Proposal Specialist

PROPEL-TT Group Limited; Thurso; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

PROPEL-TT Group Limited is seeking a Proposal Specialist to oversee end-to-end proposals, review terms and conditions, and coordinate with legal, commercial, and engineering teams to craft persuasive submissions and ensure alignment with branding and requirements.

You will gather inputs, simulate strategies, support pricing, track deadlines, and continuously improve proposal content, templates, and processes to deliver high-quality, compliant bid documents across opportunities.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in engineering or business administration preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or related field from an accredited university or college.
• 3+ years of tender/bids, business development, and/or commercial responsibility, ideally in the rail market and/or OEM suppliers.
• Knowledge of CRM tools such as Salesforce.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage the proposal development process from initiation to submission.
• Gather information from internal stakeholders to create accurate and persuasive proposal content.
• Ensure proposals comply with client requirements, company standards, and legal/regulatory guidelines.
• Maintain and update proposal templates, boilerplate content, and branding guidelines.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts to develop technical and commercial sections of proposals.
• Track proposal deadlines and deliverables to ensure timely submission.
• Maintain a repository of past proposals and reference materials for future use.

Skills

Communication

Influencing

Strategic thinking

Self-starter

Negotiation

International experience

Results-oriented

Education

Master's degree in Engineering or Business Administration

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Business

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

As a Proposal Specialist, you will be responsible for reviewing customers' Terms and Conditions while interfacing with the legal and commercial departments to determine what's acceptable and how to drive a negotiation for unacceptable ones. You will work on the cost roll-up after gathering inputs from several stakeholders (internal and external) and simulate different strategies to support the commercial and upper management teams to make structured business decisions. You’ll support the pricing strategy to apply headquarters and business targets, as well as understand the market and its trends. You will be a part of a team that is focused on the delivery of unparalleled added value to customers through a comprehensive understanding of their needs and how to translate those needs into win-win business. Ultimately, this role is responsible for managing the end-to-end process of creating, reviewing, and delivering high-quality proposals and bid documents that align with organizational standards and client requirements. The ideal candidate will ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely submission of proposals, while collaborating with cross-functional teams to gather information, develop compelling content, and maintain consistency in messaging and branding.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage the proposal development process from initiation to submission (follow up on the creation of market opportunities and tenders in the CRM (Customer Relationship Management tool, organize the Go/No Go Reviews and Tender Kick-off meetings, manage the tender life using an R&L tool as applicable, ensure all stakeholders provide their deliverables in time to compose the Submission package).
• Gather and synthesize information from internal stakeholders to create accurate and persuasive proposal content.
• Ensure proposals comply with client requirements, company standards, and legal/regulatory guidelines (which involves close relationships and reviews with engineering, project and product management teams, Operations stakeholders, as well as legal and compliance departments).
• Maintain and update proposal templates, boilerplate content, and branding guidelines.
• Report to the Commercial Operations Manager and interface with the different members of the department, as well as members of cross-functional teams
• Collaborate with subject matter experts to develop technical and commercial sections of proposals.
• Support continuous improvement by analyzing proposal outcomes and implementing best practices (including post-mortem analysis for lost tenders).
• Review and edit proposals for clarity, accuracy, and consistency in tone and format.
• Track proposal deadlines and deliverables to ensure timely submission (active participation in Key Account Management reviews).
• Maintain a repository of past proposals and reference materials for future use.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in engineering or business administration is preferred
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, or a related field from an accredited university or college
• 3+ years of experience in tender/bids, business development, and/or commercial responsibility, ideally in the rail market and/or OEM suppliers
• Capabilities/skills: Communication, Impact and influencing, strategic thinking, self-starter, negotiating skills, international experience, results-oriented.
• Knowledge of Customer Relationship Management tools (e.g., Salesforce).