Proposal Strategist

Ferguson; Virginia (IL); Remote; USD 32,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental & vision

Paid parental leave

Remote-friendly

Job summary

Ferguson is seeking a Proposal Strategist to support proposal development and sales enablement across Ferguson Waterworks Strategic Businesses. You will work with Sales, Project Management, manufacturers, and stakeholders to deliver high-quality proposals, RFIs, SOQs, and customer-facing documents in a fast-paced environment.

The role involves coordinating cross-functional contributors, managing multiple opportunities, ensuring compliance, and driving continuous improvement of proposal processes

Qualifications

• 4-year degree in Business or related field or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years of relevant experience in proposals or sales support.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead proposal development with Shipley standards and best practices.
• Review solicitations (RFPs/RFQs/RFIs/ITBs/SOQs) and facilitate kickoff meetings.
• Manage multiple proposals across Strategic Businesses while supporting diverse needs.
• Act as project manager for assigned proposal opportunities with schedules and action items.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders across Sales, Project Management, Integration, Operations, Legal, Risk Management, Tax, Supplier Diversity and Minority Outreach, Marketing and Executive Leadership.
• Curate and collect information from SMEs, manufacturers, and internal stakeholders to develop complete proposal responses.
• Develop, maintain and improve proposal templates, content libraries, and graphics.
• Ensure all submissions are compliant and include pricing, schedules, staffing plans, product information and certifications.
• Draft, edit and format proposal content for consistency and professional presentation.
• Develop persuasive narratives communicating Ferguson's value proposition and differentiators.
• Analyze specifications and requirements to determine content for proposals and materials.
• Create professional graphics and visuals to enhance proposal quality.
• Track proposal activity and outcomes to identify improvement opportunities.
• Support sales teams throughout pursuit lifecycle and post-RFP questions.
• Assist with shortlist presentations and interview materials.
• Participate in debriefs and lessons learned to improve future responses.
• Identify process improvements to increase efficiency and scalability.

Skills

Proposal development

Sales administration

Editing documents

MS Office

Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Outlook

Teams

Adobe Acrobat

Shipley certification

Graphic content creation

Education

4-year degree in Business or related field

Tools

Salesforce

SharePoint

OneDrive

Adobe Creative Suite

Canva

PowerPoint

MS Word

Excel

Outlook

Teams

Shipley

Job description

Job Posting: At Ferguson, our greatest assets are our best-in-class associates, which is why we’re dedicated to offering limitless opportunities for growth and advancement. We want to help you build a long-lasting career with our company. We offer competitive compensation, excellent benefits (medical, dental & vision), as well as paid parental leave and so much more. Join our team today and together, we can continue to lead the industry and help build our nation’s infrastructure from the ground up.

Ferguson is currently seeking a Proposal Strategist to support proposal development and sales enablement efforts across Ferguson Waterworks Strategic Businesses. This role partners with sales, project management, leadership, manufacturers, and subject matter experts to develop high-quality proposal responses, qualifications packages, presentations, and customer-facing documents that support growth initiatives across multiple business groups.

