Location

Hybrid- 1-2 days/week in our Minneapolis office

Join Our Dynamic Business Development & Marketing Team!

This role will report to the VP of Business Development and Marketing. The business development team works to acquire projects and funding to support agile and strategic organizational growth aligned with our mission and vision. The proposal manager will be responsible for owning the research, processes, development, and delivery of compelling proposals to win new work and funding. The proposal manager will manage each step of the pursuit process including opportunity tracking, cross-team collaboration, appeal strategy, task assignments, writing, editing, and submission. This position supports business development and sales across departments to secure funding for existing programs, pilot projects, and new business lines.

Who We Are

Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) is a clean energy nonprofit with offices in North Loop of Minneapolis and Roseville. We provide practical energy solutions for homes, businesses, and communities to cut energy waste and harmful emissions. We collaborate regularly with field peers and partners, and we employ curious people who enjoy learning and contributing to the Midwest's quality of life and economy. Our workplace invites open-door communications, respect for diverse backgrounds and points of view, and an emphasis on work-life balance.

What We Offer

Insurance Coverage Options: To ensure you and your family are well protected, we have got you covered with Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Health Saving Account, and Flexible Spending Accounts.
Impact: We want to make the world a better and more energy efficient place. Our work and the decisions we make are rooted in this foundational desire.
Future Planning: To help you secure your financial future, benefit from our retirement saving program. Reach your goal sooner with our immediate vesting and company contribution.
Work/Life Balance: We recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and are dedicated to supporting our team members in various aspects of their lives. Our benefits include generous Paid Time Off (PTO), paid parental leave, and salary continuation for major medical events, ensuring that you have the support you need during significant life moments and personal challenges.
Holidays: Our company provides nine paid holidays each year, offering you ample time to observe important occasions and enjoy personal time.
Growth: We want everyone to grow and learn within their roles. We offer professional development opportunities and education assistance.
Championing DEI: Our committed DEI Committee promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment by establishing clear goals and assessing progress throughout the organization.

What You'll Do

Own CEE's proposal development process including

• Lead discussions with internal stakeholders and external partners regarding opportunity fit, messaging strategy, resource identification, task assignments, and proposal submission.
• Align proposal approach to CEE's mission, vision, and core values.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts, partners, and others to write compelling, accurate, and high-quality proposals, pitches, presentations, and other required materials.
• Coordinate across departments to acquire inputs, approvals, and documents required for proposals. Additionally, work to align expectations of integrating new work like staffing resources, legal obligations and contracts, rate of pay, and data security.
• Manage proposal workflows and communications.
• Adhere to all pursuit instructions, templates, and critical timelines to deliver complete proposal submissions on deadline.
• When CEE is joining a proposal team, provide support to lead partner by delivering all required content, review, and documentation by their deadline.
• Prepare team members and materials for interviews and site visits.
• Formally and informally present information to internal and external audiences regarding proposals, our work, and the organization.
• Serve as CEE's subject matter expert on proposal development.

Bolster proposal processes and efficiencies

• Build strong working relationships across the organization to understand department skills and opportunities while improving the efficiency of developing high-quality proposals on short timelines.
• Develop and continuously refine the tools, templates, and workflows to systematize CEE's proposal processes to improve efficiency, quality, and collaboration
• Manage proposal content library and software.
• Conduct market intelligence and work with the business development team to monitor target markets and identify forthcoming opportunities of interest (RFP/RFQ/RFI).
• Track pursuit metrics including effort, win/lose rates, and monetary impacts.
• Leverage CRM for proposals, market research, and relationship management.

Create High-Quality Proposals

• Write compelling and accurate proposal content.
• Gather, integrate, and streamline written content from multiple contributors to develop a strong appeal with clear messaging and a consistent voice.
• Tailor content to align with funding criteria and evaluation metrics.
• Copyedit to follow organizational standards and eliminate errors.
• Develop procedures for review cycles and version control.
• Work to understand CEE's breadth of expertise, research, and strategic direction to hone opportunity identification and content development.
• Assist with layout, design, and brand adherence in coordination with the marketing team.

All other business development duties as assigned or apparent.

Skills & Knowledge Requirements

• Five years of experience in managing proposal workflows and developing successful proposal materials
• Strong experience leading cross departmental programs and projects, including ability to coordinate, influence, motivate, and manage deliverables, timelines, and expectations
• Strong writing and editing skills including working knowledge of rules of grammar, punctuation, and usage aligned with Chicago Manual of Style and in-house style guides
• Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and coaching skills
• Strong time management and prioritization skills
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and execute good judgement
• Proficiency in problem-solving, documentation, and research to get to resolution
• Experience working in cross-functional teams and contributing to collaborative projects.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Preferred Qualifications

• Four-year degree in Communications, English, Journalism, or field of study that developed critical thinking and analytical skills or equivalent years of experience
• Project management training
• Experience with technical writing
• Experience in public speaking and effectively presenting information
• Experience in providing strategic input to business development and sales activities
• Experience in energy, engineering, sustainability, research, science, technical, or related field
• Understanding of local, state, and federal agencies; utilities; and organizations delivering energy efficiency solutions
• Experience with SharePoint, QorusDocs, Salesforce, and Adobe InDesign

Compensation

• Dependent on qualifications and experience, we expect the pay range upon hire for this position will be $84,000-90,000/year