Senior Associate, Proposal Project Manager

New York Life•New York, NY

1d•$75,000 - $85,000•Remote

About The Position

The Proposal Project Manager leads end-to-end planning, coordination, and execution of complex RFPs, RFIs, due diligence questionnaires, security questionnaires, and related proposal initiatives supporting Group Benefits opportunities. The role serves as the project-management lead for assigned pursuits, establishing execution strategies, mobilizing cross-functional resources, managing critical-path activities and dependencies, mitigating risks, and ensuring accurate, compliant, high-quality submissions are delivered on time. The position operates with a high degree of autonomy and judgment, partnering closely with Proposal Writers and business stakeholders. It translates proposal requirements into actionable project plans, facilitates decision-making, and maintains alignment throughout the proposal lifecycle. The role also contributes to improvements in proposal-management processes, governance, workflows, templates, technology, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities. This is a fully remote role in New York Life’s Group Benefit Solutions business unit. The position is exempt and eligible for an annual discretionary bonus; it is not eligible for a sales bonus. The salary range is $75,000–$85,000, with actual base salary determined by factors including experience, skills, qualifications, and job location. Employees may also be eligible to participate in an incentive program.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
At least 5 years of progressive experience in proposal management, RFP project management, project management, business operations, sales enablement, or a related field, including demonstrated success independently leading complex, deadline-driven initiatives.
Experience managing RFPs, RFIs, DDQs, security questionnaires, proposals, and other complex client-facing deliverables in Group Benefits, insurance, healthcare, financial services, or another highly regulated environment.
Knowledge of formal proposal-development methodologies, proposal governance practices, and review processes; experience leading complex and strategically significant proposal initiatives involving senior stakeholders.
Ability to independently lead multiple complex projects involving cross-functional stakeholders, competing priorities, interdependencies, and demanding deadlines, including integrated project plans, milestones, critical paths, dependencies, deliverables, review cycles, risks, and escalation plans.
Ability to anticipate project risks, develop mitigation strategies, resolve issues, maintain momentum, and drive projects to successful completion.
Strong stakeholder-management and facilitation skills, including establishing accountability, influencing without direct authority, leading complex meetings and working sessions, and driving alignment, decisions, ownership, and results across organizational boundaries.
Strong business judgment and decision-making skills, including prioritizing competing demands and navigating ambiguity, changing requirements, and evolving business priorities.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including clear communication of project status, risks, decisions, and required actions to stakeholders at all levels.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, balanced with the ability to maintain a strategic view of project objectives, risks, dependencies, and business outcomes.
Adaptability, professionalism, and composure in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Experience with proposal-management platforms, project-management tools, workflow and collaboration technologies, and document-management systems.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting Group Benefits or employee benefits proposals and working with brokers, consultants, Sales, Underwriting, Product, Legal, Compliance, Technology, and other business partners.
Experience applying AI, automation, or emerging technologies to proposal-management or business-process workflows.
Knowledge of project-management methodologies, tools, controls, and best practices.
Experience contributing to process improvement, operational transformation, or implementation of standardized ways of working.

Responsibilities

Lead assigned proposal pursuits from intake through final submission, coordinating execution activities.
Analyze solicitation materials to identify requirements, deliverables, timelines, risks, dependencies, resource needs, and review requirements.
Assess pursuit complexity and establish the project-management approach, governance model, operating cadence, and communication strategy.
Translate proposal requirements into project plans defining deliverables, milestones, ownership, dependencies, reviews, approvals, and deadlines.
Engage Proposal Writers, subject matter experts, and business stakeholders to align on strategy, priorities, roles, and execution expectations.
Use proposal-management technology, workflow tools, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities to support planning and execution.
Manage proposal project plans and maintain visibility into milestones, dependencies, risks, resources, and deadlines.
Lead kickoff meetings, working sessions, and project reviews to support alignment, decision-making, and execution.
Coordinate resources across Sales, Underwriting, Product, Legal, Compliance, Technology, Operations, and other business functions.
Establish ownership and expectations for deliverables and facilitate stakeholder collaboration.
Monitor progress, address barriers, prioritize competing demands, and adjust plans as business needs evolve.
Communicate project status, risks, decisions, and required actions clearly and promptly.
Influence stakeholders without direct authority to secure commitments, resolve obstacles, and maintain project momentum.
Anticipate and manage risks, competing priorities, resource constraints, and execution challenges; develop mitigation and recovery plans.
Escalate issues requiring leadership involvement or business decisions, presenting impacts, recommendations, and options.
Partner with Proposal Writers by providing project structure, scheduling, governance, stakeholder coordination, and workflow management.
Coordinate collection of information, supporting materials, data, and subject matter expertise for proposal responses.
Manage review and approval cycles and facilitate timely resolution of feedback, questions, and outstanding items.
Oversee review, approval, and submission processes to ensure requirements are satisfied and deliverables are completed on time.
Monitor proposal readiness and identify risks, gaps, decisions, or dependencies requiring resolution.
Maintain accurate project records, documentation, approvals, and submission materials in accordance with standards.
Ensure adherence to proposal-management processes, governance requirements, quality standards, and documentation practices.
Coordinate final readiness reviews and submission activities to ensure complete, compliant, and timely delivery.
Identify opportunities to improve proposal-management processes, governance, collaboration, scalability, and execution efficiency.
Contribute to project-management methodologies, templates, workflows, tools, and best practices; capture lessons learned and apply them to future work.
Promote effective use of technology, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities, and support continuous improvement initiatives across the broader RFP organization.