Manager, Proposals

Trustmark Services Company; Lake Forest (IL); On-site; USD 63,000 - 91,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health/dental/vision

401(k) plan

Employee Assistance Program

Wellness program

Job summary

Trustmark is seeking a leader for the Proposal and RFP Submission team in Lake Forest, IL. You will oversee workflow, quality, and governance to deliver accurate, compliant customer submissions and proposals.

Responsibilities include driving operational excellence, reporting on metrics, and partnering with Sales and Underwriting to optimize processes. The role emphasizes AI-enabled tooling and strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree with 2-4 years of related experience, OR High School Diploma or GED with 4-6 years related experience.
• 3+ years’ experience with Life/Health Insurance.
• Insurance product experience from a Sales or Underwriting background.
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Proposal and RFP Submission team to ensure accurate, timely, compliant deliverables.
• Oversee workflow, auditing, quality control, and governance across proposal lifecycle.
• Collaborate with Sales, Underwriting and business partners to streamline processes.
• Manage AI-enabled submission tools and technology transformations.

Skills

People management

Time management

Analytical thinking

Initiative & resourcefulness

Microsoft Office

Adobe Writer

Education

Bachelor's Degree

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe Writer

Job description

Trustmark’s mission is to improve wellbeing – for everyone. It is a mission grounded in a belief in equality and born from our caring culture. It is a culture we can only realize by building trust. Trust established by ensuring associates feel respected, valued and heard. At Trustmark, you’ll work collaboratively to transform lives and help people, communities and businesses thrive. Flourish in a culture of diversity and inclusion where appreciation, mutual respect and trust are constants, not just for our customers but for ourselves. At Trustmark, we have a commitment to welcoming people, no matter their background, identity or experience, to a workplace where they feel safe being their whole, authentic selves. A workplace made up of diverse, empowered individuals that allows ideas to thrive and enables us to bring the best to our colleagues, clients and communities.About the roleLeads the Proposal and RFP Submission team by managing performance, workflow, and quality standards to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant customer deliverables. Drives operational excellence through reporting, trend analysis, process improvements, and cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Underwriting, and other business partners. Oversees team development, technology initiatives, AI-enabled processes, and operational governance while fostering a high-performing and accountable team culture.Key Accountabilities:Workforce ManagementLead workforce planning and team development activities by monitoring demand and capacity trends, determining staffing requirements, recruiting, and onboarding talent, and fostering a high-performance culture focused on continuous improvement, employee development, accountability, and operational excellence.Operational OversightEstablish, monitor, and report on operational performance metrics for submission and RFP activities, including turnaround times, quality standards, productivity measures, and year-over-year trend analysis to drive business insights and process improvements.Analyze and report on year-to-year trends; creation/distribution of activity reports to appropriate teams.Develop, maintain, and enforce operational standards, procedures, job aids, and documentation to support consistency, scalability, knowledge transfer, and continuous process improvement across the team.Proposal Operations, Quality & Business Partner ManagementDirect proposal workflow, quality assurance, and audit functions to ensure timely, accurate, and compliant delivery of customer-facing submissions. Develop and maintain auditing methodologies, quality control processes, and best-practice standards while serving as a key liaison between Sales, Underwriting, and other business partners throughout the proposal and quote lifecycle.Monitor/manage workflow of proposal requests/underwriting offers; review/evaluate requests and quality of output; create/update auditing/quality control documentation; audit team cases; consistent review of best practices in key areas; act as liaison between Sales and Underwriting teams as needed to complete proposals/underwriting offers.Work across the organization with team SMEs to create and maintain all online and manual tools used for proposal and rate creation and training documents utilized by the Proposal and Submission teams.Technology TransformationProvide strategic oversight of AI-enabled submission technologies, including monitoring large language model (LLM) performance, validating output accuracy, analyzing usage trends, and refining model inputs and governance practices to ensure alignment with evolving business objectives, compliance requirements, and customer needs.Provide strategic oversight of transfer from Salesforce to Dynamics, including current Salesforce and Client Central processes for Proposal and Submission teams.Determine staffing requirements, interview, hire & work with others to train team members; develop & mentor team members by having bi-weekly 1x1’s; create/maintain positive team environment; hold team accountable for performance.Lead the RFP Submission Team, including oversight of AI-enabled submission tools, governance processes, and quality audit functions, to ensure the accurate translation of information into business-ready, customer-facing deliverables.Manage the Proposal Unit responsible for delivering comprehensive responses to external customer requests, including RFPs, product proposals, pricing/rate requests, questionnaires, and third-party portal submissions.Other duties as assigned.Minimum Requirements:Bachelor's Degree with 2-4 years of related experience OR High School Diploma or GED with 4-6 years related experiencePeople Management experienceStrong time management skillsAnalytical, detail oriented and creativeDemonstrates initiative/self-motivation & resourceful.Proficient in Microsoft Office products; Adobe WriterExcellent verbal/written communication skillsAbility to overcome barriers to obtain required informationInsurance product experience from a Sales or Underwriting background3+ years’ experience with Life/Health InsuranceStrong documentation skillsPreferred:Insurance product experience from a Sales or Underwriting background3+ years’ experience with Life/Health InsuranceStrong documentation skillsThe compensation range for this role is (based on the corporate location in Lake Forest, Illinois):$62,947.30 - $90,923.65 per yearThe final salary offer will be determined based on factors such as location, qualifications, experience, skill set, and other relevant factors. This position may also be eligible for bonus. We understand that compensation is an important factor when considering a new opportunity, and we strive to provide a competitive salary within the market.Brand: TrustmarkIn addition to compensation, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes: Health/dental/vision, life insurance, FSA and HSA, 401(k) plan, Employee Assistant Program, Back-up Care for Children, Adults and Elders and many health and wellness initiatives. We also offer a Wellness program that enables employees to participate in health initiatives to reduce their insurance premiums. For questions about compensation and benefits, please speak to the Recruiter if you decide to apply and are selected for an interview.Trustmark is committed to leveraging the talent of a diverse workforce to create great opportunities for our people and our business. We are an equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veteran status.