Bid Manager - Strategic Engagements Team

Title: Bid Manager

Location: Remote

Overview

The Bid Manager plays a key role in the bid execution for our strategic pursuits. The Bid Manager will support the pursuit strategy setting process, plan, and track team activity to meet internal and client deadlines, facilitate collaboration and reviews to drive proposal quality/consistency as well as meet Cognizant process and approval requirements. The Bid Manager will also monitor and ensure the alignment of all proposal deliverables, presentation messaging and materials, contract documents and pursuit actions with the pursuit strategy. Additional duties include managing logistics of the deal pursuit, preparation and client communication for the required presentations. The Bid manager will coordinate the requisite client workshops, site visits, reference calls, and other client-facing events. Furthermore, the Bid Manager will proactively contribute to Cognizant bid materials that include documenting best practices for executing strategic pursuits objectives and input to structured project management and activity planning. Expectations also include facilitating team collaboration and driving the desired outcomes supporting leadership reviews as well as managing the executive approval processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct end-to-end bid management activities for concurrent $100M+ strategic pursuits involving pursuit strategy development, proposal content facilitation, contract, solution, and pricing milestones, deal governance reviews and orals presentation coaching.
• Lead and support customer engagements throughout the bid lifecycle including attending customer briefing events, moderate client and internal dialogue sessions/workshops, facilitate customer presentations and engage in contract negotiations.
• Manage communications and act as primary liaison between customer, customer advisors and Cognizant Strategic Deal team for bid/proposal activity cycle.
• Focal point for cross-functional bids teams comprising of solution architects, legal, finance, HR, marketing, proposal management, transition and delivery to support the opportunity.
• Manage the deal approval process including coordinating bid / no-bid presentation development, quantifying deal value for the client, and projecting Cognizant's client profitability.
• Support win strategy development including win strategy workshop preparation and output documentation.
• Develop bid plan and calendar – oversee and track the team's progress against the bid plan and ensure client deadlines are met.
• Manage the logistics of team meetings, reviews, and client-facing events.
• Ensure proposal document quality (e.g., concise language, clean formatting, digital graphics, comprehensive content, compelling story), completeness, and delivery.
• Manage client reference approval and information collection processes.
• Manage the orals preparation process, including establishing a project calendar, coordinating storyboarding, planning content creation, owning master presentation files, and providing feedback on team members' presentation delivery.

Qualifications

• Relevant Bachelor’s Degree.
• At least 10 years of bid management experience with managing and winning large deals (>$100M).
• Proven track record leading full bid/sales cycle.
• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate with across multiple client stakeholders in multiple geographies as well as internally to maintain full cycle on engagements.
• Excellent communication, organizational and interpersonal skills - oral, written, and listening are crucial.
• Demonstrated leadership ability, influencing others regardless of authority.
• Excellent problem solver: someone that not only identifies problems but takes action to implement solutions.
• Solid business and/or sales operations management experience.
• Comprehension and the ability to articulate a complete bid strategy and tactics from start to close.
• Develop top tier specific opportunity responses that map to the client’s business and technical goals.
• Initiative, high energy, and passion for developing and capturing new business.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or MBA degree
• At least 15 to 18 years of experience with Global Deals and Organizations
• Experience across 3 or more global industries and IT practices
• Proven ability to contribute to new business development efforts and to lead and manage multiple tasks in a dynamic environment
• Attention to detail and able to manage and maintain all facets of complex assignments
• Demonstrable complex problem-solving abilities with the aptitude to identify strategic solutions to business problems with enterprise-wide implications
• Demonstrate the flexibility to work among diverse corporate environments, industries, and technical and non-technical audiences

Top Reasons to Join Our Team

Excellent compensation/benefits. A strong financial incentive package that includes a solid base salary with a opportunity to earn a bonus. Further incentives include award programs, club trips, and excellent benefits package. Wide exposure to industry, product, and functional standard methodologies; as well as outstanding teams supporting your sales pursuits. Encouraging management team that rewards initiative & success. Exciting, industry leading practice where you can truly build a long-term career. Congenial, collaborative, and goal-oriented environment; the opportunity to work with and learn from a diverse, highly experienced team of business professionals. Tremendous opportunities for growth with a real career path promoting career advancement.