Proposal Writer

United States

Full time

At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping learners around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

The Proposal Writer for our K-12 learning market is responsible for managing the Request for Proposal (RFP) process and will engage key internal partners to develop a proposal strategy that balances customer and channel priorities.

This role reports to the Manager, Sales Operations and Support whose team is responsible for the successful evaluation and execution of Cengage School RFP submission for districts and state departments of education. The successful candidate will support the effective project management of the bid process with on-time, high-quality responses by ensuring each proposal submission aligns with client need and represents Cengage's highest quality standards.

In this position, you will have the opportunity to contribute to a content library that clearly, concisely, and accurately articulates our proposed solution to the solicitation instructions and evaluation criteria. You will work alongside our sales, marketing, and product teams to audit and maintain a library of resources that contains up-to-date messaging and branding. In addition, you are encouraged to look for efficiencies to streamline and scale templates, processes, and systems.

• Support all aspects of the RFP process from start to finish, including RFP vetting, strategy calls, content collaboration, editing, and proposal preparation.

• Analyze RFP bid to determine compliant response structure and format.

• Generate detailed response plans, schedules, and technical elements in the development of proposals in accordance with proposal specifications.

• Delegate tasks to team members as appropriate.

• Partner with the Sales team to create innovative approaches and deliverables to differentiate proposals to assure a winning first impression.

• Identify gaps in the current RFP response model strategy, then propose new insights and secure support from internal partners to implement improvements within the processes, systems, and/or templates.

• Track, evaluate, and improve RFP responses based on customer feedback, sales needs, and market research.

• Complete other duties as assigned to meet company goals.

• A minimum of 2 years experience in proposal management with sales support or writing.

• BA/BS in writing, communications, marketing, or related field.

• Ability to serve as team mentor to coordinate proposal efforts simultaneously within tight time frames.

• Prior success in developing, implementing, and evaluating proposals that balance user needs with business requirements.

• Strong interpersonal skills: the ability to empathize, support, and anticipate the needs of external customers and internal teammates/departments.

• Excellent written and verbal communication with the ability to influence and align stakeholders while driving for results.

• Able to remain agile while successfully project managing a high volume of work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

• Understanding of emerging proposal trends, technologies, and integration strategies.

• Provide value to each proposal being developed as a knowledgeable resource and strategic problem solver.

• Proficient with MS Office suite and Adobe Suite

• Experience working within the K12 education industry.

• Previous experience working with proposal management software (Responsive)

Cengage is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of any classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact…