountable throughout.
Strategize with the sales team to identify win themes, customer pain points, and key value drivers to create a unified bid strategy for revenue generation.
Collaborate across all organizational functions and levels, building alignment between the proposal, pricing, sales, merchandising, transportation, operations, legal, risk management, and credit teams.
Gather, analyze and organize data from other departments, discerning key information and integrating it into the response.
Draft and creates proposals that capture Staples Professional’s value proposition and align our offering with customer needs. Edits and revises drafts based on customer addenda and stakeholder feedback.
Work well in situations with many unknowns and knows how to solve challenges and guide others through ambiguity.