The Proposal Strategist will manage multiple opportunities simultaneously, coordinate cross-functional contributors, develop compelling proposal content, ensure compliance with customer requirements, and help drive continuous improvement of proposal processes and tools. The ideal candidate is organized, detail-oriented, collaborative, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead proposal development efforts utilizing Shipley proposal management standards and best practices, including proposal planning, win strategy development, resource assignments, compliance review, and proposal execution.
• Review solicitation documents including Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), Requests for Information (RFIs), Invitations to Bid (ITBs), and Statements of Qualifications (SOQs), and facilitate proposal kickoff meetings to establish strategy, responsibilities, schedules, and deliverables.
• Manage multiple proposals and pursuit opportunities simultaneously while supporting the diverse needs of Strategic Businesses, sales teams, project managers, manufacturer partners, and Ferguson leadership.
• Serve as the project manager for assigned proposal opportunities by developing schedules, managing action items, facilitating team communication, tracking progress, and ensuring the timely delivery of all proposal components.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders across Ferguson, including Sales, Project Management, Integration, Operations, Legal, Risk Management, Tax, Supplier Diversity and Minority Outreach, Marketing, and Executive Leadership.
• Curate, collaborate, and collect information from subject matter experts, manufacturer representatives, business partners, and internal stakeholders to develop complete and compelling proposal responses.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve proposal templates, content libraries, project profiles, resumes, graphics, and other reusable pursuit assets.
• Ensure all proposal submissions are compliant with customer requirements and include all required documentation, which may include pricing, schedules, staffing plans, product information, technical narratives, certifications, forms, and supporting documentation.
• Draft, edit, proofread, and format proposal content to ensure consistency, accuracy, compliance, and a professional presentation.
• Develop persuasive and customer-focused proposal narratives that clearly communicate Ferguson's value proposition, capabilities, experience, and differentiators.
• Analyze technical specifications, project documentation, manufacturer information, and customer requirements to determine appropriate content and apply that knowledge to proposal responses, qualifications packages, and customer-facing materials.
• Create professional graphics, charts, organizational diagrams, process visuals, and presentation materials that enhance proposal quality and support customer engagement.
• Track proposal activity, market trends, project opportunities, and win/loss results to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and increased competitiveness.
• Support sales teams throughout the pursuit lifecycle, including pre-proposal planning, customer presentations, shortlist interviews, post-RFP questions and clarifications, and other sales enablement activities.
• Assist with the development of shortlist presentations, interview materials, customer-facing documentation, and other strategic pursuit deliverables.
• Participate in proposal debriefs, win/loss reviews, and lessons learned activities to improve future pursuit strategies and response quality.
• Identify and implement process improvements that enhance the efficiency, consistency, quality, and scalability of proposal and pursuit activities across Strategic Businesses.
• Support strategic initiatives and special projects that drive business growth, improve operational effectiveness, strengthen customer relationships, and create lasting impact beyond a single proposal opportunity.

Minimum Requirements

2+ years of relevant experience

Preferred Experience

• 1+ years' experience with sales administration.
• 1+ years' experience with proposal development.
• 1+ years' experience editing large documents for consistency and accuracy.
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and document quality control.
• Strong proofreading, editing, and formatting skills.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent deadlines and competing priorities while maintaining quality and accuracy.
• Ability to adapt and be flexible with changing priorities and business needs.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders across multiple departments and levels of the organization.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a team environment.
• High aptitude for learning new processes, products, and systems efficiently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and Adobe Acrobat.
• Technical writing experience is preferred.
• Experience in creating professional graphics and visual content is preferred.
• Shipley Proposal Certification is preferred.
• Experience responding to public-sector, municipal, utility, infrastructure, industrial, or construction-related solicitations is a plus.

Education

4-year degree in Business or related field or equivalent experience.

Desired skills forproposal specialistinclude

• Excel
• Salesforce
• SharePoint
• OneDrive
• Standard government forms
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Canva
• PowerPoint
• MS Word

Ferguson is dedicated to providing meaningful benefits programs and products to our associates and their families—geared toward benefits, wellness, financial protection and retirement savings.

Benefits

Ferguson offers a competitive benefits package which includes: medical, dental, vision, retirement savings with company match, paid leave (vacation, sick, personal and holiday), employee assistance programs, associate discounts, community involvement opportunities and much more!

Fully Remote Position

Pay Range

$22.50 - $36.49

The Estimated Ranges displayed are Monthly for Salaried roles OR Hourly for all other roles.

This role is Bonus or Incentive Plan eligible.

Ferguson complies with all wage regulations. The starting wage may be higher in certain locations based on local or state wage requirements.

The Company is an equal opportunity employer as well as a government contractor that shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a), which prohibits discrimination against qualified protected Veterans and the requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.5(A), which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability.

Ferguson Enterprises, LLC. is an equal employment employer F/M/Disability/Vet/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Reasonable Accommodation Information