Proposal Specialist

US Bank; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Bank is seeking a Proposal Specialist to manage end-to-end RFP/RFI responses and finalist presentations. You will coordinate with Sales, Product, Pricing, SMEs, Legal, Risk, and Marketing to craft compelling, compliant proposals and drive winning outcomes.

You will translate complex business and technical content into client-focused narratives, ensure consistent messaging, and oversee governance, timelines, and quality across all deliverables.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, English, Finance, or a related field.
• Experience managing complex, cross-functional RFP and proposal efforts.
• Strong project management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and communication abilities.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and drive accountability without direct authority.
• Strong attention to detail with a commitment to quality and accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Own the full lifecycle of assigned RFPs, RFIs, and proposal opportunities from intake through final submission.
• Develop and manage proposal project plans, milestones, deliverables, and deadlines.
• Facilitate kickoff meetings and establish clear roles, responsibilities, and response schedules.
• Monitor progress, identify risks, escalate issues, and drive timely completion of all deliverables.
• Draft, edit, and tailor proposal responses to align with client requirements and win themes.
• Translate complex information into clear, persuasive client narratives and maintain messaging consistency.
• Coordinate contributions from Sales, Product, Pricing, SMEs, Legal, Risk, Marketing, and others.
• Lead finalist presentation development and ensure alignment with written proposals.

Skills

Project management

Writing

Editing

Communication

Stakeholder influence

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, English, Finance

Job description

At U.S. Bank, we're on a journey to do our best. Helping the customers and businesses we serve to make better and smarter financial decisions and enabling the communities we support to grow and succeed. We believe it takes all of us to bring our shared ambition to life, and each person is unique in their potential. A career with U.S. Bank gives you a wide, ever-growing range of opportunities to discover what makes you thrive at every stage of your career. Try new things, learn new skills and discover what you excel at-all from Day One.

Job Description

Proposal Specialist

The Proposal Specialist is responsible for managing the end-to-end delivery of Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs), proactive proposals, and finalist presentations for strategic client opportunities. This role serves as the project manager and central coordinator throughout the pursuit lifecycle, ensuring submissions and presentations are compliant, compelling, client-focused, and aligned to the overall win strategy.

The Proposal Specialist partners closely with Sales, Product, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), Pricing, Legal, Risk, Marketing, and other stakeholders to orchestrate proposal development, drive accountability, manage timelines, and deliver high-quality client-facing materials that enhance win rates and support revenue growth.

Key Responsibilities

End-to-End Proposal Management

• Own the full lifecycle of assigned RFPs, RFIs, and proposal opportunities from intake through final submission.
• Develop and manage proposal project plans, milestones, deliverables, and deadlines.
• Facilitate kickoff meetings and establish clear roles, responsibilities, and response schedules.
• Monitor progress, identify risks, **escalate** issues, and drive timely completion of all deliverables.
• Ensure adherence to proposal governance, quality standards, and approval processes.

Proposal Development & Storytelling

• Draft, edit, and tailor proposal responses to align with client requirements, business objectives, and win themes.
• Translate complex business, product, and technical information into clear, persuasive, client-focused narratives.
• Ensure proposals effectively articulate business outcomes, value propositions, competitive differentiation, and organization capabilities.
• Maintain consistency of messaging, branding, formatting, and quality across all proposal deliverables.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner with Sales to understand client objectives, competitive dynamics, and opportunity strategy.
• Coordinate contributions from Product, Pricing, SMEs, Legal, Risk, Operations, Marketing, and other stakeholders.
• Drive stakeholder accountability for content completion, reviews, approvals, and deadlines.
• Facilitate review cycles and consolidate feedback from multiple contributors into a cohesive final response.

Finalist Presentation Management

• Lead the development and coordination of finalist presentations for strategic pursuits.
• Ensure alignment between written proposal responses and finalist presentation messaging.
• Collaborate with Sales and solution teams to build compelling presentation narratives, win themes, and client-specific value propositions.
• Manage presentation development, executive reviews, rehearsal sessions, and final production of presentation materials.
• Support presenter coaching and readiness to ensure a successful client-facing delivery.

Content & Knowledge Management

• Leverage proposal content libraries, templates, and reusable assets.
• Identify content gaps and partner with stakeholders to develop new content.
• Ensure content remains accurate, current, and aligned to approved messaging.
• Utilize proposal management technologies and AI-enabled tools to improve efficiency and consistency.

Continuous Improvement

• Participate in proposal debriefs, win/loss reviews, and process improvement initiatives.
• Recommend enhancements to proposal workflows, governance, quality assurance, and stakeholder engagement models.
• Help establish best practices that improve proposal effectiveness, speed, scalability, and overall win rates.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, English, Finance, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in proposal management, proposal writing, sales support, marketing, communications, or a related discipline.
• Experience managing complex, cross-functional RFP and proposal efforts.
• Strong project management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
• Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, and communication abilities.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and drive accountability without direct authority.
• Strong attention to detail with a commitment to quality and accuracy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting large, strategic, and highly competitive pursui