Proposal Manager - Water/Wastewater Market

Kiewit; Kansas City (KS); Remote; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the water/wastewater sector is seeking a Proposal Manager to oversee high-value proposals. This role involves strategic thinking, collaboration with various stakeholders, and ensuring the delivery of compelling, customized proposals. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in proposal management, particularly in the public sector, and possess strong technical writing and leadership skills.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

Top-tier medical, dental, and vision plans

Voluntary wellness programs

Generous paid time off

Qualifications

• 10+ years of related experience in proposals, preferably in water or infrastructure.
• 4+ years of proposal work in the public-procured sector.
• Proven experience managing the full proposal lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Manage proposal processes including development of requirements matrix and client-focused messaging.
• Collaborate with SMEs to craft compelling proposal sections.
• Lead and mentor junior team members on proposal best practices.

Skills

Technical writing

Collaboration

Critical thinking

Communication

Leadership

Education

BA/BS in business, communication, journalism, or English

Tools

MS Office Suite

Adobe InDesign

SharePoint

Job description

Requisition ID:176443

Job Level:Senior Level

Home District/Group:KEG Business Development

Department:Business Development & Proposals

Market:Water/Wastewater

Employment Type:Full Time

Position Overview

Kiewit’s water proposal team has an exciting immediate career opportunity for a Proposal Manager. This individual will play a vital role by ensuring the creation of high-quality, customized proposals and marketing deliverables that resonate with client objectives and align with the company’s strategic goals. This position demands a strategic thinker with strong organizational and communication skills, who thrives in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

The Proposal Manager, under general direction, is accountable for proposal activities that support selling efforts. The position will participate in the overall proposal process including win and proposal strategy planning, content development, internal review, production, submittal and performance analysis. The Proposal Manager collaborates with business development managers, operations sponsors, technical specialists and other team members to prepare responsive, compelling proposal responses. Typical proposals range from $20M to over $1B in contract size.

Internally, our proposals are classified based on level of effort. The Proposal Manager will lead the largest, most strategic proposals while supporting more junior counterparts on less-strategic endeavors.

District Overview

The Kiewit Energy marketing, creative and proposal team provide get-work services to an array of markets, including power generation, transmission and distribution, renewables, industrial, oil and gas, and water/wastewater. Individuals in this department get exposure to a mix of high profile, complex pursuits across North America valued from $5M-$6B. This incredibly profitable, competitive, fun group focuses on winning more work with high-quality, client-focused sales strategies through creative communication techniques. Our rapidly growing team, which includes graphic designers, proposal professionals, writers, digital strategists, marketers, and data analytics brings vast experience, communication expertise, innovative concepts, and best practices to all projects we support across the company.

Location

We are open to locations for this role and would consider fully remote for the right candidate. If remote, candidates would be expected to travel at times.

Responsibilities

• Review RFP, RFI, RFQ and bid/qualifications request documents so that client requirements are clearly understood by the team.
• Manage proposal processes including the development of a requirements matrix, features/benefits/proofs, section directives, oral technical presentations, graphics, storyboard mock-up, reviews, production, and delivery.
• Incorporate win themes, discriminators, and client-focused messaging into proposals.
• Ensure deliverables are error-free, visually appealing, and compliant with all client requirements.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs) to craft compelling, customized proposal sections and presentations.
• Conduct interviews with technical and non-technical team members to gather insights.
• Maintain and update proposal content libraries, including resumes, project profiles, and templates.
• Develop templates, style guides, and other coordination documents as needed for each proposal, using SharePoint proposal collaboration sites.
• Lead and participate in proposal kick-offs, updates, and review sessions to ensure alignment with deadlines and quality expectations.
• Mentor junior team members, offering guidance on best practices and strategic alignment.
• Work effectively with internal stakeholders to ensure proposals reflect the company’s strategic goals.
• Implement and uphold standard operating procedures for proposal development.
• Conduct post-proposal debriefs to identify lessons learned and opportunities for improvement.

Qualifications

• BA/BS in business, communication, journalism, or English (will consider other majors as well).
• At least 10 years of related experience in proposals, preferably in the water, infrastructure or industrial market.
• At least 4 years of proposal related work in the public-procured sector.
• Strong technical writing and editing skills; ability to translate technical content into compelling narratives.
• Exceptional critical thinking, collaboration and adaptability skills.
• Demonstrated training and experience in formal proposal management processes.
• Proven experience managing the full proposal lifecycle and a track record of results.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Visio and SharePoint.
• Proficiency in Adobe InDesign preferred; experience with Cosential, SmartSheet or similar CRM software is a plus.
• Ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven, dynamic environment.
• Deliver clear, concise and impactful written and verbal communications.
• Strong interviewing and editing/writing skills including thorough knowledge of grammar, spelling and composition as well as oral communication and interpersonal skills.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work well with professionals from various backgrounds.
• Ability to deliver quality work that consistently meets requirements and deadlines.
• A focus on teamwork – ability to continually listen, collaborate and communicate among colleagues, internal customers and team partners.
• Demonstrated exceptional leadership skills.
• Strong analytical and interpersonal capabilities.
• Self-directed, organized and self-motivated to accomplish goals.
• Meticulous attention to detail and consistency in work product.

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Other Requirements:

• Regular, reliable attendance
• Work productively and meet deadlines timely
• Communicate and interact effectively and professionally with supervisors, employees, and others individually or in a team environment.
• Perform work safely and effectively. Understand and follow oral and written instructions, including warning signs, equipment use, and other policies.
• Work during normal operating hours to organize and complete work within given deadlines. Work overtime and weekends as required.
• May work at various different locations and conditions may vary.

We offer our fulltime staff employees a comprehensive benefits package that’s among the best in our industry, including top-tier medical, dental and vision plans covering eligible employees and dependents, voluntary wellness and employee assistance programs, life insurance, disability, retirement plans with matching, and generous paid time off.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.