Lenovo

As a Deal Desk Specialist in our Solutions & Services Group, you will play a vital role in supporting bid and proposal management for highly complex and custom (G3) to moderate complexity (G2b) managed services deals. Within this role, you will deliver support to the Engagement Manager, developing compelling proposals and collateral and coordinating the overall bid through management of the schedule, budget and risks & issues. To be successful in the role, you should demonstrate ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, possess strong acumen in proposal and collateral development and have experience in a pre-sales bid and proposal environment.

Deal Analysis & Optimization

• Analyze incoming deals to understand the customer’s requirement, business objectives and financial implications, ensuring readiness for Deal Qualification Review (DQR).
• Collaborate with sales, legal and finance teams to review and evaluate the deal terms, deal structure, commercials and any risks and associated mitigation strategies.

Proposal Development

• Develop Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) business case for the client engagement.
• Develop a deep understanding of our products and services, target market and competitive landscape to deliver proposals that highlight our unique value proposition.
• Create content tailored to your client through research of the client context, footprint and strategics objectives, ensuring these are reflected in the proposals.
• Craft well structured and compelling documentation aligned with brand guidelines, formatting standards and quality assurance processes.
• Adhere to proposal submission guidelines, including formatting, word limits and version control.
• Translate technical detail into concise and persuasive language to resonate with the target audience.
• Collaborate with sales teams to develop win themes and proposal strategies that maximize our success and associated win rate.
• Provide guidance to sales teams on deal structures, pricing guidelines, and contractual requirements to support negotiation strategies.

Proposal Management

• Manage the end to end proposal development process, including key deliverables, budget management, schedule management and risk & issue management.
• Lead proposal kick-off meetings, drive storyboarding sessions, facilitate key review meetings, final document review, coordinate proposal governance & sign off, document production, and delivery of the completed proposal.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to gather inputs, review drafts and register necessary endorsements and approvals prior to release of proposal.
• Actively engage in all gate reviews throughout the deal flow, including Deal Qualification Review, Technical Certification, Deal Review, Contract Review, Win/Loss Reviews and  Solution Handover.
• Ensure timescales are achieved at each step of the bid process, including all internal governance, while taking the initiative in setting realistic deadlines.

Continuous Improvement

• Maintain current knowledge of industry best practices, proposal trends and evolving client demands.
• Seek feedback from sales teams, clients, and internal stakeholders to improve proposal quality, effectiveness and win rates.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate the proposal development process.
• Contribute to the development and enhancement of proposal templates, tools & resources.

Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in business, project management or a related field.  MBA or equivalent is a plus.
• Proven experience in proposal management with a focus on writing and knowledge management.
• Exceptional writing and proofreading skills, with a strong command of grammar, punctuation, and style.
• Ability to distill complex information and technical details into clear, concise, and compelling content.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple proposals simultaneously under tight deadlines.
• Excellent research and analytical skills to gather and synthesize information effectively.
• Familiarity with proposal management software and tools is preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), graphic design and/or desktop publishing an advantage.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Fluent in English
• Ability to work as part of a global team which may require engaging across distances, cultures,
• and time zones in a matrix organizational structure.
• APMP Practitioner Certification or possession of skill set and experience to acquire certification required.
• External project management certification such as PMP from PMI or other project management certification is preferred.
• 8 years of progressive sales focused business experience in the information technology sector.