We are looking for a Application & Proposal Manager who has personally built proposals, defended pricing to customers, and knows what it takes to win a bid without leaving margin on the table. This is a hands-on leadership role - you will not just oversee the process, you will raise the commercial standard of every proposal that leaves this team.
Be Connected. Be Valued. Be You.What You'll Do:
- Coach and mentor Proposal Engineers on value-based pricing, margin protection, and commercial negotiation language
- Identify patterns of under-pricing or missed upsell opportunities and drive corrective action
- Work with the Sales team to develop bid strategies that win on value, not just price
- Analyze customer RFQs and technical requirements to develop differentiated, commercially sound proposals
- Oversee the full proposal lifecycle: from RFQ receipt and cost build-up, through to submission, customer clarification, and contract award
- Ensure all proposals comply with both customer requirements and internal commercial standards
- Lead and develop a team of Proposal Engineers - setting performance expectations, reviewing output quality, and building commercial capability
- Track win/loss ratios and margin performance; use data to identify improvement areas and feed insights back to the team
- Continuously improve proposal processes, tools, and turnaround times
Who We're Looking For:
- Bachelor's degree in Process Engineering/ Mechanical Engineer/ Material Science or a related field
- Minimum 10 years of leadership or management experience with a strong background in process optimization
- Experience setting or enforcing pricing policies
- Understands the full commercial picture: cost of sale, margin impact, payment terms, and contract risk
- Familiarity with the commercial and technical aspects of the manufacturing sector
- Familiarity with fluid system components (tubing, fittings, valves, instrumentation) is a strong advantage
