Proposal Manager (m/f/d)

The Proposal Manager (m / f / d) will be responsible for leading the creation, coordination and calculation of customer proposals during the bid phase. Acting as the central point of contact between Sales, Project Management, Service, and Commercial Order Management. This role will ensure that proposals are well‑structured, competitively priced, compliant, and delivered on time and within budget. This is a key role in shaping opportunities, managing risk, and ensuring that both customer and company expectations are aligned throughout the proposal lifecycle.

Your Responsibilities

Pre‑Sales Support

• Analysis of Customer Requirements and mapping to possible solution offering
• Support of pre‑acquisition phase with information to determine necessary budgets
• Preparing the upcoming proposal phase (opportunity shaping)

Tender, Offer and Bid Evaluation

• Analysis of tender / customer requirements and documentation
• Evaluation of Tender Documents together with the customer solutions department and with all necessary internal interfaces (e.g. Business Lines)
• Evaluation of a draft concept together with the customer solutions department
• Determine the a‑priori visible risk profile for bid decision
• Preparation of Bid decision for Bid Board Meetings; i.e. allocation of resource for establishing a working team, alignment with business lines and sales, etc.
• Preparation of Proposal Planning and organization of Proposal Kickoff with Core Team

Proposal Preparation

• Project Lead during Proposal Process, securing the quality of the proposal and the required approvals in time
• Creation of the bid documents including calculation, in time and budget of the proposal phase
• Involvement of the required experts from the Business Lines for the specific input, as well as the Customer Solutions experts for the holistic solution
• Keep and track the proposal and commercial budget and time line of the proposal phase

Proposal Calculation

• Owns and runs all deal calculations as the financial calculation lead
• Implements of deal specific price model reflecting the customer demands and price strategy developed by sales aiming at a deliverable, profitable and feasible bid
• Perform a solution‑to‑cost analysis, comprised of pricing a solution using market benchmark data
• Collaborate with Sales, Program Managers, Solution Architect and Executive leadership on deal shaping activities for very large opportunities
• Support Strategic Procurement in final contract negotiations with all subcontractors / suppliers in coordination with the relevant internal interfaces

Approval Process

• Prepares together with the Sales Manager and assigned Project Controller the Approval Slides (financials, cash‑flow, risk, etc.) for the Management Board as well as the Shareholders
• Presents the approval slides to Management Board together with Sales Manager
• Ensures Signatories are according to Signature Guideline

Continuous Improvement

• Gathers price and solution feedback from opportunities to inform best practices
• Contributes to the Improvement of solution‑to‑cost capabilities, tools and processes
• Document won / lost opportunities in CRM systems (e.g. Salesforce)

Contract & Project Handover

• Ensure commercial readiness for project execution
• Support contractual discussions and correspondence with customers
• Monitor project budget status, risks, and financial KPIs in cooperation with Project Management and Controlling

Your Profile

• Degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a comparable field
• Proven experience in proposal management, bid management, or project management in a technical environment
• Strong understanding of complex technical solutions and commercial frameworks
• Excellent coordination and communication skills across multidisciplinary teams
• Proficient in structuring and managing large‑scale proposals
• Analytical mindset with strong attention to detail and risk awareness
• Fluent in English; additional languages are an advantage